OK for lighthearted fun, but unsubstantial

Rating: 5/10 (1 August 2008)

This was entertaining overall, but didn't have much substance. Also, some ABBA fans may cringe at the singing of their songs by the actors, many of which pale in comparison to the original versions, especially as sung by Pierce Brosnan. The audience laughed when he sang, and I got the impression they were laughing at him and his horrendous singing, not because they were enjoying his performance. It was a poor casting decision; almost anyone would have been better. In addition, I didn't sense any emotion from him when he sang, which is usually the point of a musical number or even acting in general; he was just barking out words. I read a review in which his vocal performance was described as bleating "like a moose who just took a bullet" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) and I would have to agree with that description. Amanda Seyfried is cute as Sophie and Christine Baranski and Julie Walters were entertaining (and Baranski and Seyfried can actually sing). Meryl Streep was okay, too, but she seemed to jump from one extreme emotion to another at times, which made her character less believable to me. I put this down to poor directing. So, it's good for an evening of fun if you want to see a fluff movie. Probably worth the price of a cheap movie ticket.