Utter torture, but at least you can say you've seen it

Rating: 4/10 (25 December 2008)

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
Any plot that is simply an excuse for a bunch of overpaid actors to sing bloody Abba songs really doesn't deserve any great detail off me but here's mine...twenty year old Sophie (Amanda Syfried) is about to get married and wants her real father to give her away and so sends letters off to three different men, including Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Harry (Colin Firth) and Bill (Stellan Skarsgard.) Going on Jeremy Kyle and getting a DNA test would have saved everyone (especially the audience!) a lot of bother but instead they travel from Sweden, London and New York to the home of Sophie's mother Donna (Meryl Streep) on a Greek/cypriot? island and catch up on old times, all to a medley of none stop Abba tunes.
I had no intention of seeing Mamma Mia! From the outset, I could see it wouldn't be my type of film, as would be expected from one that appears to be aimed at women. But hey, guess what, it's gone and become the most successful film of the year and it's never nice to feel the odd one out. It's been very manipulative, drawing in a largely older audience with a strong affinity for Abba and their music, knocking far more deserving films (i.e. The Dark Knight) from their rightful box office top spot. But there you go. At times it got on my nerves so much I just wished Sweeney Todd would come along and slash all their smiley, sappy throats ("...think you can do musicals, huh? Well here's your old friend Sweeeney!!!") another film that's had attention diverted from it as top musical of the year.
But maybe I'm just in a grumpy mood. There is an undeniable feel good factor to it, as well as the (unintentional?) hilarity of 007 himself Brosnan (easily the most out of place performer here) giving his rendition of SOS. And surely the sing along version's even better? **