Glowing, feel-good celebration whose merits outweigh its few drawbacks.

Rating: Null/10 (19 September 2008)

The crowd-pleasing stage musical featuring the music of ABBA is brought to effervescent cinematic life here by the original director. Streep plays a single mother, operating a crumbling hotel built atop a Greek island and preparing for her daughter Seyfried's impending wedding and reception. Unbeknownst to her, Seyfried has written letters to the three men who could possibly be her father and has invited them to the wedding! Streep, who already has her hands full with the preparations and with the arrival of her two best pals and former back-up singers when she was a performer, is flabbergasted to come upon the men holed up in an old goat barn. While Seyfried tries to figure out which of the men is her biological father, Streep confronts long-buried feelings and expresses them (along with practically everyone on the island) in song. It may finally be official that Streep can play anything or anyone. While she is certainly guilty of overacting and playing with her hair far too much here, it matters not when she can provide the type of balls-out, ebullient, tuneful performance she grants the film. She, like many of the other participants, is a bit manic and over-expressive, but she's also contagiously energetic and delightful. Seyfried is excellent as well. Not only is she lovely to look at, but she also has an impressive voice and an appealing presence. The potential fathers are played by Brosnan, Firth and Skarsgard, each providing his own brand of charm. Brosnan was raked over the coals for his singing, but really its more the jarring sound of his singing voice versus what's expected rather than him being off-key. It's not a voice particularly suited to this type of music. He also overemphasizes his expressions during playback. Apart from that, he's handsome and likable. Firth is adorable, though he isn't given a great deal to do. Neither is Skarsgard, though he does the best with what he's given. As Streep's friends, Walters and Baranski are over-the-top, but like most others, they win the audience over with their antics and musical contributions. Cooper plays the handsome, young fiancé and is well suited to Seyfried. Rounding out the primary cast are newcomers McDowall and Lilley who play Seyfried's two best friends, echoing the relationship Streep has with her own pals. A (literal!) Greek chorus of villagers pops up throughout to either observe or take part in all the delirium. Director Lloyd does an excellent job of bringing the songs and characters to life. It's an unfortunate side effect that some of the hamminess wasn't reined in just a tad, but most viewers won't mind it that much. Hardcore fans of ABBA may not love seeing a (slight, to say the least!) storyline wrapped around the many famous songs, but most casual fans of the music will delight in seeing them performed with so much gusto and enthusiasm (and, in many cases, surprising skill.) It's either a concept that one is game for or is not. Those in the mood for a lighthearted and colorful fantasy (which does include some heart-tugging sentiment as well) should eat it up like candy. Grinches who expect a little more meat with their movies or who are allergic to froth will likely want to steer clear.