Phyllida Lloyd
Mamma Mia! The Movie

Pleasant and entertaining movie or gaudy cash-grab of epic proportions?

To this day, I still haven't found an answer to this (fundamental?) question about "Mamma Mia! The Movie", a 2008 musical based on the songs of ABBA that managed to dethrone (at least in the United Kingdom) the box office record of "Titanic". As a convinced ABBA enthusiast, I certainly couldn't avoid, despite some reservations, "giving a chance" to this project, especially knowing that Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus themselves actively participated as executive producers and that the talent of an actress of Meryl Streep's caliber always deserves a chance.

The film, set on a cheerful and colorful Greek island straight out of a travel poster, revolves around the story of young Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) who, about to get married, wants to finally meet the father she never knew: so far so good, if not for the fact that, while reading her mother's diary (Meryl Streep), she discovers that not one, but three men are "potential candidates": Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Harry (Colin Firth), and Bill (Stellan Skarsgard). Without saying a word to her mother, Sophie invites the three "suitors" to her wedding, thus setting off a bizarre carousel of misunderstandings that will culminate in an absolutely "volemose bbene style" finale: the plot is quite implausible and it is unclear how what is presented at the beginning of the film as a pristine little island where Donna, Sophie's mother, runs a small and shabby hotel, turns into a social hullabaloo worthy of the worst Riccione, complete with dances, songs, girls in sarongs, and costumes in perfect 70s disco-music style during the wedding days. Yet, the film flows without particular embarrassment, partly due to its sometimes frenetic pace and the pleasant alternation between spoken and sung parts, but mostly due to Meryl Streep's charisma, who even on a rather quirky and forcibly cheerful "script" like this one manages to break through the screen with her star quality, convey emotions, and navigate with savoir-faire even in the sung parts, where her expressiveness compensates for the limitations of her far-from-excellent vocal cords; otherwise, the most entertaining characters are the "caricatures" Rosie (Julie Walters) and Tanya (Christine Baranski), a couple of amusing randy spinsters and Donna's sisterly friends, while the protagonist, Amanda Seyfried, a beautiful girl and surprisingly talented singer, proves to be an actress neither infamous nor praiseworthy, and Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard are little more than extras. Special mention for former 007 Pierce Brosnan, winner of a well-deserved Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor, thanks to his performance as charismatic, convincing, and expressive as that of a sole.

Regarding the soundtrack, which constitutes much more than the plot as the film's backbone, I have very few criticisms to make: the songs are fundamentally faithful to the originals, with all the energy and fun that comes with them; of course, the singers aren't the bright and angelic voices of Agnetha & Frida, yet, with all due limitations, the cast manages (thanks probably to some studio assistance) not to make you miss them too much: the one who handles this best is surely Amanda Seyfried, who performs songs like "I Have A Dream" and "Thank You For The Music" with sweetness and skill. Meryl Streep, Julie Walters, and Christine Baranski are far from excellent, but they manage to compensate with grit and expressiveness, especially in the more upbeat pieces like "Money, Money, Money" and "Does Your Mother Know", while dear Pierce Brosnan also makes his fair share of peppermint-looking figure, demonstrating a singing ability equivalent to Michelles Hunziker's or Moana Pozzi's, although luckily he only "sings" a couple of unfortunate songs, "SOS" and "When All Is Said And Done", to be precise.

In summary, if you're looking for a light and entertaining film to occasionally watch for some laughs, then this is the one for you, but be warned, don't expect anything, absolutely nothing, nothing, nothing more, or you'll inevitably be disappointed. In short, these are the films: a solid eight for Meryl Streep (who is the real pillar that supports the film or, if you prefer, the fig leaf that covers its shames), seven and a half for the soundtrack, a stretched six on average to the rest of the cast, five for the plot and five also for the commercial operation, possibly useful for introducing ABBA to new generations (thank goodness I didn't discover them through this film, otherwise I don't think I would have become their fan) but overall fairly avoidable and that, apart from money, doesn't add anything significant to the history of the legendary Swedish band.