Mama Mia! Makes a Splash!

Rating: 8/10 (28 July 2008)

The movie version of Mama Mia! released on Friday night, July 19 to a resounding success of fun, entertainment and Music with a capital "M." Despite the obvious plot similarities to Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell, from 1968 with Gina Lollobrigida, Phil Silvers, Peter Lawford, and Telly Savalas, Mama Mia! explodes on the screen with unadulterated enthusiasm from the first note. ABBA's amazing pop rock and passion was displayed in every scene by the talented character actors.
A young twenty-year old girl, hoping to find closure in her life, invites three men to her wedding on the Greek island where she grew up. She learned that one of the men could possibly be her father from reading her mother's diary of the summer when she was conceived. Her mother, portrayed by Meryl Streep, has no indication that they are invited until finding them unexpectedly and bursting into the title's song, Mama Mia! The plot tends to be thin and the conflict between characters wanders depending on the musical interlude, however, the zeal in which the players depict their roles easily rewards the viewers while they sing along with 1970s-1980s hit tunes.
One of the more prominent issues with the movie was the casting of Streep whose obviously aged appearance was more fitted to be the heroine's grandmother rather than her mother. The long and drawn out solo, The Winner Takes It All was perhaps the heaviest yawn in the entire movie where the entire plot comes to a screeching halt after over an hour of action as Streep emotes over her first lover's perfidy.
Another real thumbs-down was the lack of vocal talents displayed by Pierce Brosnan. Good looking he might be, but unfortunately, his voice was rather weak and strained during his singing. Colin Firth, on the other hand, has a rather enchanting and sweet voice which fit his songs perfectly. Regrettably, Firth's role was narrowed so extensively that it sometimes became apparent that Harry Bright was an afterthought.
Firth's character was interesting and fun; however, in a bitter aftertaste, if he continues to play the homosexual role in films, no matter how casually, despite his wife and three children, people are going to believe he has those tendencies. Frankly, I would like to see him in more hunky roles with wit, charm and character depth as he excels in a heterosexual romance.
However, earlier in the film as the lively song, Dancing Queen is heralded across the screen adding more and more characters, the audience becomes thoroughly enraptured with the performance so that when a little old lady throws off her burden and joins in the revelry, enthusiastic applause breaks out in the theater. This personal association to the moment was similar to the Match Race interruptive win in the movie Seabiscuit released in 2003.
The wedding makes a rather strange and modernistic alteration. The heroine, played by Amanda Seyfried, decides that although she and her finance love each other and plan to spend their lives together, they would prefer not to get married. Then her mother and one potential father, Pierce Brosnan, unrealistically choose to marry after a twenty-year absence. Many elements are set for a prospective sequel.
However, the final surprise was presented by the lead characters performing more musical ensembles while the credits rolled. Since the audience was virtually immobile, the producers initiated a strike of ingenuity which will probably be seen again in future movie adaptations.
Some parts rather risqué and not for children's viewing but a lot of fun throughout!