Ridiculous, glittery, silly...and totally worth it,

Rating: 9/10 (20 July 2008)

The first thing you need to know going into this movie is that it is not serious, and is intended solely to provide unrestricted amusement to the audience. After the first number or so, it becomes really easy to just relax and join in on the joke which all of the actors are so obviously aware of. Everyone in this knows that it is campy and silly, which is what adds to the film's overall enjoyment. You feel as though you should be uncomfortable as Pierce Brosnan sings a rock-starry, amusingly affected version of "SOS," but as he, and the rest of the cast, don't take themselves seriously at all, you don't get embarrassed, and feel free to laugh and enjoy it. This movie is a ton of fun for a hot summer afternoon, and will really brighten anyone's day.
That said, a few warnings first: 1) do not see it alone, because your enjoyment will be exponentially increased if you can laugh and sing with other people, and 2) you really cannot enjoy this movie half as much if you don't know the actors. You won't really appreciate Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth in glittery spandex if you don't have a prior knowledge of their suave, tough guy roles, and you won't understand that Meryl Streep is allowed to relax and be dramatically silly if you don't know how great an actress she really is. But, since most people do know them, it will be enjoyed by most who see it. If you like Abba, or really just music, and you like (or even just know) the main actors, you will have a lot of fun with this, and I recommend it. I gave it 9 out of 10 stars, but for what it is--silly and fun.