I prefer the show but this was very good

Rating: 7/10 (11 November 2008)

How was the movie? Good but not the show.
As many of you know the story is of twenty year old Sophie sending letters to her three possible fathers who show up the day before her wedding and cause her mom and herself to melt down.
Instead of a theatrical world of basically one ever changing set this is set in a "real place" or as near to one as you're likely to find in a movie musical. Its directed by someone who only occasionally manages to pull it all together to the magical level of the Broadway/West End show.(she never directed a film before) When it soars (Dancing Queen/ Slipping Through my Fingers/ Super Trooper) it is pure bottled joy. The Dancing Queen sequence is one of the best I've ever run across for expressing happiness. Most of the time the music is okay and gets the job done in a purely workman like way. At the same time I really wish Phyllida Lloyd had been more imaginative. There are flashes in almost every sequence but very few that truly soar as high as they should.
Most of the cast is good vocally though Amanda Seyfried is excellent and then some but who in the hell let Brosnan sing undubbed. Its horrible. You do not get used to it, its horrible.
If I was to zero in on the biggest problem it would be the script. At times its a great improvement over the book of the show with dialog that actually could be real world but in compressing a two and a half hour show to hundred five minutes they removed several songs (adding one new one for Brosnan-eeeek) and removing a great deal of character (and some plot) development. Is it any wonder that they cast stars in the male leads? They mostly have nothing to do and stand out because of personality. The Rosie/Bill romance is an after thought, as is the flirtation between Tanya and the bartender.(and as for Harry being gay---could you please make up your mind) Honestly they chopped it up in places its understandable why people hate the film.
I like it. I love pieces of it. I still prefer the show (which I will go see it several more times before it closes-even at Broadway prices)...but this is still pretty good with many smile inducing moments a a couple of eyes tear up from joy ones as well.
7 out of 10. Its light and frothy and empty and fun.
For the record- depending upon how you count it about 7 songs were removed from the show for the film-though some show up as music cues and end credits songs