Mamma Mia!: A Star-Filled Musical Movie

Rating: 6/10 (23 February 2015)

The Broadway musical Mamma Mia! took London by storm in 1999 and was later developed into a flamboyant film in 2008. This musical was written revolving around the greatest hits from the Swedish pop group ABBA. The movie adaptation of this musical utilizes the storyline that is less than brilliant and features back-to-back ABBA tracks that are not everyone's favorite format of film. What makes this movie appealing is the striking list of names that appear over the title of the film: the cast. From Meryl Streep to Pierce Brosnan, this film is packed with big name actors that draw in viewers of all ages.
Many of these actors had been very prevalent during the time this movie was released. It tends to be agreed upon that Meryl Streep is one of the most well- rounded and talented actresses out there today. She is known for her ability to successfully portray any character that she could be given and her role in Mamma Mia! is no exception. Streep had seen the musical in New York and was thrilled to be asked to play the part of Donna, the carefree mother figure (Levy 2008). We see Streep employ a childish nature throughout this film that we don't usually experience. From jumping on beds, to daydreaming about money, to feverishly interacting with past lovers Streep is able to completely embody the multi-faceted character of Donna (Puig 2008).
Amanda Seyfried was a no-brainer for the role of Sophie: a young woman with a charming balance of minx-like youth and innocent fun. She stood out for her vocals during auditions and was able to blow every number out of the water with emotion and playfulness. Seyfried starred in the teen flick Mean Girls that had just been released four years prior to this movie and was thriving in the continuous wake of that movie's success. Her name had been thrown around so much because of her unforgettable role as weather-girl Karen in Mean Girls. This gave her a new credibility and name-recognition that she didn't have before the Mean Girls phenomenon.
The list continues with Sophie's father prospects: Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgrd. Brosnan claims to have been nervous about the idea of having to sing and dance. He says, "I experienced sheer terror at the idea. I don't think I have ever been so nervous about a job. In the end, I just surrendered to the whole experience, and had a great time doing it" (Levy 2008). Firth had much success in previous films including Nanny McPhee and Love Actually and therefore his name served as an effective attention-getter to prospective viewers.
The promotional movie poster was specifically designed to draw attention to the cast list. Instead of naming just one or two of the main actors it lists eight names side by side on the top of the poster. This advertising mechanism is rarely used and shows how much this movie relied on its star-power cast list. It is a plead asking viewers to focus on the actors and watch the movie to see their favorite celebrities. The poster also features the two leads, Streep and Seyfried, front and center of the design. The picture clearly shows the faces of these two immensely recognizable actresses. By clearly showing these actresses the focus is brought to their celebrity. If the movie poster had decided to not showcase any of the actors and instead shown something completely different, a portion of the movie pull would be lost.
Mamma Mia! is unique in the way we see these actors. Many of these actors are more commonly featured in slightly serious, non-musical films and roles. When we experience Meryl Streep, a sixty-five year old woman, jumping up into a split or being pushed off of a dock, we cannot help but be surprised at her youthful demeanor. Many of these older actors are usually relatively put-together and its fun for their fans to get to see them in a different light. There is a scene when Julie Walter's character, Rosie, is crawling on top of a dinner table trying to chase after one of Sophie's fathers (Mamma Mia!). These youthful acts send carefree vibes throughout the whole film and leave the audience feeling like they want to run off to Greece and live life freely. By having these well-established actors play child-at- heart, adult roles, the audience absorbs the contrast and really gets in touch with the feel of the magical musical movie.
Mamma Mia! saw much success not just because of its attractive story-line and fun musical hits, but because of the incredible talent of all the cast members. The casting in this movie was crucial to its success and was done with precision and accuracy. Each actor was able to completely take on their free-spirited character and pull in audiences of all backgrounds.
Works Cited Levy, Emanuel. "Mamma Mia!: Casting the Film." Emanuel Levy. N.p., 2008 Web. 22 Feb. 2015.
Mamma Mia! Dir. Phyllida Lloyd. Prod. Judy Craymer. Perf. Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, and Amanda Seyfried. Universal Pictures, 2008. Film.
Puig, Claudia. "Streep Is the Dancing and Singing Queen in 'Mamma Mia!'"USA Today. USA Today, 19 July 2008. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.