MAMA MIA! (2008)
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd
Starring: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Amanda Seyfried, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski
Can I make a confession? Promise not to tell anyone?
I love ABBA. I do, I can't explain it. I just think they made some catchy music that is not only fun, but has a bit of sophistication underneath the surface. They're the only good thing that came out of the disco years.
Okay, that felt good! Can I make another confession? I hate weddings. Nothing gets on my nerves more than a bunch of overly excited women screeching about how happy they are for one another; especially if there's a lot of thinly concealed animosity and jealousy underneath it all. In fact, I only go to weddings if a) it's a family member or close friend or b) there's booze.
So in this movie, we have something I love and something I hate. Let's see how they mesh together.
Sophie (Seyfried) and her mother Donna (Streep) run a hotel on a small Greek island. Sophie is getting married, but there's a problem. She wants her father there. Oh, and there's another problem: there are three men who could possibly be her father: Bill (Skarsgard), Sam (Brosnan) and Harry (Firth). So she invites all three men to the wedding, and doesn't tell her mother. Meanwhile, Donna's best friends Rosie (Walters) and Tanya (Baranski) also arrive, and the trio proceed to drink a ton of ouzo and sing ABBA songs that are strangely specific to their memories. When Donna discovers her three former lovers on the island, she naturally has a bit of a fit. Everyone is at a loss to explain what's going on. So they sing even more ABBA songs and do some pretty nifty dance numbers to chew up time. When the plot finally resumes, My Three Dads finally figure out why they're there and all agree to give Sophie away at the wedding. This flies in the face of Donna's get-these-men-out-of-here-as-soon-as-possible plan. Sam tries to rekindle things between himself and Donna. Sophie decides she doesn't want to get married. Rosie attaches herself to Bill. Harry comes out as gay. And they all live happily ever after to the strains of "Dancing Queen."
Thank God the music was good in this one, because the plot was weak too weak to stand on its own. Seriously, the songs carried this movie. And that's the problem with musicals these days. The best musicals are a harmonious marriage of song and story. If one is stronger than the other, it's not balanced. In this case, I couldn't wait for the next song to start, because I simply didn't care about the characters. It was like watching a series of music vidoes cut together with a lost episode of "Days of Our Lives."
As far as the performances go, everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time. I can't blame them. If someone told me I got to go to a Greek Island, sing and dance AND get paid for it, I'd be there two weeks before the crew. Though it must be said that the singing ability of some of the cast leaves a lot to be desired. Especially Pierce Brosnan. He may be suave and sexy and a former James Bond, but singing isn't his strong suit. Meryl Streep didn't do too bad a job, and the rest of the cast holds their own. Streep actually does a lot better when she's singing trios with Walters and Baranski. Those three are a hoot.
So I didn't hate this one, but only because I liked the music. I was prepared to hate it, because, in the first five minutes, we have hyperactive women screaming and jumping and cheering about how happy they are for the bride. But while there was enough here to keep me even the least bit interested, I understand there are quite a few people out there who don't like ABBA. Well, I hope you like weddings. If not, there's nothing here for you.
Terry, you just KNOW the music obsessed loser must butt in for this one, but forgive me! I'll try to be brief. Firstly, I maintain that loving ABBA is something to be PROUD OF: they are the finest example that popular, radio-friendly can be an artistic achievement, and everything about their music is laboured, sophisticated AND full of feeling. My only pet peeve: they appeared many years before Disco reared its ugly(?) head, and they only dived headfirst into that genre AFTER they put out their masterpiece: The Album, from 1975 (if I'm not mistaken). They are always remembered for "Dancing Queen", but they every bit as much of a "Disco band" as the Bee Gees -- and we know a "Disco band" does not release an album such as Odessa!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the film... I hate it! My sister put it on for my nieces dozens of times every week, and I got utterly sick of how they took a handful of brilliant tunes and set it to such a ludicrous story. Now: I can deal with stories that you can't possibly believe in, after all, it's all fiction, but THIS is ridiculous. The story is way beyond anything that I could possibly accept as entertaining, and I felt like the songs were being mercilessly butchered. And yeah, it pains me that it was a Broadway musical many years before the film came out AND that the two original ABBA songwriters were involved with this. Come on, Slipping Through My Fingers is one of the most depressing and poignant songs I've ever heard, and they dumped saccharine all over it! Darn it.
I won't bother too much if I hadn't been obliged to hear or see it so many bloody times. This film is a wound in my heart that still aches. As for ABBA, look up Eagle on YouTube and enjoy. :)
Dang, Fernie. I can certainly understand your position! I too have certain films I can't stand because of repeated forced viewing. Thanks for reading!
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