I know I'm super-behind on the movie reviews, but I have to do Mamma Mia! first because I just saw it today and I'm really excited about it.
This movie has gotten mixed reviews. I saw the play in Las Vegas a couple of years ago and LOVED it, and I knew the movie could possibly be a let-down, so I didn't want to get my hopes up too high about it. And while I like Meryl Streep, I thought this might be a stretch, even for her. However, I was not let down at all! I liked this movie a lot, and would gladly pay another $6.25 (matinee price) to go see it again. Heck, I'd even pay the $8, or whatever it is, to see it again at night!
My theory about the people who didn't care for this movie is that they went in with different expectations. This isn't the kind of movie you go to see because you think Meryl Streep is going to be nominated for an Oscar for her performance, nor is it a movie you go to see because you think Pierce Brosnan is going to be giving a James Bond-type performance. This is the kind of movie you go to see because:
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the storyline, the basic premise is that Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), the 20-ish lead character is getting married, and her mother, Donna (Meryl Streep) has never told her who her father was. It turns out that mom was a bit promiscuous in her youth, and there are 3 possible fathers: Bill (Stellan Skarsgard), Samuel (Pierce Brosnan), and Harry (Colin Firth). Sophie wants her father to walk her down the aisle, but because she doesn't know which of the three is her father, she invites all three of them to her wedding, unbeknownst to her mother. You can probably guess that this is where the chaos begins.
On top of all of this, Donna has a couple of wacky friends, Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie (Julie Walters). For those of you who don't know who Julie Walters is, she plays Mrs. Weasley in the Harry Potter movies -- I couldn't even tell she was the same person in this movie! And she was really a show-stealer.
The story is set in Greece, where it was primarily filmed, so the scenery in the movie is beautiful. I felt that Meryl Streep was quite impressive as this is a very different role for her, and her singing was actually quite good! Pierce Brosnan's singing on the other hand, was not so great. Something about his tone was a little grating. However, he played his character brilliantly, and I felt that I saw a side of him (a goofball side) that I haven't seen from him before. Although his singing wasn't the greatest, I would still rather hear his real voice than a dubbed one.
I won't give away any more of the story, because the premise already tells you that 3 possible fathers who don't know that they may be Sophie's father, a mother that doesn't know that these men are invited to the wedding, and 2 crazy friends, plus all of the other characters, is a recipe for a rollercoaster-ride of a story. And it's all based on music by ABBA! I find it amazing that they can make the songs tell the story and express the emotions so well. My only slight disappointment with the film is that I felt that the songs should have been longer. I'm not sure if it was overedited, but I think some of these actors could've really gotten into singing some of these songs and it might've made for a better movie than it already is (in my opinion).
So if you want to see a movie just for a good time, where you can forget about things for a while, and not leave the theater wanting to kill yourself, then go see this movie. Disclaimer regarding killing yourself...if you hate ABBA music, then this movie may want to make you kill yourself, and you probably shouldn't see it. Otherwise, you should be fine.
This movie has gotten mixed reviews. I saw the play in Las Vegas a couple of years ago and LOVED it, and I knew the movie could possibly be a let-down, so I didn't want to get my hopes up too high about it. And while I like Meryl Streep, I thought this might be a stretch, even for her. However, I was not let down at all! I liked this movie a lot, and would gladly pay another $6.25 (matinee price) to go see it again. Heck, I'd even pay the $8, or whatever it is, to see it again at night!
My theory about the people who didn't care for this movie is that they went in with different expectations. This isn't the kind of movie you go to see because you think Meryl Streep is going to be nominated for an Oscar for her performance, nor is it a movie you go to see because you think Pierce Brosnan is going to be giving a James Bond-type performance. This is the kind of movie you go to see because:
- You love ABBA music
- You want to see Pierce Brosnan just because he's hot, even for an older guy
- You want to see if Meryl Streep can really sing
- You enjoyed the play and want to see if the movie is just as good
- You just want to relax, forget about the real world, and have a good time
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the storyline, the basic premise is that Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), the 20-ish lead character is getting married, and her mother, Donna (Meryl Streep) has never told her who her father was. It turns out that mom was a bit promiscuous in her youth, and there are 3 possible fathers: Bill (Stellan Skarsgard), Samuel (Pierce Brosnan), and Harry (Colin Firth). Sophie wants her father to walk her down the aisle, but because she doesn't know which of the three is her father, she invites all three of them to her wedding, unbeknownst to her mother. You can probably guess that this is where the chaos begins.
On top of all of this, Donna has a couple of wacky friends, Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie (Julie Walters). For those of you who don't know who Julie Walters is, she plays Mrs. Weasley in the Harry Potter movies -- I couldn't even tell she was the same person in this movie! And she was really a show-stealer.
The story is set in Greece, where it was primarily filmed, so the scenery in the movie is beautiful. I felt that Meryl Streep was quite impressive as this is a very different role for her, and her singing was actually quite good! Pierce Brosnan's singing on the other hand, was not so great. Something about his tone was a little grating. However, he played his character brilliantly, and I felt that I saw a side of him (a goofball side) that I haven't seen from him before. Although his singing wasn't the greatest, I would still rather hear his real voice than a dubbed one.
I won't give away any more of the story, because the premise already tells you that 3 possible fathers who don't know that they may be Sophie's father, a mother that doesn't know that these men are invited to the wedding, and 2 crazy friends, plus all of the other characters, is a recipe for a rollercoaster-ride of a story. And it's all based on music by ABBA! I find it amazing that they can make the songs tell the story and express the emotions so well. My only slight disappointment with the film is that I felt that the songs should have been longer. I'm not sure if it was overedited, but I think some of these actors could've really gotten into singing some of these songs and it might've made for a better movie than it already is (in my opinion).
So if you want to see a movie just for a good time, where you can forget about things for a while, and not leave the theater wanting to kill yourself, then go see this movie. Disclaimer regarding killing yourself...if you hate ABBA music, then this movie may want to make you kill yourself, and you probably shouldn't see it. Otherwise, you should be fine.
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