Mamma Mia! The Movie (Widescreen)
by Phyllida Lloyd
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Actor: Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, Pierce BrosnanDirector: Phyllida Lloyd
Brand: STREEP,MERYL
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.40:1
Running Time: 108 minutes
Published: 2008-12-01
DVD Release Date: 2008-12-16
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Reviews of Mamma Mia! The Movie (Widescreen)
DVD Review: We danced on the beach, kissed on the beach and dot, dot, dot
Summary: 5 Stars
Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad are the "A's" and "B's" that comprise Abba. Though it was also the name of a canned fish company, Abba made it their own, and became an international sensation with a catalogue of hits built on catchy hooks and a wall-of-sound made of up of multi-tracked harmonies from Agnetha and Anni-Frid.
Two fans wanted to base a musical on Abba songs--stringing the tunes together with a little plot to give it a very slight pretext. The band was at first cold to the idea, but the fan/musical producers prevailed, and after many, many performances, and now a movie, Abba has come around.
Sophie: [reading Donna's diary] We danced on the beach, kissed on the beach and dot, dot, dot.
Mamma Mia! was wildly successful, but lots of critics took aim, some calling it the worst movie of the year. I think that Mamma Mia! appealed to an untapped older audience nostalgic for the days when Dancing Queen ruled the airwaves and the dance hall. I think it was more like a Fantasy Camp for actors who always secretly wanted to be rock stars, and also wanted a chance to get away to a luscious Greek Island. It is like singing Abba at a Karaoke bar--and what is the point of judging it on the basis of the singing? It is the fun factor that is paramount. The people were having so much fun making the movie that you can't help but be caught up in the festive mood. What does Meryl Streep have to prove as an actress? Did you want to see if she could master yet another accent, and emote flawlessly, as if it were her native tongue? Don't you think she could do that blindfolded in her sleep with one hand tied behind her back?
Donna: And welcome to- to Sophie's dad. I have to tell you, he is here.
Sophie: I know, I invited him.
Donna: You couldn't have, I don't even know which one it is.
Meryl Streep's acting was bad, but it was fun to watch her let her hair down and just have fun. How often do you get to see Streep, master thespian that she is, act badly? Pierce Brosnan signed up on the strength of her name alone, without even reading the script. Was he disappointed that she didn't bring her "A" Game? No, he was relieved that his acting wouldn't have to be judged in comparison. It was bad enough that of the whole cast, he was judged the weakest singer.
Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård were the three men from Donna Sheridan's past who might be Sophie's (Amanda Seyfried's) dad. Skarsgård was the token Swede, and I am only mentioning him at all since I wanted to make use of my Umlaut font set, but I was glad to have him there, as after all, Abba was a Swedish group. The three possible fathers were more than adequate to their roles.
Donna: Wh-wh what are you all doing here?
Bill: I'm writing a travel piece.
Harry Bright: I- I'm on a spontaneous holiday.
Sam Carmichael: I-I-I I just dropped in to say... hi.
The three woman, led by Streep, were really great. Here is some interesting background trivia. The women who wrote Mamma Mia based the character of Tanya on Mary Ann, a character played by Christine Baranski on Cybill Shepherd's eponymously titled sit com. No wonder Christine Baranski was perfectly cast as Tanya, and the catharsis is complete.
Tanya: [talking about Donna's money troubles and her life in general] Yeah, but are you being taken care of?
Donna: What do you mean?
Tanya: Are you getting any?
Donna: Oh, you mean...
[turns on the screw driver, making loud noises, then says to the screw driver:]
Donna: Down, boy.
Julie Walters as Rosie was also a little show stealer.
Rosie: [to Tanya] Typical isn't it? You wait 20 years for a dad and then three come along at once.
So, if you want to pass judgment on a movie and fault it for bad singing, bad acting, and over or under exposed film, then by all means throw those rotten tomatoes. But if you want to have fun, fun, fun 'til your daddy takes your T-Bird away, then what are you waiting for? Mamma Mia!
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY OF MERYL STREEP
The Devil Wears Prada (2006) .... Miranda Priestly
Prairie Home Companion (2006) .... Yolanda Johnson
Adaptation (Superbit Collection) (2002) .... Susan Orlean
The Bridges of Madison County (1995) .... Francesca Johnson
Postcards from the Edge (1990) .... Suzanne Vale
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY OF CHRISTINE BARANSKI
Bowfinger (1999) .... Carol
Bulworth (1998) .... Constance Bulworth
9 1/2 Weeks (1986) .... Thea
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY OF STELLAN SKARSGÅRD
Goya's Ghosts (2006) .... Francisco Goya
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) .... The Engineer
Donna: I grew up.
Tanya: Well, grow back down then!
Description of Mamma Mia! The Movie (Widescreen)
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 16-DEC-2008
Media Type: DVD
The delirious sight of Meryl Streep leading a river of multigenerational women singing "Dancing Queen" is one of the high points of Mamma Mia!, the musical built around the songs of the hugely popular pop group ABBA. The plot sets in motion when Sophie (Amanda Seyfried, Mean Girls), daughter of Donna (Streep), sends a letter to three men, inviting them to her wedding--because after reading her mother's diary, she suspects that one of them is her father. When all three arrive at the Greek island where Donna runs a hotel, Donna flips out and finds that passions she thought she'd laid aside are coming back to life. But let's face it, the plot is not the point--it's a ridiculous contrivance that provides an excuse for the characters to sing the massive hits of ABBA. Regrettably, first-time film director Phyllida Lloyd (who directed the original stage production) has drawn over-the-top performances from everyone involved, even Streep; every production number hammers its exuberance into your eyeballs. Which is too bad, because Mamma Mia! is a rarity: A middle-aged love story. The kids start things off, but the story is really about Streep and the three guys (former James Bond Pierce Brosnan, former Mr. Darcy Colin Firth, and Swedish star Stellan Skarsgard), as well as Donna's best friends (Christine Baranski, best known from the TV show Cybill, and Julie Walters, Calendar Girls). It's a romantic comedy aimed at the people who were around when all these songs were new, and that's an age group Hollywood largely ignores. For that alone, Mamma Mia! deserves to find an audience. --Bret Fetzer
Stills from Mamma Mia! (Click for larger image)
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