Take a trip down the aisle you'll never forget.

Rating: 5/10 (1 July 2018)

"Mamma Mia!" is a jukebox musical film that features songs from the 70s famous pop group ABBA. It is also a romantic comedy, but mainly the musical part of the film is in front of the camera. While watching "Mamma Mia!" you should not be too concerned about the story. The film is about a bride-to-be who invites three men to her wedding without her mother's knowledge thinking one of them is her father and doesn't know which one. Why "Mamma Mia!" is not a story oriented film is because it starts with a mission - finding the father and get married with the boy you love - but quits before finishing it. It is not important who the father is or who is getting married. What is important is the visual and musical show. These two features are accompanied by the beautiful Greek island Kalokairi and bright colors of the scenes. So, based on these facts "Mamma Mia!" is not a story oriented film.
"Mamma Mia!" is based on the musical with the same name from the year 1999. The musical, as well as the film, got its name from the famous ABBA song that topped the charts in the 1975. In this point of view, it wouldn't be wrong to say that "Mamma Mia!" is devoted to ABBA. The film was released on several dates but Swedish premiere was particularly important because all four members of ABBA were present in the premiere and photographed all together for the first time since 1986. As an ABBA fan, it was very nice to listen and watch the newer versions of those brilliant songs performed by Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård and so on. Once again Meryl Streep has shown us why she is one of the most successful actresses of cinema history. She is a complete actress with her voice, gestures, mimics and acting (now added dancing and singing). She is a big plus for "Mamma Mia!" because we are not used to see her in this kind of roles. I have realized she was enjoying what she was doing in "Mamma Mia!." Director Phyllida Lloyd has two films in her directing career so far and both are with Meryl Streep. The other one is "The Iron Lady" that won two Oscars for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Meryl Streep) and Best Achievement in Makeup (Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland). Lloyd has experience mostly for stage directing. She has directed Macbeth for stage which makes her a suitable for the directing position of a film that was remade based on a musical.
A lot of friends and old lovers are gathering around a marriage that is going to happen in the beautiful summer island Kalokairi. All those gatherings are surrounded by songs and visual performances. All these combinations make the audience feel good about themselves. "Mamma Mia!" is a happy film where nothing bad really happens. Even from this piece of information you can pretty much guess what to expect from it. The effects of ABBA songs and those brilliant artists performing them have a boost on film's general picture and progress. Because when no one is singing, "Mamma Mia!" has no magic in it.
"Mamma Mia!" is like a colorful music festival. Everyone has their own song to perform with an invisible orchestra in the background and you don't know when someone is going to sing. This kind of mystery alone worth watching it. I had a look at the box office results of the film and saw that "Mamma Mia!" became the 5th highest grossing film of 2008 with a total earning of $615 million against $52 million budget. By looking at this financial result, you can understand what it means to present famous songs and well-known artists to perform them in a film even though you don't have a story to tell. Because of all the success and praise from the audience, in 2018 they are releasing "Mamma Mia!" Here We Go Again!" as a sequel. But I can say that the story (if there is one) ends with the film. Still I personally wouldn't mind watching another film with equally beautiful performances. The background scenes are breathtaking. I am just one of the people who checked about that beautiful island of Kalokairi. The camera angles and shots allow the audience fully to admire the Aegean Sea.
Happy thoughts, beautiful people, friendships and all these features are other good points of "Mamma Mia!" apart from the songs and individual performances.