Well, back to the story. The setting is a small Greek island where Donna (Meryl Streep) and her daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried of Veronica Mars and Mean Girls), operate a rundown inn. We catch up with them in the middle of the final preparations for Sophie's wedding, which is set to happen the following day. As the guests begin arriving it is revealed that Sophie has a big secret.
You see, Sophie does not know who her father is, but by sneaking a peek in Donna's old diary, three potential candidates have revealed themselves. So, being the curious young woman that she is, she invites all three to the wedding, figuring that she will know who it is when she sees him. Now, nothing goes according to plan, and when Donna finds out these three men from her past are there, well, everything just hits the fan, in a blast of song and smiles, of course.
Yes, the film is well shot and yes, the cast seem to be having an absolute blast, but I still felt like I was held at arm's length. Where I should have been invited in, it was like the story did not want to dig into anything deeper than the loose top soil of the characters, thus preventing me from developing any type of attachment or desire to see more.
The singing was adequate throughout, although, if I ever have to listen to Pierce Brosnan sing again, it will be too soon. Meryl Streep was full of energy and was clearly having a blast. However, the high point of the cast would have to be Amanda Seyfried, and while I cannot say I particularly cared for the movie, she was a shining light, possessing great screen charisma. I suspect we will be seeing more of her in the near future.
Bottom line. If you are going to like this, you probably already know who you are; I am not going to change your mind. I also do not have the heart to rip it apart, as it is not deserving. I will just settle for saying that it has a specific audience in mind and I am not it.
Not Recommended (well, you know).
Article comments
1 - Pete
Yeah, the audience for this are people who go to the cinema to be cheered up, and not to see bleak dreary and depressing. Good for you, that you are already skipping through life.
2 - 12 dogs and a blog
Thank you.
I was trying to tell a family member why I didn't want to be very critical of this move and yet couldn't praise it either. For me, to be critical of this movie would be like kicking the family dog. So many excellent actors. Toe tapping musical score. Exuberant mood.
Yes, the movie did look abit like a "dog" but durn it, it was our family "dog".
And you just don't kick the family "dog".
It's that loyalty thing.
Still no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't quite suspend disbelief.
And I wanted to.
So out of loyalty to this lovable mutt?
I'm not going to trash this movie.
Besides--
There could be a saving grace with this movie.
That would be if the "fan", the ABBA fans, embraced this film with the joy and abandon that the actors couldn't quite seem to do. Perhaps there is a chance for MomaMia the Movie as a cult clasic very much like the quirky musical Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Rocky Horror also had a catchy (or is it kischy) musical score and over the top characters. There's actually more plot in MamaMia than there was in RockyHorror. And yes, like RockyHorror, there are plenty of places in the movie for audience participation. Maybe Public Theater will be kind enough to run Moma Mia as their Midnight Show.
It would have be heartfelt and fan driven. Cult clasics aren't manufactured. They have to come from the sheer joy of loving something. Mercy knows there are a whole lotta folks world wide who love ABBA's music. Maybe a whole generation of tweens who love Hannah Montana and are now old enough to see Moma Mia and fall in love with ABBA's music.
And heck it is very much like the Bollywood musicals. Not a genre that American audiences are used to but not a big hurdle for the fans of the Bollywood blockbuster. High drama. Family conflict. A big Bollywood finish AND those big musical and dance numbers. Add to that a visually beautiful film. Yeah I'm thinking there's a spark.
Actually next to ABBA fans, MomaMia's structure and story might appeal to folks who love the Big Bollywood musical block buster the best.
Maybe.
Stay tuned, stay tuned cause you just never can tell.