Mamma Mia! The Movie

Review by Sean Lynch

If Sweeney Todd was the most dark, depressing and downbeat musical to ever hit the silver screen, Mamma Mia! is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

This long awaited adaptation of the stage hit, based on the music of ABBA, without doubt delivers more camp than Ray's Tent City.

And the reason this musical succeeds where so many others have failed? The answer is simple: from start to finish Mamma Mia! never tries to be anything more than it is - a bit of fun.

The set up is short and to the point:

Donna (Meryl Streep), an independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, is about to let go of her daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), the daughter she's raised alone.

For Sophie's wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends - but Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård)... all of them potentially her father.

So it's a case of solving the mystery, hiding the ex-lovers from Donna and getting drunk in the afternoon with your friends.

There is little more than that to it. But, at the end of the day, it really isn't an issue when it comes to enjoying this species of film.

Let's face it - by now you already know if you are the sort of person who is keen to see this flick. So, bear in mind, the review that follows isn't aimed at hard-nosed reviewers who are looking for pathos, it's aimed at girls, gays and movie goers who are keen for a fun night out.

With that in mind, the real strength and appeal of Mamma Mia! The Movie isn't it's character development nor it's storyline - but simply the consistent tongue-in-cheek fashion in which each aspect of the film is played out.

The gags are corny, the actors are given little to work with and the performances are so over-the-top and drizzled with cheese you could be forgiven for thinking it was produced by Bega. But it suits this concept to a tee, and anything less would have spelled disaster for the movie.

A mix of Grease and Hairspray, the overwhelming sense of fun and youthful air of nostalgia that sweeps over the audience is undeniable. It's the sort of film you can see being played fifteen years down the track alongside Rocky Horror and Priscilla Queen of the Desert to packed houses full of fans dressed as their favourite characters.

Meryl Streep does well to carry a good majority of the film, while the middle-aged male trio of Brosnan, Firth and Skarsgård is superb. The chemistry between all of them is sublime, each garnering enough personal highlights to keep everyone happy. Colin Firth is particularly good, but as always, is repeating a role he has played many, many times before.

The only real weak spot that seems to disrupt the flow of the movie (and take the viewer out of the cheesy world Mama Mia! The Movie creates) is Pierce Brosnan's attempts at singing. 

Make no mistake, the guy knows how to hold a tune - but when it comes to miming a song and trying to remain masculine (bear in mind, Brosnan is the ultimate "Man's Man" - he was James Bond 007 after all) it simply doesn't work.

At the end of the day, no matter how impressive the ensemble cast is - there are two real stars of Mama Mia! The Movie - the songs and the scenery.

The locations in Greece are simply spectacular, with every frame like a perfectly composed postcard of paradise. You can't blame anyone on that island for being in such stupidly good moods - it's that spectacularly beautiful.

As for the tracks, even non-ABBA fans could be excused for tapping their feet along to pop culture hits like "Dancing Queen", "S.O.S.", "Money, Money, Money", "Take a Chance on Me" and of course "Mamma Mia!". They are all so instantly familiar, which is why this particular adaptation works much better than something like The Producers.

For those who gathered in groups like a pack of wild and horny hyenas to see Sex And The City on opening night with Cosmopolitans in hand, be prepared to set one more night aside - except this time - arm yourself with a bottle of champagne.

Pop open the bubbly, load yourselves up, and prepare yourself for a good old fashioned girly sing-along. Because you get the feeling that, for a particular audience, this one is going to be a crowd favourite for years to come.

3.5 out of 5

Mamma Mia! The Movie
Australian release: 10th July, 2008
Official Site: Mama Mia! The Movie
Cast: Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried
Director: Phyllida Lloyd