At Least the Singing Is Great!

Rating: 7/10 (12 December 2014)

I am not the biggest ABBA fan in the world, although I do like the songs "Dancing Queen" and "Mamma Mia." This is the film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, and I think it is a product of mixed results. The story is paper thin and poorly executed, and that is evident during the non-singing scenes. However on the flip side, there is no denying how campy and fun the film can be. The singing is actually not bad, and there are powerful renditions of the hit ABBA songs to be had, especially "Dancing Queen."
Phyllis Lloyd's film is about a girl named Sophie who lives on a Greek island and is about to be married. However before the ceremony, she offers invites to three possible fathers that she may have never met, much to the chagrin of her mother, Donna. Now it's up to Sophie to find out who is her real father and try to improve relations between her mother and these men.
This film does have an incredibly stocked cast. Meryl Streep is the goddess of all actresses, and she can do anything. She even has a good singing voice. She also looks very good for her age as of 2008. Amanda Seyfreid also does a good job and just like in Les Miserables, she delivers a strong singing performance. Whoever thought Pierce Brosnan would star in a film like this and do well. I think he was able to hold his own. We also have good performances by Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgaard. Finally, I did not like Julie Walter's performance. She was just so annoying.
Overall, Mamma Mia! could have and should have been a much worse adaptation that we got. I was pleasantly surprised, but the film is still a little mediocre. The story itself has big issues, but the songs and the characters are above average and everyone seems like they are having a good time. To be honest, this movie could have been much worse if we did not have Meryl Streep. Not a great film, nor a bad film. But it's entertaining enough. I rate this film 7/10.