Saving the world is easy, singing is difficult

Rating: 6/10 (31 August 2009)

In order to enjoy this movie, you should be a fan or at least like ABBA's songs because the whole Mamma Mia's idea is just an excuse for letting the grateful viewers/listeners experience their favorite songs in a relaxing and feeling good setting on a colorful sunny idyllic Greek isle surrounded by the bluest sea you can imagine. I consider myself a loyal ABBA's fan. I still remember how I heard their songs for the first time almost thirty years ago, how happy I was to be able to own their albums on LPs, how much I enjoyed ABBA: The Movie (1977) which came to Moscow in the beginning of the 1980s and was basically the record of their concerts in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. I also saw the famous musical Mamma Mia on which the last year movie is based on and I liked it a lot. It would not hurt if you can take with humor outrageous psychedelic outfits of the 1970s and the tight boots with the platforms so huge that it makes your feet hurt just to look at them. If that sounds like your idea of fun, fun you'll have. I sure did, at least for the first hour or to be precise until the very moment, Pierce Brosnan had ruined my favorite ABBA's song S.O.S by attempting to sing it. I guess it is sometimes easier to save the world from all sorts of evil than just to sing a song. While that torture lasted, I kept repeating instead of S.O.S, S.O.E which means Save Our Ears. I later found out that when asked during an interview why he took the role, Brosnan replied that when he heard from his agent, "Mamma Mia, Meryl Streep", he took it without asking whom he'd play. Well, acting next to Streep is a great reason, and I believe Brosnan had a lot of fun sharing the screen with her. I also believe that there is nothing impossible for Meryl. She can play anything and anybody. Just to think what she has done in all the movies she has graced with her presence. She did very convincing accents, she learned how to play a violin, she dances, she has been a villain and a saint, and everybody in between and she's been always the reason to watch any movie. While watching Mamma Mia, I got the crazy idea. What if Meryl played all six older characters, Donna, her two girlfriends and three men from her past? I know it sounds weird but if Eddie Murphy could do it, I am sure Meryl Streep could act and sing for six characters and she would be simply fabulous. Between Streep and young talented Amanda Seyfried, two of them made a nice singing/acting team. But even with Meryl playing and singing only one part, the film is still entertaining and fun mostly due to the fact that everyone involved had a good time on the charming little island, the serious actors were not afraid to make fools out of themselves for all of us to enjoy, and in the end everyone was happy and got what they wanted even if it was not exactly what they wanted in the beginning of the movie.