A little hysterical, yes, but all in all a great film.

Rating: 9/10 (27 July 2008)

I saw this at the theater on opening day and although we went to the midnight showing, the theater was 3/4 full. I saw the musical about five years ago and it was excellent. I was really hoping this would live up to the incredibly high standards of the stage show.
And I must say that it did. There was a plus also. While the stage version had cartoonish looking sets, the movie shows you the real deal--breathtaking shots of an actual Greek isle. It was so gorgeous that I wanted to jump into the screen and be there.
The plot is very simple and revolves around Abba songs. A girl who has never known her father sneaks a peek into her mother's diary and sends invites to her upcoming wedding to the three men her mother slept with approximately nine months before she was born--without her mother's consent. I'm a huge Abba fan, and it probably does help to love Abba's music. But I think you don't have to be a fan to love this movie. My husband hates disco music; Abba is basically the only disco act he'll listen to and he adored the musical and loved the movie. As long as you don't hate Abba you'll probably enjoy it.
I was worried with the stage play that the performers wouldn't do the songs justice. I didn't think anyone could top Agnetha and Frida. Well, the performers' version was pitch perfect. When I heard the movie was coming out last year, I worried if Meryl, Amanda & Pierce and the rest of the gang would do the songs justice. I had no idea if any one of them ever sang before. Well, after watching the movie, I was really impressed with how well everyone performed the songs. Amanda was the best singer, and although Pierce isn't exactly Pavarotti, I didn't think he was an American Idol reject either. Let's just say he was just good enough to pass muster.
I've read some of the negative reviews and I do have to agree on a few things. If giddiness and pure joy to the point of hysteria make you want to jump off a cliff, then I wouldn't recommend this movie. Meryl's character Donna and her daughter Sophie are very excitable people. For some reason I didn't notice it in the stage play but I did here, though. But basically it's part and parcel of the musical genre, and I didn't think it detracted from the movie that much.
The scenery looks very beautiful, but all the people in the movie look awful. In most movies, everybody looks flawless and thin. Not here. I don't think anyone had any makeup on, it was obvious a lot of the actors were sweating profusely, and some of them had gained a few pounds. It was sort of refreshing to see and most of the younger actors looked gorgeous nonetheless, but it did make it hard to believe that Meryl was supposed to be in her early forties. Meryl is 58 years old and she definitely looks it in this movie. Pierce, who was always so suave as James Bond, looks even older, like he could be in his sixties. I think it was the biggest detraction for me and why I didn't give it 10 stars. Also, the time line is a little messed up, it seems like it was set in the present, but two of the possible fathers were hippies. My guess is that it was set about ten years ago, when the musical first came out, but even that is pushing it.
Overall, though, I really enjoyed the movie and I think it is just as good as the musical on stage. It definitely lived up to the hype and I wouldn't mind seeing it again. I think anyone who likes musicals and having a good time will definitely enjoy this movie.