Mamma Mia! has managed to reach a new depth of being shallow.

Rating: 4/10 (5 September 2009)

Yes, the movie is extremely shallow. It might be intended to be a "feel-good" musical comedy, but it is overdone in it's sheer mind-numbing, brainless optimism, for want of a better word. Moreover, the excessive shrieks and squeals of excitement from the women in the movie pose a serious threat to the viewers' brain cells, unless one has had the foresight to switch one's brain off before watching the movie. I have tried my utmost to keep my feelings about Abba's music and Meryl Streep, whose only role I enjoyed was in the movie Taxi Driver with Deniro separate from my appraisal of the movie, however I still could not enjoy it enough to even watch it through to the end. The plot line and the music, in my opinion, could only work well in musical theatre, which is why I would dearly like to watch the new Broadway musical by the same name, however they have made for a mediocre movie at best. I recall Meryl Streep saying in an interview that one of the reasons she took the role was to embarrass her children, and I find that much easier to believe now that I've tried to watch the movie. A menopausal, overly optimistic, happy-go-lucky materialistic movie. However, if you watch it without any expectations and if you manage to switch your brain off, or even if you just like Abba's music, you should enjoy the movie thoroughly. I had the misfortune of not knowing what the movie was about, and watching it because I saw Colin Firth among the cast - if that is your case, don't watch it.