Review: Mamma Mia! (2008)

[Homer Yen]

"Mamma Mia" - Sharp Songs, Flat Story
by Homer Yen
(c) 2008

They can dance; they can jive; having the time of their lives.  And
therein lies the entire problem with the story of "Mamma Mia".  If
everyone is just having such a good time, then what kind of real story
could possibly develop to keep the audience entertained and engaged?

If you've seen the stage musical (which I haven't), then this is
probably just another chance to experience it without having to pay
the much-higher stage musical admission price.  And perhaps if you are
a big ABBA fan, then hearing wall-to-wall tunes by the Swedish
uber-band will elevate your 108-minute viewing experience.  I'm not
sure, though, what else there is to offer the rest of us.

Now, "Momma Mia" is not a bad movie.  Ok, it's not good either.  But
something strange happens when you leave the film.  Despite the
mostly-less-than-average singing, the lack of symmetry or story arc,
and the impossibly sun-splashed sense of glee that permeates the film,
it has the weird power to alter moods.  It doesn't matter how you
start off when you sit in your seat.  By the time you leave, you get
the sensation that you're totally at ease, swinging barefoot on a
hammock, and listening to the sound of ocean waves in the near
distance.  "Mamma Mia" isn't so much a musical as it is therapy for
the curmudgeon in need of a smile.

The film benefits from a cheery performance by Meryl Streep, who plays
single-mom Donna Sheridan, owner of a gorgeous little hotel on an
out-of-the-way Greek island.  Her work is hard, the surroundings are
crumbling, and her mortgage is crippling.  This leads into one of the
better choreographed sequences of the film, the
struggling-worker's-anthem, "Money, Money, Money".

Her equally cheery 20-year-old daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), is
about to get married.  She doesn't know who her father is.  But after
reading through her mom's diary, she surmises that there may be three
possibilities.  Is it Bill (Stellan Skarsgard), or Sam (Pierce
Brosnan), or Harry (Colin Firth)?  She invites them all, hoping that
her intuition will tell her who it is when they meet.  But singling
out her Dad is much harder than she had imagined.  Meanwhile, all of
them think that it was Donna that invited them.  Donna didn't know
about Sohpie's plan and seems to now hate all of her ex-boyfriends.
None of them have any clue that they may be Sophie's dad.  There is a
lot of connecting-the-dots that needs to take place among the three
possible fathers and Sophie.  It's only when the story centers on this
aspect that the possibilities are amusing.

Most of the other storylines, however, seem lighter than a puffy cloud
floating across the big, blue sky.   Worst offender: the hunky fiancé
of Sophie was dispensable.  2nd worst ffender: Pierce Brosnan's voice.
 Sorry, 007.  He can ably hold a Walther PPK, but he has no ability to
forcefully carry a tune.

There's one thing that did truly amaze me.  And that was the absurdly
beautiful setting of the movie.  Go see it, and consider it a
super-showy travelogue.  The colors are vibrant, the views are
breathtaking, the weather is always sunny, and the people are so
good-looking.  I'm not inspired to search the internet for the musical
soundtrack.  I'm not interested in getting the DVD for my collection.
But, I am inspired to book my next vacation in Greece.

Grade:	C+

S:	1 out of 3
L:	0 out of 3
V:	0 out of 3