Movie Review: Mamma Mia!
Published July 15, 2008
Streep had by far the most impressive vocals. She carried the often challenging tunes wonderfully with her ethereal, clear voice made haggard by the demands of running a hotel that makes Fawlty Towers look like the Ritz. For all the light-heartedness of the musical, her acting still brought a tear to my eye, specifically in a moment after "Slipping Through My Fingers". Her rendition of “The Winner Takes It All” is the most haunting ever heard.
Julie Walters and Christine Baranski, as Donna’s backing singers of their former band The Dynamos, added the most comic relief as women of a certain age who still like to have fun. Walters’ advances on Bill while warbling through “Take A Chance On Me“, and Baranski’s rejection of a horny teenager to “Does Your Mother Know” were easily the most humorous set pieces in the entire movie.
Initially it is cringe-worthy and frankly rather weird to see Streep, Seyfried, and Cooper spontaneously burst into an ABBA song, but the energy and exuberance they bring to them is infectious. The music itself fits in with whatever it is set to, whether it be Brosnan getting in a cab in New York, or the camera panning up a small, hilly peninsula on top of which is set a small church. After this movie, which was filmed on the Greek islands of Skiathos and Skopelos, Sky will definitely get his wish of seeing more tourists come to the island.
Sondheim it ain’t, but Mamma Mia! is a fun, funny, feel-good movie, and worth the entry fee alone to see James Bond and Fitzwilliam Darcy singing famously camp songs. While nowadays ABBA songs are deemed as guilty pleasures, for the duration of the film, they are simply pleasures.
- Movie Review: Mamma Mia!
- Published: July 15, 2008
- Type: Review
- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Video: Music, Video: Romantic
- Writer: Catherine Tuckwell
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- Catherine Tuckwell's personal site
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Comments
see the movie before commenting..
who the hell goes to movies looking for technicalities ( a critic might)...
one goes to movies to feel emotions (else just go to the opera house to hear glass breaking voices)..
This film is the funniest and most fun i had in movies for a while... it's all light and funny.
Go watch it!
I love the movie! I've seen it three times already and watch some more!
OK...so I took my better half to see this movie...mainly because I knew it would mean a lot to her, this small gesture. I have to say that I even convinced myself that I could enjoy it enough to keep from squirming in my seat, making faces or groaning out loud. Luckily for me I did get to see this movie at a theater that serves beer and food so it was easier to deal with. This movie was pretty poorly done, even from a musical perspective. The majority of the cast don't sing very well. Forget the ridiculous "plot" and the three old guys one of which may or may not be the lucky soul that created Sophie (which is not resolved really)...the dancing was bad, but what's worse is we're supposed to believe that Meryl Streep's character had a daughter 20 years ago...what, when she was 40? The other old ladies are awful and not that funny...and there's no way the "all too happy" looking black kid with the stupid hair would EVER be horny for that old lady from the Birdcage. And in the end...the stupid kids don't even go through with the wedding. If they hadn't filmed this in Greece it really would've bombed. It IS NOT funny, and it was not a good time. The movie was awful. And 007 can't sing at all. His SOS version was painful to listen to. They must have done it in one take due to the fact that nobody wanted to hear him attempt to sing again. I suppose the old lady next to me who kept crying especially during the "Winner takes it all song" means that I simply am not the target market for this horrible movie. This movie will likely appeal to gay men and middle-aged women. If nothing else, it's worth taking your woman to so she will owe you "something" *wink*
Mama Mia!!!
The Dude.
I agree with The Dude (see above). Just listen to the ABBA's CD if you like their music. Terrible movie. I never thought I would say it about a movie where Maryl S. is a lead actress.
Saw the film - thought it was really good as a fun, light-hearted, fun & take off of the musical, which I guess is what it was made as......and loved the fact that the cast just 'sang/wobbled' with their own voices (take note Dude) - a lot of the old musicals had famous actors voices dubbed by singers.... and I'd rather have any actor singing off note than have some professional just overdubbing.......
The 'Dude' needs to maybe get a life and lighten up a bit.....! (how old is he.she - he/she sounds like he's in his 50's!) PS - I am 29 - so not even one of your old ladies in the audience Dude...... The cinema where I saw it in London was filled with female and males under 30 and they clapped the film at the end .....
Obviously the "The Dude" is a pathetic, immature, really stupid person. I am a singer/entertainer myself and look very critically at musicals. This movie was exceptional on all counts....music, choreography, humor, talent, and (very important) pacing of numbers. Of course Brosnan may not be a singer per se, but he was picked on purpose BECAUSE he is a most unlikely candidate for this movie. It added a special humor - the effect was perfect. And because he is so suave and charming, this demeanor sailed him through. He was great - and the writers, directors, choreographers and cast knew what they were doing. Excellent work. It made you feel happy, really happy, with a smile on your face and making you feel like you want to dance and jump up and down in your seat. This is what entertainment is about Mr. Dude - emotion and feeling! Sorry that you just didn't get it and most probably you don't get much of life either.
Go see this movie more than once - it'll brighten your day, your week, your attitude!
I've seen it 3 times now and loved every minute. I'm even getting accustomed to Pierce Brosnan's singing - it's not bad at all.
All you women need to stop ganging up on the Dude. Say what you will about the movie, but try to focus on the movie and not other people. I find it funny when you have a positive opinion about something, you express it but then get defensive when someone says negative stuff about you, based solely on your opinions. Perhaps you need to learn to lighten up and just accept that not everyone will be thrilled to see Mamma Mia! It certainly was not for folks that are not acclimated with musicals or romantic comedies. Saying stuff like:
"This is what entertainment is about Mr. Dude - emotion and feeling! Sorry that you just didn't get it and most probably you don't get much of life either." This kind of remedial crap does nothing but make you a look like a complete ignoramus. Just because you are a musical entertainer does not mean that the world shares your opinion on what entertainment is. Perhaps widenening you are the one who needs to get a life and stop getting into others' business over something as trivial as a silly romantic comedy.
By the way, the movie was not made for guys who have tastes like the Dude. Does that make his opinions invalid? Absolutely not. The film producers should have considered that many husbands would be dragged into seeing this by their spouses. I AM NOT SAYING THAT ALL HUSBANDS WERE RELUCTANT TO SEE THIS MOVIE. That being said, I will end it here. It says in the bloody comment policy for NO PERSONAL ATTACKS. Clearly reading/comprehension and higher level reasoning is out of the picture when it comes to opinionated arguments about Mamma Mia on this blog.
Not everyone liked this movie. Learn to live with it.
-Kratos
the movie was the best movie everrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. i absolutely loved it. amanda seyfield who plays sophie is a very good singer. and my mam is a big fan of pierce brosnan and also mamma mia.
Oh come on this has got to be one of the worst movies ever. The only time it works is when the music is played. Streep, et al are dreadful. Even the music is upbeat as if to get the whole thing finished quickly.
And hat about the morals, Streep plays a slut who screws three men in three nights and doesn't even know who the father of the bride is. May be I am old fashioned, but if she had contracted HIV/AIDS/ STDs what then?
I couldn't watch it and I love Abba music.
I am 21 and my mum is 48, we both love ABBA music and were really looking forward to seeing the film....
unfortunatley we both thought the film was terrible. I understand that people like to watch light hearted fun, so why not turn to disney? they have this down to a tee... They can pull off adult humour without the younger generation catching on...which I feel is what the producers of 'Mamma Mia' were trying to achieve.
As mentioned, I am 21 so close to the age of the the 20 year old daughter, I am also engaged to be married next year. However, unfortunatley I found the whole scenerio quite disturbing with her prancing about on a yacht in her swimming costume with 3 older men (all of whom do not know at this point that she could be their daughter...)
It is a real shame that there was not a better story line for this film, because I honestly feel it could have been so good with the right script and characters...
I would just like to add (before I get those shooting me down to be a critic), that I do not usually 'hate' films like this, so it is really quite unusual for me (and my mum) to feel so strongly. I just can not see any ground breaking filmogrphy here as to why it should be such hit??
I watched it yesterday... a smile on my face through out the movie... it is a very lively and joyful movie... the writer is extremely smart in putting all the song together...so creative! Thanks to Catherine Johnson. I am entertained! The actor and actress are trying their very best.. of course, I believe the director can do better... Well, nothing is perfect...anyway, I am looking forward to the up coming Musical Shows at Istana Budaya Malaysia this Dec :)





I've just seen a preview version.
I give it 0 out of 10.
It is the worst movie I have ever seen. Horrible direction it looks like a low budget piece of crap. And Meryl Streep singing is the worst.
Remember when musicals dubbed REAL singer voices into a musical? Not here just crapppppppppppppppppp..........
DO NOT pay money to see this! Rent it for $1 on DVD if you have to.