A fun nostalgia trip

Rating: 8/10 (12 March 2009)

It must have been fun to make this film. It was certainly fun to watch it.
The story is easily summed up. A young woman is about to get married and wants her father to give her away at the wedding. Trouble is, given her mother's colorful past, she does not know who he is and, having secretly read her mother's diary, she invites the three most likely candidates to the Greek island where she helps her unsuspecting mom run a hotel and where the wedding is to take place. High jinks ensue!
This is a simple story, of course, but more than adequate for its main function  to act as a framework for a selection of ABBA's songs to be performed by a cast not known for its singing prowess.
The performances are mostly fine. The female leads and two of the males make a decent stab at singing. The exception is Pierce Brosnan. Him, they really should have dubbed. The choreography ranges from exciting to hilarious (in a good way), with the "Voulez Vous" and "Does Your Mother Know?" numbers deserving special mention. The setting is great.
For people of my age then (don't ask!), this is a thoroughly enjoyable nostalgia trip. It helps if you like (or liked) ABBA and/or have seen the stage show.
Rating: 8/10 and a bucketful of smiles.