Mamma Mia

There is something about Mamma Mia that really captured the public's attention. A smash hit Broadway musical that became an equally smash hit film musical that grossed over $600 million dollars in the summer of 2008. But in the intervening years, it has seemed to garner more hate than love, at least online. Now, and I can't quite believe it's been that long, ten years later the film has a sequel, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. I decided in honor of the ten year anniversary of the film, as well as the release of the new film, I'd take a look back and see if it still holds up.

Sophie Sheridan (played by Amanda Seyfried) has grown up never knowing who he father is. Now at the age of 20, with her wedding to her fiance Sky (played by Dominic Cooper) approaching, she had discovered a diary belonging to her mother, Donna (played by Meryl Streep). Within those pages are three likely suspects for her father, Sam (played by Pierce Brosnan), Harry (played by Colin Firth) and Bill (played by Stellan Skarsgard). She decides to invite all three to her wedding, convinced she'll know immediately which one is her real father. Of course, things don't quite pan out that way and Donna is understandably mortified to see three of her exes show up out of nowhere, seeking solace in her two best friends, Tanya (played by Christine Baranski) and Rosie (played by Julie Walters). As the festivities continue to wind up, Sophie finds herself overwhelmed as she tries to figure out which of the three men is her father while Donna tries to resist the rekindled spark between her and Sam. 

Phyllida Lloyd, along with screenwriter Catherine Johnson do a good job of transitioning the musical from the stage to the screen. They do a good job of not making the film feel too stagey and opening up the action to beaches, boats and assorted locales around the Greek island the film is set in. The cinematography by Haris Zambarloukos is gorgeous and gives the proceedings a warm and welcoming fell that compliments the film nicely. They also stage the various musical numbers that run throughout the movie in really fun ways with a nice sense of humor to them as well. The film maintains a light and humorous feel throughout that compliments it's soundtrack of ABBA songs. 

The film has a stellar cast, starting off with Meryl Streep as Donna, who gives the role her usual level of dedication as she does an admirable job singing throughout the film. I could tell she was having fun with the role though. The same goes for both Julie Walters and Christine Baranski, both having fun with their roles as Donna's friends. Pierce Brosnan took a lot of flack for his singing in this, but honestly I didn't think it was that bad. Either way, he makes a decent romantic foil for Meryl Streep. Stellan Skarsgard is a lot of fun as the adventurer Bill, who writes books about his various misadventures and catches the eye of Rosie, a fellow writer herself. Colin Firth has fun with his role as the sweet and good-natured Harry, not afraid to make him a little dorky. Amanda Seyfried is charming as Sophie and manages to make her character's hare-brained scheme seem at least understandable, if not all that plausible. Dominic Cooper does his best with the rather thinly written role of Sky, but he seems to be mostly around to be eye candy, which the handsome Cooper most certainly is. 

This film came along at a time when I needed it the most. I was in a very depressed and unhappy place and this film managed to put a smile on my face at a time when I desperately needed it. Because of that, I tend to get a little defensive when people rip on it, which they tend to do quite mercilessly (looking at you, Nostalgia Critic). It's a lightweight piece of musical fluff that is clearly not meant to be taken seriously for a second, punctuated by some of the most infectious pop songs ever written. If that's not your cup of tea, by all means move along. But I'm left baffled with why some people are so angry about a film that is so silly. At this point, I've moved on but I still felt the need to address this sort of hatred that has inexplicably developed around this film. 

Still, the film has it's fans as well and I certainly count myself among them. I still watch the film regularly as well as listen to the soundtrack. This movie may not be for everyone, but if you don't find a bit of lightweight fun every once and enjoy the music of ABBA, then you'd probably love this movie as much as I do. And if you don't, well don't talk to me then. I don't need that kind of negativity in my life.