A brilliant adaptation of the play!

Rating: 9/10 (23 July 2008)

From the minute it opened with, "Honey Honey", I knew 'Mamma Mia", I whispered to my wife, "If the film maintains this pace, it's gonna be great." It did. Aside from Pierce Brosnan's brave attempt at singing (not bad) along with Julie Walters' so-so voice, this is truly a great film for all to see that out soars the play. Amanda Seyfried is absolutely beautiful; voice, looks, etc. I thought her fiancée was a bit of a wimp, but who cares? He wasn't the main character for a reason. Meryl Streep is always a blast, but Christine Baranski steals the show as an aging sex kitten. Skarsgaard is a true sport and is clearly having fun with his role as one of Sophie's possible dads. It's rare in an adaptation or any film in general where everything is staged just right. Musical numbers were perfect, performances were right on the money, and unlike "Dreamgirls", clichés were avoided at every turn here. As a filmmaker myself, I would've either dubbed Walters and Brosnan or recast them. I still give this a 10 out of 10 because a film done so well like this one can easily over compensate for a couple of people who can't sing. Obviously the arrangers knew this since Brosnan and Walters sang the first verse solo then were loudly joined by an ensemble. All in all, "Mamma Mia" is a blast, bring everybody, see if you can catch Amanda Seyfried's nipple slip when she's getting ready for her wedding, and STAY FOR THE END CREDITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!