Take a chance ... just for the sheer fun of it

Rating: 8/10 (12 July 2008)

As gratifying as it is for me to see, say, a deeply meaningful foreign-language or independent film about the nature of man or the fundamental questions of life, there is something to be said about seeing a movie that makes absolutely no pretensions about what it is.
"Mamma Mia!" is made for the sheer fun of it all. True, it is banking on the immense popularity of the stage musical, which I have seen and thoroughly enjoyed. (For the sake of full disclosure, I grew up an ABBA fan. You couldn't turn on the radio from the mid-1970s to the very early '80s without hearing one of their songs.)
I am giving away no secrets here - the plot of "Mamma Mia! is flimsy at best. If you can call it a plot, that is. The basic premise - a young girl trying to find out who her real dad is on the eve of her wedding - is merely an excuse to string along a whole number of ABBA songs. It was so in the stage musical and it is the same in the movie.
The film relies on the charm of the songs - let's face it, ABBA was a genius at linking simple lyrics to catchy tunes. And once their songs get into your head, it's awfully difficult to get rid of them. Try listening to "Dancing Queen," "Take a Chance on Me," "Waterloo" or "Mamma Mia!" on the radio without finding yourself humming the tune or singing the song just minutes later.
The film takes a bit to get going. But it does settle down after the initial screech-fests when Sophie's two friends and Donna's two friends are introduced. The film's thin plot unwinds and all the actors gamely throw themselves lustily into the musical.
What surprised me about the movie was the filmmakers managed to find some pathos, some real emotion, if you will, in the midst of this disco nostalgia. Much of the credit goes to Meryl Streep, who carries this film. She brings such exuberance to her role that it's downright impossible not to be utterly charmed by her Donna. She is a marvel here and her rendition of "The Winner Takes It All" had some women in the audience reaching for their tissues at the screening I attended. Streep knows how to belt it and her take on the song is as emotionally potent as it was when Agnetha first sang the number in the waning days of the musical group.
The rest of the cast is good, too, though with their shortfalls. Pierce Brosnan singing "S.O.S." might be the cringe-inducing moment of the year. But I suppose it's forgivable to look beyond his vocal shortfall because the others make up for it and the music takes you along for a wonderful ride. Stellan Skarsgard clearly is having fun and if you ever had any questions about his talent, watch his reaction when he speaks to Sophie during "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme." That alone might be worth the price of admission. Though his vocal talents might be on par with Mr. Brosnan.
Christine Baranski is a fine comedic actress - and the role is tailor-made for her - and a sensationally good singer. She brings so much sass to her role, I couldn't really envision anyone else in it - okay, Bebe Neuwirth perhaps - and winds up having the best musical scene in the movie. If her number on the beach doesn't get you toe-tapping, I suppose nothing will.
Christine Johnson's screenplay doesn't exactly sizzle; her dialogue serves as mere transitions to the next song. But you aren't really going to see this movie for its crackling dialogue, are you? The film also would have benefited from more inventive choreography, especially during the initial moments of Streep's rendition of "Mamma Mia!"
While watching "Mamma Mia!" it occurred to me that I was actually having fun. That's one of the wonders of movies and certainly is one of the film's many charms. Sometimes it's refreshing to sit in a darkened theatre and just have fun watching a movie.
I have no doubt ABBA fans will love this film. But others should enjoy it as well because it actually is a surprisingly engaging piece of entertainment. True, it's silly popcorn entertainment. But given how much mediocre stuff Hollywood puts out yearly, it is nice to have some truly entertaining, goofy fluff. Frankly, the last time I had this much fun watching a movie was Shane Black's "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" (2005).