Fun and enjoyable, but let's face it, the hardest part was over...

Rating: 7/10 (3 November 2016)

"Mamma Mia!" is such an openly and shamelessly cheerful movie that any attempt to criticize it would make you sound like a killjoy, as infuriating and convenient as it is, it's not that far from the truth. And I would lie if I said I didn't find myself enjoying the film most of the time, but on the other hand, I disagree that a film should be immune to criticism just on the basis of the positive emotions it inspires, which supposedly compensates every loose ends or plot flaws.
Speaking for myself, I have at least five ABBA songs in my playlist and there are certainly five more I would instantly recognize and hum if I heard them, I don't know how much a 'fan' that makes me, but let's just say that I like their songs, I even love some and I think they are some of the catchiest Pop-Music ever produced, with a super power, they mix very well with movie or TV scenes. I still have in mind, the dance between Dewey and babysitter played by Bea Arthur in "Malcolm in the Middle', with "Fernando" (one of my favorite ABBA songs) in the background or "Waterloo" playing while Mr. Burns was pulling a 'Ride of the Valkyries' attack on the Simpsons' house.
ABBA songs have that incredible appeal, and it's no wonder that Catherine Johnson thought it would make a terrific musical, and no wonder it was that successful. But what I expected from the film (directed by Phyllida Lloyd) was to rely on a little more than the worldwide popularity of ABBA songs and the musical, because one can easily argue that the hardest part was over, the songs were great already; even the 'plot' on which to hang every popular song was written, with the exception of "Fernando" (couldn't they invent a character with that name!?).
Now, I saw the bonus features and I understand how shooting on location was difficult and what's more, teaching all the actors how to sing and dance, but with such a star-studded cast, the film was a no-fail-guarantee, let's not kid ourselves. And I won't even complain about the cast, Streep and Seyfried made the film, their enthusiasm was so catching that the screen was always illuminated by their presence, and the three bimbo males (Firth, Brosnan and Skargaard) took the whole thing in good spirit and everything was made in a fun and innocent way. So what went wrong?
Nothing exactly, except that the film basically recycled the plot from the original version and put stars into it, the director didn't try to appeal to a more demanding audience or to enrich the story a little bit, as if she was convinced it would be a hit already. In the end, the story doesn't really matter, and if some plot elements are incredibly contrived, if it's the kind of idiotic plot that could be solved if simple questions were asked at the right moment, well, we'll just have to pretend that the film is deliberately fun and corny and doesn't take itself seriously, so why should we? But I don't know, sometimes, I enjoy the 'what the heck, let's have fun' aspect, and sometimes, I wonder if they aren't all in on a big joke, that we're supposed to enjoy, without asking questions.
But I'm sorry, I couldn't believe Donna wouldn't figure out why these three guys were here at the same time, I couldn't believe that it took her till the wedding to realize the truth or not to have the right conversation with her daughter, I couldn't believe that that free-spirited woman would finally pick that guy and I couldn't believe that the three guys would react the same way. I understand that the plot is as unconventional and lighthearted as a female-oriented fantasy, but these are not complex points, and the reason why I insist on these elements is because the impact of a song should rely on the moment's genuine emotional resonance. When Streep sings "The Winner Takes it All", it should have been a powerful moment, emotionally rewarding, but since they preferred "not to take themselves seriously'", well, it only works for the song is powerful, nothing else.
See, I only wish that 'Mamma Mia!" tried to be embrace its own free-spirited fun and take enough distance from the stage musical, so that we could wonder if we loved the story as well as the songs. The film took its material for granted and didn't try to elevate it a little more. I understand we should enjoy it for what it is, but sometimes, that just works as a convenient alibi against criticism, especially since there are other feel-good musicals that still cared about telling a good story, "Chicago" or "Singin' in the Rain" to name them.
Now, I feel guilty after having written these lines, to conclude on a positive note, I'll say this is an enjoyable movie as far as you can enjoy ABBA song, the beautiful Mediterranean isles' landscape and Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried's communicative smiles, I guess sometimes that's enough. But it's precisely because I enjoyed these elements that I wish the film tried a little more. To keep on the bright side, after having watched the 2016 "Ghostbusters", I want to say "Mamma Mia!" is the perfect example of how a film can make fun of men in such a good spirit that even a man can enjoy it.
This is film written, directed and driven by women, but it's far from being just a chick flick, not surprising since ABBA was perhaps one of the rare bands represented by both sexes., and certainly the most successful. At least, this is a film that is not divisive, and it's fun, positive, exactly what "Ghostbusters" should have been, but wasn't.