So Mamma Mia! is the film adaptation of the smash hit Broadway musical. it's about Sophie, a bride to be who wants to have her real father walk her down the isle of her wedding. problem is, neither she nor her mother knows who the dude is and she has three possible dads. And to shake things up, the whole film is told through the songs of ABBA.
I am the biggest Broadway geek ever but I never liked Mamma Mia! It was a poor excuse for a musical that didn't need much effort in the writing and orchestration of the songs. Unlike Chicago, Hairspray, Rent which had genuine original songs from the works of the stage people, Mamma Mia just borrowed popular songs which everyone already likes and kind of bypasses the hardest part of a musical.
But I love this film man. The key thing that makes the film version better than the stage one is the songs. Now if you listen to the stage Mamma Mia! the songs sound like they were sung by aunties doing the karaoke. But in the film version, there's lot;s of energy, fresh interpretation of the songs and the pure awesomeness of Meryl Streep that makes listening to the songs so much fun.
And did I mention how much I adore Meryl Streep in this? This woman is hitting 60 years old and we have her dancing and singing and doing splits in this. She is with no doubt one of the most respectable actresses in Hollywood. I loved her in Deer unter, I loved her in Bridge Over Madison County and Out of Africa. And she can take mediocre roles like this and Miranda Priestly and still rock them.
Also special props to the incomparable Julie Walters and Christine Baranski who reminds me a lot of my mom and aunty. Seriously. Even their hairstyles look the same. Baranski is a total goddess in this film and her musical scene "Does You're Mother Know" is second best to Julie Walter's "Take A Chance on Me" oh and by the way, Pearce Brosnan singing is just dreadful.
I really like the art direction of the film. The blue and white color composition fits perfectly with the peaceful Greek island. I like the more subtler approach to the art style compared to the stage version which was more colorful and flashy. Which is great, but the blue and white was incredibly pleasing to the eye.
And the cinematography was awesome to. The wedding scene in the sunset is absolutely fantastic. And that wedding dress. Wow. Amanda Seyfried looks beautiful in that scene. Which is saying a lot, cause her face is kinda weird looking. Doesn't fit the proportion of her body at all. LOL.
It's a fun musical film that will surely entertain the older audience and won't bore us teens to death.
RATING: 7/10
