Weak Script, Shallow Characters - Just Abysmal

Rating: 1/10 (8 March 2009)

Far too many Abba songs were shoehorned into this extraordinarily shallow and trite romantic musical.
Unlike "Grease" or "Chicago", the characters are not fully developed and are left with little or no substance. The tale itself is just as shallow, dotted with story lines that virtually spring up out of nowhere to bring about its end. Maybe if the characters didn't burst into song every few seconds, we'd get to know them and a true, definitive story would be allowed to develop.
Furthermore, a few of the songs don't correspond with what's transpiring with the characters on screen ("The Winner Takes it all", for instance).
Don't fall for the overly joyous singing, lame choreography that appears to be glorious, and the light comedy fair - it all adds up to a brainless and wasted exercise without depth and structure.
Worst still, the story is like a glorified "Flintstones" episode where the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, loaded with a multitude of confusion regarding character intent and circumstance.
I'm not only surprised, but extremely disappointed to know that Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth agreed to appear in this utterly pathetic horror show - and that Tom Hanks was willing to produce it!