Meryl Streep leads an all-star cast as an independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island. Donna (Streep) is about to let go of Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), the daughter she's raised alone. On a quest to find her father to walk her down the aisle, Sophie brings back three men from Donna's past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Based on the smash hit musical seen by over 30 million people worldwide with a gross to date of US$2 billion. It is set to songs by popular '70s group ABBA.
What I really hated: Only the songs? Where is the rest????????????????????????????
Urm, Why???? Why???? Mamma Mia wasn't supposed to turn out like this??? What happened to the interesting twisted i expected??? What on Earth is this NONSENSE????? What 'possible father' story is this. I really don't get it...... Story: On the fictional island of Kalokairi, 20-year-old bride-to-be Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried) nervously posts three wedding invitations ("I Have a Dream") to three different men. In response, from across the globe, they set off on their respective journeys.
Sophie's bridesmaids and best friends Ali and Lisa (Ashley Lilley and Rachel McDowall) arrive and she shares with them a secret. Sophie has found her mother's diary and learned she has three possible dads: New York-based Irish architect Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan), Swedish adventurer and writer Bill Andersson (Stellan Skarsgård), and British banker Harry Bright (Colin Firth). She sent their invites without telling her mother, believing that after she spends time with them, she will at last know who her real father is ("Honey, Honey").
Villa Donna owner Donna Sheridan (Meryl Streep) is ecstatic to reunite with old friends and former Donna and The Dynamos bandmates, wisecracking author Rosie (Julie Walters) and wealthy multiple divorcee Tanya (Christine Baranski), and reveals her mystification at her daughter's desire to get married. At the Villa, Sophie introduces Tanya and Rosie to true love Sky (Dominic Cooper), and tells them about their idea of designing a website to attract tourists to the island. Donna explains her precarious finances ("Money, Money, Money").
The three men arrive, and Sophie smuggles them to their quarters and explains that she, not her mother, sent the invitations. She begs the men to hide so Donna will have a surprise at the wedding: seeing the old friends of whom she "so often" favorably speaks. They overhear Donna working (humming "Fernando" to herself) in the storeroom below and the men swear to Sophie they will not reveal her secret.
However, Donna spies them and is dumbfounded to find herself face to face with the three former lovers she could never forget ("Mamma Mia"), and is adamant that they cannot stay. She confides in Tanya and Rosie ("Chiquitita") a secret she has kept from everyone — she is uncertain which of the three men is actually Sophie's father. Tanya and Rosie rally her spirits by getting Donna to join in with the female staff and islanders accompanying a musical number ("Dancing Queen").
Sophie finds the men aboard Bill's yacht, and they sail around the island of Skopelos ("Our Last Summer") and tell her stories of Donna as a carefree girl. Upon their return, Sophie musters up the courage to speak with Sky about her ploy, but loses her nerve. Sky and Sophie sing passionately to each other ("Lay All Your Love on Me"), but are interrupted by the bachelor party that has descended upon Sky to kidnap him for his last night of freedom.
At Sophie's bachelorette party, Donna, Tanya, and Rosie perform in a surprise one-night-only event as Donna and The Dynamos ("Super Trouper"). Sophie is delighted to see her mother rock out, but becomes nervous when the festivities are interrupted by the arrival of Sam, Bill and Harry. She decides to get each of her three prospective dads alone to talk.
While her girlfriends dance with the men ("Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"), Sophie achieves her aim, finally learning from Bill that the old woman who gave Donna the money to invest in her Villa was his Great Aunt Sofia. Sophie guesses she must be her namesake and that Bill must be her father. She asks him to give her away and to keep their secret from Donna until the wedding.
Over the moon, Sophie returns to the party. But her happiness is short-lived as Sam and Harry each tell her they must be her dad and will give her away ("Voulez-Vous"). A shocked Sophie can't tell them the truth and, overwhelmed by the consequences of her action, faints on the dance floor.
In the morning, Rosie and Tanya reassure a frantic Donna they will take care of the men. Donna confronts Sophie in the courtyard, mistakenly believing Sophie wants the wedding stopped. Sophie angrily says that all she wants is to avoid her mother's mistakes and storms off. An upset Donna is accosted by Sam, full of fatherly concern at Sophie getting married so young. Donna dresses him down, and both realize they still have feelings for each other ("SOS").
Meanwhile, on Bill's boat, Bill and Harry are about to confide in each other, but are interrupted by Rosie. Similarly, down on the beach, Tanya and young Pepper (Philip Michael) continue their flirtations from the previous night ("Does Your Mother Know").
With her plans falling apart and wedding in jeopardy, Sophie knows it is time to come clean to Sky and ask for his help. He reacts angrily to his fiancée's deception and Sophie must turn to her mother for support. As Donna helps her daughter dress for their wedding, the rift is quickly healed and Donna reminisces about Sophie's childhood and how quickly she's grown ("Slipping Through My Fingers"). Then and there, Sophie decides the only parent she's ever known is the only one who should give her away. As the staff and bridesmaids accompany Donna and Sophie to the chapel, Sam intercepts Donna and begs her to talk. She reveals the deep pain she felt over losing him ("The Winner Takes It All").
After the ceremony begins ("Knowing Me, Knowing You" during the wedding march), Donna confesses to Sophie that her father is present but he could be any of the three candidates, whom Sophie now admits to having invited. The three men concur that they would be quite happy to be one-third of a father for such a girl as Sophie. She then tells Sky that they should postpone their wedding and travel the world, as they have always wanted. It appears that preparations have been in vain until Sam steps in and proposes to Donna. She accepts ("I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do") and the couple go through an impromptu ceremony.
At the wedding reception, Sam sings to Donna ("When All Is Said and Done"), which prompts Rosie to make a play for Bill ("Take a Chance on Me"). All the couples present proclaim their love and, magically, water from Aphrodite's fountain of love bursts through the crack in the courtyard at Villa Donna ("Mamma Mia" reprise).
The story concludes as Sophie and Sky bid farewell to Skopelos island and sail away to a new life together ("I Have a Dream" reprise).
During the principal credits, Donna, Tanya, and Rosie reprise "Dancing Queen", followed by "Waterloo" with the rest of the cast. Finally, Amanda Seyfried sings "Thank You for the Music" over the end credits. Comments: Bad Bad Bad, that's all aside from the songs everything is CRAP Rathing: 2/5 (40%) Acknowledgments: Wikipedia. Thank YOU.
Now, if you used to be an ABBAholic and think you've outgrown their music, maybe this is a good movie to reaffirm your faith in the band. Never before I recall my love for ABBA with such great admiration, our last summer, walks along the Seine, laughing in the rain...
Or something like that.
Based on the blockbuster stage musical of the same name, the stage-to-movie adaptation is splendid in itself. Shot in the beautiful small Greek islands of Skopelos and Skiathos among others, the island's picturesque scenery is an added bonus to an already fun romantic musical, while whispering its desires for you to list down 'small Greek islands' as your next choice for a vacation.
It's a whole collection of refreshing performances. It's refreshing to see Amanda Seyfried be something other than dumb blonde roles she's so used to. With lesser make-up and simple dresses, she looks every part an island girl. It's also refreshing to see Colin Firth return to his forte; not musicals, but light-hearted romance. Of course the real deal here would be Meryl Streep. Curious I was, when I saw her name in the lead. Seeing her recently playing serious ageing characters made me forget that Streep can sing and she did it before in "A Prairie Home Companion". She sings, she dances, she twirls around in cute blue overalls while her shiny golden hair dances together, making you feel ashamed that you may not have the same energy even though you're much younger.
As it IS based on ABBA songs, mentioning it is a must. The movie successfully lightens ABBA's signature World of Sound, and turns it into a fun musical that suits the movie feel without losing its quality. Started off with "Honey, Honey", it gets better and better each time and you will find yourself singing along and wanting to join Donna and her best friends as they dance and twirl around through "Dancing Queen", comforting each other with "Chiquitita", while the men relive memories of Donna in "Our Last Summer", ending reasonably with "Thank You For The Music" as the credit rolls.
The only bane of "Mamma Mia!" would be Pierce Brosnan's voice talent (or lack thereof). Trying to hide the non-existent singing skills by lots of growling, what Brosnan achieved was only to make the songs sound ridiculous - but the man tried. I would give it an A+ for the effort but C- for the end result.
But if you were never an ABBA fan, then maybe watching a singing James Bond, a dancing Mr Darcy or Meryl Streep doing mid-air splits and jumping on beds would tickle your fancy. Do wait till the end though, if you wanna see more ABBA-esque performances from the whole cast. They stayed onscreen and kept singing and singing!
This would sound cliched, but... MAMMA MIA!
Now, if you used to be an ABBAholic and think you've outgrown their music, maybe this is a good movie to reaffirm your faith in the band. Never before I recall my love for ABBA with such great admiration, our last summer, walks along the Seine, laughing in the rain...
Or something like that.
Based on the blockbuster stage musical of the same name, the stage-to-movie adaptation is splendid in itself. Shot in the beautiful small Greek islands of Skopelos and Skiathos among others, the island's picturesque scenery is an added bonus to an already fun romantic musical, while whispering its desires for you to list down 'small Greek islands' as your next choice for a vacation.
It's a whole collection of refreshing performances. It's refreshing to see Amanda Seyfried be something other than dumb blonde roles she's so used to. With lesser make-up and simple dresses, she looks every part an island girl. It's also refreshing to see Colin Firth return to his forte; not musicals, but light-hearted romance. Of course the real deal here would be Meryl Streep. Curious I was, when I saw her name in the lead. Seeing her recently playing serious ageing characters made me forget that Streep can sing and she did it before in "A Prairie Home Companion". She sings, she dances, she twirls around in cute blue overalls while her shiny golden hair dances together, making you feel ashamed that you may not have the same energy even though you're much younger.
As it IS based on ABBA songs, mentioning it is a must. The movie successfully lightens ABBA's signature World of Sound, and turns it into a fun musical that suits the movie feel without losing its quality. Started off with "Honey, Honey", it gets better and better each time and you will find yourself singing along and wanting to join Donna and her best friends as they dance and twirl around through "Dancing Queen", comforting each other with "Chiquitita", while the men relive memories of Donna in "Our Last Summer", ending reasonably with "Thank You For The Music" as the credit rolls.
The only bane of "Mamma Mia!" would be Pierce Brosnan's voice talent (or lack thereof). Trying to hide the non-existent singing skills by lots of growling, what Brosnan achieved was only to make the songs sound ridiculous - but the man tried. I would give it an A+ for the effort but C- for the end result.
But if you were never an ABBA fan, then maybe watching a singing James Bond, a dancing Mr Darcy or Meryl Streep doing mid-air splits and jumping on beds would tickle your fancy. Do wait till the end though, if you wanna see more ABBA-esque performances from the whole cast. They stayed onscreen and kept singing and singing!
Production Photos - Click thumbnail for larger photos
