Surprisingly good frivolous entertainment

Rating: 8/10 (28 October 2013)

Quite often, I tend to skip musical/romantic comedies as they are too slushy and predictable, and frequently aimed for a wide audience (= avoiding sensitive topics). Mamma Mia! is a nice exception, dealing with e.g. promiscuity and gay issues. As ABBA songs are timeless, then using them in a creation provides additional value - not distracting as some viewers have said. Of course, as all actors sing themselves, the quality of presentations is floating, but it is still better solution than characters having two performers - one for acting and the other for singing (particularly if an opera singer is used). The script has some nice twists and so does the ending, and overall joy, fun and talented dancing/moving scenes are pleasant to follow; to those seeking profundity: you cannot expect Wenders, Jarmusch or Malick to get involved in such a direction, and musicals are not meant to be gloomy and protracted.
The cast is brilliant as well, particularly Meryl Streep - as Donna - who has again shown her talent and versatility; her voice is far above average as well. On the whole, female characters outperform male ones: Julie Walters as Rosie and Christine Baranski as Tanya are pleasantly funny, Amanda Seyfried as Sophie brings along both sad and grave undertones. Male characters spend limited time on screen, are shallow and Pierce Brosnan's singing is quite terrible...
Thus, if you like musicals with fine music and great performances, Mamma Mia! is definitely for you. Also for fans of Streep.