Very Enjoyable But Meryl is a Bit Scary!

Rating: 8/10 (22 October 2008)

First a short summary. This film is a musical that uses the songs of Abba as a backdrop to a story about a girl who invites 3 men, one of whom is her father, to her wedding on a Greek island. She doesn't tell her mother this so needless to say much fun ensues before the inevitable happy ending. How could it fail? Thankfully it doesn't!
I hadn't seen the stage musical but that really doesn't matter as the film is very good on it's own merits. The excellent supporting including Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard are all obviously having a ball. Perhaps the least said about some of their singing and dancing abilities the better!
The film is comedic most of the time though there are a few moving moments, especially a few dealing with the mother-daughter relationship.
I'll make one point that really struck me during the film. Given the bright and breezy nature of the story I found Meryl Streep's performance very intense. It wasn't like watching her in "Sophie's Choice" but she seemed to emphasise the regrets and sadness her character had about her life and parenting skills. I must add that this didn't take away from my enjoyment of the film, as it is never long before the next dance routine came up!
So if you want to have a laugh and sing along to Abba (if only to yourself) go and see Mamma Mia.