My cousin sent me a "Mamma Mia" review from the Courier-Journal in Louisville, KY
Review
'Mamma Mia' is all about the music
By Christy Lemire • Associated Press • July 18, 2008
Just try getting "Dancing Queen" out of your head once it's burrowed its way in there. "Waterloo," too, is especially pesky. But "Mamma Mia" might be the most tenacious tune in the 1970s Swedish pop group's canon.
The insanely catchy hit inspired a hugely successful Broadway musical a decade ago and now is the basis for a big summer movie. "Mamma Mia!" is a massive mess, but it's fun -- exuberantly goofy, sloppily crafted fun, especially if you're not in the mood for thinking too hard.
If "Mamma Mia!" works on any level at all, it's through the sheer radiance of Meryl Streep, clearly having a blast letting loose as its star, the former rocker chick Donna. Watching the woman who is considered the greatest actress of our time writhing around in overalls on top of a barn or belting out numbers in a sparkly, spandex jumpsuit and platform boots can be a hoot.
Streep was a fan of the Broadway show, and her enthusiasm explodes on screen. She can indeed sing, a talent that's been on display in bits and pieces in previous movies, most recently Robert Altman's "A Prairie Home Companion."
Amanda Seyfried ("Mean Girls," "Big Love"
is also solid as Donna's daughter, Sophie, who is getting married on a Greek island and invites three of Donna's former flames to determine which one is Sophie's father. Christine Baranski and Julie Walters are splashy scene-stealers as Donna's best friends and former backup singers, Tanya and Rosie.
But not everyone fares so well. Pierce Brosnan and Stellan Skarsgard, as two of the potential dads, should never be allowed to sing in public again. As Bachelor No. 3, Colin Firth has a touch more musical ability, but then his character is stuck with a contrived subplot.
Ah yes, the plot -- there is one wedged in among all those ABBA songs. (Catherine Johnson, writer of the "Mamma Mia!" musical, also wrote the script. Fans of the show will be happy to see that it's a faithful translation.)
Sophie is about to marry her fiance, Sky (Dominic Cooper of "The History Boys"
, but before she can begin a new life with him, she wants to know about her past. She digs through Donna's diary, reads about the three men with whom mom was involved around the time she was conceived and secretly invites them to her wedding.
Donna freaks out at the sight of them, which inspires her to -- what else? -- burst into singing "Mamma Mia." Pals Tanya and Rosie try to cheer her with "Chiquitita" and "Dancing Queen," and on it goes until the father is revealed. The songs have nothing to do with the action, mind you, except for a very literal use of "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do," another one that gets trapped in your brain.
And yet the songs are the whole point, the reason crowds have been flocking to this show for years, and the reason the "Mamma Mia!" movie will probably turn out to be an enormous crowd-pleaser.
