Dot ... Dot ... Dot

Rating: 7/10 (20 July 2008)

Greetings again from the darkness. In the interest of full disclosure, I was not fortunate enough to have seen the Broadway version and I know the stage aficionados are not necessarily pleased with the screen version. Judging it strictly as a film musical, I will say it had me laughing out loud, tapping my toes, singing along (in my head) and most importantly ... fully engaged in the story. This is pure entertainment that most adults will really get a kick out of it.
The best place to begin is with the incomparable Meryl Streep. Besides being the best actor and singer in the film, she just knows when to push it and when to let the others have their moment. She is a marvel to behold.
The story is simple (and inherently funny) ... 20 yr old daughter reads mom's diary and discovers she has 3 possible fathers and, without her mother's knowledge, invites all 3 to her wedding in hopes of solving the mystery. The three forced-amigos are all well played by Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard (very much against his type!). None can sing very well, though Brosnan gives it his all ... twice!.
To balance the influx of men, we are also treated to Streep's two best friends in brilliant performances by Christine Baranski and Julie Walters. Sure, you can accuse both of over-acting, by I contend the entertainment value is even higher thanks to their willingness to push the envelope.
Streep's daughter is played with extreme bright eyes by Amanda Seyfried, who is just terrific whether singing on the beach or scheming against her unknowing mom. Seyfried's fiancé is played by up and comer Dominic Cooper.
Of course, the ABBA music dominates ... it is after all a full fledged MUSICAL. Don't miss Bjorn Ulraeus as the beach piano player! The sing-along songs are just a blast in this setting. If you go in expecting to have fun, you too will find yourself dancing in your seats and humming "Take A Chance on Me", "Dancing Queen" or about 6 others.