Mamma Mia! (2008)

I’m a fan of chick flicks and I’ve seen some pretty cool ones like When Harry Met Sally, Moonstruck, Mean Girls, The Princess Bride, Crazy Rich Asians, Pitch Perfect, and so many others. I also thought it would be interesting to add another one to the list. I enjoy listening to ABBA and I love musicals. So, it might sound cool when you decide to combine those two and you end up with one of the greatest things ever. And I’ll tell you right now, I didn’t even sort of feel that way when I watched Mamma Mia!. I know this musical has a fanbase and if you’ve already seen it and love it, then good for you. From what I could tell, maybe it was meant to be stupid and you’re just in it for a fun ride and, I’m all for that. But as someone who tends to take things more seriously than he probably should, I just had a hard time trying to get into that mindset. While I appreciate what the film was trying to do, I guess it just didn’t have that impression on me. I have more to say here, so let’s talk about a jukebox musical that’s more sunshine than substance.

     The film is based on the Broadway musical of the same name. It follows a young bride-to-be named Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), who lives on a sun-soaked Greek island and secretly invites three men from her mother’s past in hopes of discovering which one is her father. Now, to the movie’s credit, it does have a pretty stellar cast with Meryl Streep as the mother and Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård. The rest of the cast also includes Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Dominic Cooper, and a whole ensemble crew who are just bursting with energy throughout. I’ve read and seen a bunch of other reviews on this film and my problems are just about the same as theirs. Like most of the ABBA songs not really having anything to do with the story and are just there, the amount of clichés this movie had to offer, and characters that you don’t really know too much about. Sure, everyone has a personality on screen but this particular critic would still like to know more about them. The only one I felt that came anywhere close to that was Meryl Streep’s character but it didn’t feel like much when everyone else is bland and forgettable. Also, I enjoy watching Pierce Brosnan whenever he’s on screen but I have the same question that I think most people have when they watch this film: who the hell thought he would sound good in a musical? I don’t want to sound spiteful, because I enjoy watching him in other films, I even thought he was a decent James Bond. But I can’t lie when I say that I could not keep a straight face when I listened to him belt his notes. I actually almost wanted to shut my ears or mute the screen but I decided to pull through anyway. Look, maybe with time I’ll grow to appreciate this film more but I’m just not feeling that right now.

     Musicals have a special place in my heart. Hell, one of my favorite movies is a musical that makes me happy whenever I put it on. But unlike this, that one has me more invested and I never get tired of watching it. Having said that, I would have to give this movie a 5 out of 10. If you’re a fan of musicals, ABBA, or if you’re not as fussy and nit-picky as I am, then go ahead and check this out if you want. I can’t promise if you’ll love it or hate it but I think it goes both ways. It’s definitely not perfect but it’s undeniably fun if you have a more positive mindset.