in which your humble reviewer gets in touch with his feminine side

Rating: 8/10 (28 December 2008)

The anodyne bubblegum music of Abba exemplifies the pre -Punk era of 70's pop.The Sex Pistols - compared to the Swedish Supergroup - were like Tequila compared to Babycham.From the lofty heights of their inverse musical snobbery,rock critics espoused the superiority of the unwashed ones over the glitzy candyfloss of the easy - on -the -eye - and - ear foursome whose popularity some saw as rivalling that of the Beatles. Thirty years on in a world bereft of Punk tribute groups,there is an Abba wannabe band on every street corner and their music has been further immortalised in the fabulously successful movie "Mamma Mia!".Eat that,rock critics! Let it be said right from the start that "Mamma Mia" is more likely to appeal to members of the gentler sex.Admirers of messrs Willis,Seagal,Stallone,Van Damme et al would be well advised to stay at home and play with their remotes.There is nothing here for you,boys. And the first twenty minutes or so,full of squealing girls and middle - aged ladies, is a tad tiresome,but the movie finds its own rhythm in due course.Even the most cold - hearted of critics will be won over by the sheer enthusiasm of the performances.This is not a Hollywood Musical,there are no great singers or dancers on display - indeed one might say some of the dancing is definitely of the end - of - the - pier variety,but it is all so energetic and good - humoured that it defies po - faced criticism. Miss M.Streep,not by any means a favourite of mine,gives her first truly great performance since "The Deer Hunter".Near the end of the movie she sings "The winner takes it all" against a backcloth of towering cliffs and the sparkling sea and it is a veritable tour de force.It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Ever since Mr Rex Harris proved back in 1956 that you don't have to be able to sing to star in a musical,actors have happily croaked their way through even the most complex of melodies(Miss Glynis Johns in Sondheim's "A Little Night Music" being amongst the most notable). Fortunately for Mr Pierce Brosnan,Abba's tunes are slightly less challenging and his valiant attempts are all the more charming for being clearly the work of an amateur rather than the polished dubbing of a seasoned pro. It is left to Miss Amanda Seyfried as Miss Streep's daughter to deliver the best performance of the movie when,accompanied by a solo piano,she sings "Thank you for the music" over the End - Titles.In complete contrast to the brash brassiness of all that has gone before it is a performance of true sensitivity,thoughtful,insightful and sincere. Wonderful;and a fitting finale to a movie that will bring back joy and laughter to our cinemas after far too long an absence.