Mamma Mia!
Friday, 11 Jul 2008 14:43
Amanda Seyfried shines as Sophie
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, out July 10th, starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried, Julie Walters, 98 minutes.
In a nutshell...
Sparkling film version of the hit stage musical.
What's it all about?
Set on a small and beautiful Greek island, Mamma Mia! sees 20-year-old Sophie invite three men to her wedding – in the hopes that one of them will turn out to be her father. With her mother, Donna, having flings with all of them during a carefree summer 20 years before, it could be any of them – and she has no idea they are turning up out of the blue.
With the music of Abba woven into the story line, Sophie and Donna deal with the past as the wedding plans march on. Great laughs are created by Donna's life-long friends, Sophie's bridesmaids and the 'Greek chorus' of locals and extra wedding guests. No pretensions are held high, with the film's actors throwing themselves into the wonderful silliness of the tale.
Who's in it?
Meryl Streep stars as Donna, with her three formers lovers played by Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard. While Brosnan and Firth need little introduction, Skarsgard will be mostly recognisable to viewers for his role in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
Starring as the young lovers set to wed are Amanda Seyfried of Mean Girls fame and Dominic Cooper (The History Boys, Sense and Sensibility).
Providing some great comedy as Donna's sidekicks are Julie Walters (Harry Potter, Becoming Jane) and Christine Baranski (Welcome to Mooseport).
As an example...
Harry Bright: Is your father here?
Sophie: [smiling] You tell me.
Sophie: I've invited my dad to my wedding.
Ali: You found him!?
Sophie: Well not exactly.
What the others say
"It should be beyond bonkers. It should be a mess. It isn't. They’ll probably revoke my membership of the Straight Men's Sneering Association for this, but Mamma Mia! is actually rather wonderful. It is sharp, hilarious and so beautifully shot that you can almost smell the Ambre Solaire." - Hugo Rifkind, Times
"No matter how many blockbusters there are, Universal Pictures' screen version of the global hit musical Mamma Mia! is the most fun to be had at the movies this or any other recent summer.
"Teenage boys may be glued to the latest action adventure, but the rest of the family will be having a rollicking good time and dancing in the aisles to Swedish pop group Abba's irresistible songs. It's a delightful piece of filmmaking with a marvellous cast topped by Meryl Streep in one of her smartest and most entertaining performances ever." - Hollywood Reporter
So is it any good?
Mamma Mia is really fun, really silly and really enjoyable. The singing talents of a number of the cast may be questionable – Brosnan and Cooper are among the guilty few – but others, including Seyfried and Baranski, are talented enough to forgive the odd duff notes of the others.
All of the leads throw themselves into their roles and seem to be having a jolly good time doing so. This cannot help but affect viewers, who – unless kitsch Abba is really not their thing - are likely to be swept along with the cast's enthusiasm and be tapping their feet in no time.
With a beautiful cast and crew and superb performances, Mamma Mia! is rightly set to be one of the summer's most popular films.
8/10
Carolyn Robertson
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