Mamma Mia
By Marshall Fine
Rating:
Who’s in it: Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan
What’s it about: A young woman (Amanda Seyfried, “Mean Girls”) invites three men (who might be her father) to her wedding without telling her mother (Streep) – all to the music of ABBA!
Whee!: This film version of the Broadway hit is the most entertaining summer musical since “Grease” – a frothy, fun-filled romp from start to finish. The story is slight but who cares when the actors are belting out ABBA classics at the slightest provocation? And what a cast: Oscar-winner Streep looks like she’s having more fun than she’s had in years as the aging hippie who had a trio of summer flings 20 years earlier – and doesn’t know which one is the father of her daughter.
Now she owns a struggling hotel in Greece and doesn’t know that her daughter has secretly invited her old flames to the wedding, in hopes of figuring out which one is really her dad. And the three guys – Firth, Brosnan and Stellan Skarsgard – join in the fun, singing with a twinkle in their eye and more feeling than you’d expect. An added treat: Christine Baranski and Julie Walters, as Streep’s oldest friends, who also come for the wedding. The Greek-island setting is gorgeous and the music has that catchy ABBA sound – but also works as a comment on the action and the characters.
Long story short: Careful – it could cause spontaneous sing-alongs!
More Reviews
W.
Pres. George W. Bush (Josh Brolin) prepares for war in Iraq and looks back on his life before the White House.
Pres. George W. Bush (Josh Brolin) prepares for war in Iraq and looks back on his life before the White House.
Body of Lies
A CIA agent in the Middle East finds himself at odds with his boss, even as he gets personally involved in the search for a terrorist leader.
A CIA agent in the Middle East finds himself at odds with his boss, even as he gets personally involved in the search for a terrorist leader.
Rachel Getting Married
A young woman (Anne Hathaway) is released from rehab to attend her sister's wedding in Connecticut.
A young woman (Anne Hathaway) is released from rehab to attend her sister's wedding in Connecticut.
Happy Go Lucky
A British school teacher goes through life always trying to see the bright side of life - until she meets a dismal driving instructor.
A British school teacher goes through life always trying to see the bright side of life - until she meets a dismal driving instructor.
Rocknrolla
Small-time London crooks must repay a big-time gangster in this comic crime story.
Small-time London crooks must repay a big-time gangster in this comic crime story.
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Two teens from New Jersey spend the night together prowling Manhattan in search of a secret gig by their favorite band.
Two teens from New Jersey spend the night together prowling Manhattan in search of a secret gig by their favorite band.
Religulous
The comedian and political commentator takes a documentary trip around the world to see why religion seems to divide - rather than unite - people.
The comedian and political commentator takes a documentary trip around the world to see why religion seems to divide - rather than unite - people.
Nights in Rodanthe
Two unhappy strangers meet at an inn on the North Carolina coast and learn to love again.
Two unhappy strangers meet at an inn on the North Carolina coast and learn to love again.
The Lucky Ones
Three Iraq soldiers, home on leave, wind up traveling cross-country together and forging a friendship.
Three Iraq soldiers, home on leave, wind up traveling cross-country together and forging a friendship.
Miracle at St. Anna
Four African-American soldiers wind up behind enemy lines in World War II Italy, trying to protect a small Italian boy from the Nazis.
Four African-American soldiers wind up behind enemy lines in World War II Italy, trying to protect a small Italian boy from the Nazis.
Choke
Scam artist Victor Mancini pretends to choke in restaurants, then puts the touch on the person who saves him for money to pay for his mother's nursing home.
Scam artist Victor Mancini pretends to choke in restaurants, then puts the touch on the person who saves him for money to pay for his mother's nursing home.
The Duchess
After marrying a chilly duke, an 18th-century woman (Keira Knightley) discovers he has a mistress - and takes a lover of her own.
After marrying a chilly duke, an 18th-century woman (Keira Knightley) discovers he has a mistress - and takes a lover of her own.
Appaloosa
Two lawmen clean up a tough New Mexico town in the 1880s - and get involved with the same woman in this entertaining western.
Two lawmen clean up a tough New Mexico town in the 1880s - and get involved with the same woman in this entertaining western.
Blindness
When a sudden epidemic of blindness sweeps the world, the victims are quarantined and forgotten about.
When a sudden epidemic of blindness sweeps the world, the victims are quarantined and forgotten about.
Hounddog
A precocious preteen (Dakota Fanning) in the 1950s South has a crush on Elvis Presley and absentee parents.
A precocious preteen (Dakota Fanning) in the 1950s South has a crush on Elvis Presley and absentee parents.
The Women
A Connecticut career woman seems to have it all — until she and her friends discover that her husband is having an affair.
A Connecticut career woman seems to have it all — until she and her friends discover that her husband is having an affair.
Burn After Reading
Two fitness club employees find a computer disc belonging to a CIA analyst and try to blackmail him.
Two fitness club employees find a computer disc belonging to a CIA analyst and try to blackmail him.
Towelhead
A 13-year-old Arab-American girl discovers her own sexuality while living with her strict divorced father during the first Gulf War.
A 13-year-old Arab-American girl discovers her own sexuality while living with her strict divorced father during the first Gulf War.
Traitor
In this thriller, an American Muslim goes undercover among jihadists to find a terrorist leader and stop a bombing in the U.S.
In this thriller, an American Muslim goes undercover among jihadists to find a terrorist leader and stop a bombing in the U.S.
Vicky Christina Barcelona
Two American girls spend a summer in Barcelona and find themselves both attracted to the same artist in this Woody Allen romantic comedy.
Two American girls spend a summer in Barcelona and find themselves both attracted to the same artist in this Woody Allen romantic comedy.
