Great fun

Rating: 8/10 (1 March 2009)

I loved this movie because it had a fun atmosphere and didn't take itself too seriously. I love ABBA songs and the beauty of this music is that anyone who can sing can make the songs their own - their success is owed to that fact. The cast all sing and with varying success, but the acting was great and that helped to carry off the voices that weren't particularly designed for singing in public. I wasn't offended by Pierce Brosnan's performance, although he's no great singer. He was in tune and the spirit of the movie was that it was musical theatre. The story was light but sort of made sense, and the advantage of a musical is that the story can be silly and still be OK. Overall, it was an uplifting experience and I enjoyed it a lot. I have also remembered another film musical which had a similar feel, but a different atmosphere - Everyone Says I love You by Woody Allen. In that wonderful movie, all the cast sang their songs with varying degrees of musical ability, and it worked. I like this approach, and I'd be happy to see more of it in the future.