Mamma Mia

Mamma Mia (2008) starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfried, and Christine Baranski.

Well...what to say...beforehand...well with this being the biggest movie of 2008 there has been so much hype around it that I almost felt I didn't need to see it. What had I heard...Pierce can't sing for toffee, Meryl is fantastic, and Colin is just very unconvincing in the part he plays (being general to avoid spoilers!). My fears about this movie were that it was going to be the ultimate chick flick...that is until my father returned from seeing it at the cinema and said that he loved it. This confused matters and yet I still decided to steer clear of it, until now...when I could see it for free.

Set on a colorful Greek island, the plot serves as a background for a wealth of ABBA songs. A young woman, Sophie (Seyfried) about to be married (Cooper) discovers that any one of three men (Broson, Firth and Skarsgård) could be her father. She invites all three to the wedding without telling her mother, Donna (Streep), who was once the lead singer of Donna and the Dynamos. In the meantime, Donna has invited her backup singers, Rosie (Walters) and Tanya (Baranski).

The film was a joyful happy go-lucky film that cannot help to make you smile. The toe-tapping tunes of ABBA make you smile and grin. It is easy to see that the cast loved making the film and that spreads into those who watch the film. The plot is fluid and it flows well, the characters are well rounded which helps to add to the fun exciting atmosphere.

What makes this movie worth watching? Streep, Walters and Baranski carry this movie. They are all fantastic in it. To think that Streep was 58 when it was filmed shows how absolutely brilliant she is in the film. She throws herself around the screen which only draws the audience more into it. Her singing is also fantastic. Baranski is another stellar singer and also dancer. Whereas Walters adds a fantastic comedic touch and her presence in this film is wonderful. Seyfried is also a real find in this movie. The only other movie that springs to mind that I have sene her in is Mean Girls, where she plays a dumb ditzy blonde, completely different to this character

However when it comes to the rest of the cast I feel it begins to collapse. Firth is so unconvincing as Harry, Skarsgård at times looks completely uncomfortable and Brosnan is worryingly bad as Sam, and not just because of the singing. The male trio that make up the bulk of the plot fumble and stumble towards the end of the movie.

So all in all the movie is ok. Streep et al are stunning, Brosnan et al awful. It is a fun happy clappy toe tapping movie that will lift your spirits but it is nothing more than that. Watch if you do not want to think!

★★☆☆☆