Stupefyingly bad

Rating: 1/10 (30 January 2010)

A flat-footed movie musical that is in the same league as Darling Lili, The Wiz, Xanadu and Sgt. Peppers' Lonely Hearts Club Band; being so bad that it's just plain bad. OK, maybe it's less annoying than Godspell(73), but that's about the best to be said for it. What appears to be home movie vacation footage has been directed without rhythm or purpose by one Phyllida Lloyd. Mamma Mia is a pointless reworking of the plot of Buona Sera Mrs. Campbell(68) which merely serves as an excuse for the cast to break into ABBA songs and cavort about sans proper lighting, direction, and vocal endowments, making unappealing and amateurish asses of themselves. Pierce Brosnon especially should leave this one off of his resume; his singing is painful. The sense of larkish fun in the film seems forced, and the characters are too old for their antics to be charming; they seem to be suffering from arrested development. Though the cast may be having a good time, the audience isn't. Can't Stop the Music, The Apple, and The Cool Ones are at least campy fun.