Mamma Mea Culpa! WHY did I WAIT so long to see this melodious, super-soaking blast of fun?

Rating: 9/10 (13 November 2008)

Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is getting married very soon on the Greek Island where she and her mother, Donna (Meryl Streep) run an aging hotel. She is crazy about her intended and the feeling is mutual. However, Sophie's major problem is that she has never known her father and there is no one to give her away at her wedding. Finding her mother's long lost journal, Sophie is astounded to learn that her mother was involved with three men at the moment of Sophie's, er, conception. One was Sam (Pierce Brosnan), who left Donna in tears to go back to his fiancé in New York City. After that, for comfort, Donna became entangled with Harry (Colin Firth) and Bill (Stellan Skarsgaard) in the following weeks. But, who then, is the real father? Desperate to learn her genetic heritage, Sophie sends secret wedding invitations to all three former suitors, without her mother's knowledge. As Donna's best friends Rosie (Julie Walters) and Tanya (Christine Baranski) arrive on the island for the nuptials, so do the three former flames. How will Donna handle the reunion and is Sophie, despite being in love, ready to get married in the face of such complications? This film is so much fun and its songs by Abba are so infectious that I am kicking myself repeatedly for waiting so long to see it. Naturally, the cast plays a big role in the movie's success, for the performers are all charming and they can sing, too. Streep is very humorous as the mother of the bride and she belts out her numbers with ease and talent. Seyfried, too, is most beautiful and touching as the young lady on the verge of marriage and her voice is stunning. As for Brosnan, Firth, Baranski, Skarsgaard, and Walters, they are a hoot and a holler, making the most of every line and every song. Then, too, the setting in Greece is knock-out gorgeous, the costumes are fetching, the script is great fun and the direction snappy and sound. Also, Abba's legendary songs are so catchy and great that who will be able to stop singing them in the shower, in the car or wherever, after a showing? No one. In short, this melodious, super-soaking blast of entertainment should be on everyone's gift list. Any misfortunes, from stubbed toes to root canal to parking tickets, will be totally forgotten as this flick's sunny nature can permeate the most discontented person's soul and bring instant relief.