Posts Tagged ‘Phyllida Lloyd’
March 27th, 2009 | 
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The delirious sight of Meryl Streep leading a river of multigenerational women singing “Dancing Queen” is one of the high points of Mamma Mia!, the musical built around the songs of the hugely popular pop group ABBA. The plot sets in motion when Sophie (Amanda Seyfried, Mean Girls), daughter of Donna (Streep), sends a letter to three men, inviting them to her wedding–because after reading her mother’s diary, she suspects that one of them is her father. When all three arrive at the Greek island where Donna runs a hotel, Donna flips out and finds that passions she thought she’d laid aside are coming back to life. But let’s face it, the plot is not the point–it’s a ridiculous contrivance that provides an excuse for the characters to sing the massive hits of ABBA. Regrettably, first-time film director Phyllida Lloyd (who directed the original stage production) has drawn over-the-top performances from everyone involved, even Streep; every production number hammers its exuberance into your eyeballs. Which is too bad, because Mamma Mia! is a rarity: A middle-aged love story. The kids start things off, but the story is really about Streep and the three guys (former James Bond Pierce Brosnan, former Mr. Darcy Colin Firth, and Swedish star Stellan Skarsgard), as well as Donna’s best friends (Christine Baranski, best known from the TV show Cybill, and Julie Walters, Calendar Girls). It’s a romantic comedy aimed at the people who were around when all these songs were new, and that’s an age group Hollywood largely ignores. For that alone, Mamma Mia! deserves to find an audience. –Bret Fetzer
Stills from Mamma Mia! (Click for larger image)
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User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Mamma Mia!
I absolutely love this movie!!! The music is fantastic, the singing phenomenal (the girls mostly), and the acting incredible!!! Meryl Streep is absolutely at her finest (yet again) as Donna while up and comer Amanda Seyfried has the perfect mix of ballsy innocence and moxie as Sophie. The bonus features are fun (Karaoke anyone??) and the commentaries great. Blooper reel is funny and I could go on forever. A must have for your collection.
5 Stars Mamma Mia the movie
A really and truly feel-good movie with catchy songs that stay in your head. Can really be recommended, and not only for chics - I have around me a number of men who like it too, and feel good by it, although they do not always aknowledge that in public.
5 Stars Over the Top But Top-Rate
“Mama Mia” is an entertaining fluffy, fizzy flick that will certainly not tax your brain. I’ve seen it three times on stage so was prepped for the movie version. It was fun to watch the way they movie-masters opened up the stage version to the panoramic natural setting of the beautiful Greek islands although the expansiveness didn’t always click. Originally the musical’s creators took some catchy Abba songs and wove them together into a plot-line that was above-average or more sophisticated than is usual when musical-makers start with a canon of songs.
In Blu-Ray the Greek island settings are gorgeous. Meryl Streep is exceptionally good in this version as is Pierce Brosnan. Neither one comes over very well in the CD soundtrack when you can’t see them acting because their voices can’t carry the day alone. The entire cast does a creditable job.
Some of the musical numbers are way over-produced and over-peopled. Less would have been better. The early number “Money, Money, Money” is way over the top. The yacht scenes bear no reference to the island life and are a phony dream sequence. Some numbers are hectic, frenetic and seem like they’re filmed in fast motion. There are too many extras bouncing up and down to the Abba beat and overpopulating the screen. Too many Greek peasant women and armies of dancers come advancing off the screen and into your lap. Everyone is dancing their hearts away.
Audiences unused to the unreality of the old-fashioned movie musicals are going to be overwhelmed by the overkill. We have forgotten how to suspend disbelief when it comes to the openness of musicals. Breaking into song has become bizarre for those unused to the old genre.
Meryl Streep uses her particular acting skills to put over certain numbers particularly “The Winner Takes It All.”
It seems foolish to quibble about a movie that has a lot of laughs, burlesque turns, snappy popsicle music, a pretty good plot, and keeps you entertained.
The movie has a vitality, a joie de vivre that is certainly good for these hard economic times. Just don’t expect Sondheim or Leonard Bernstein. The DVD is crammed with extra features for those who have the time. This is a movie for those who crave sheer exuberance.
Last Passage to Santiago
Nine Lives Too Many
The Daemon in Our Dreams
The Rice Queen Spy
Clawed Back from the Dead
4 Stars Mamma Mia
My Girlfriend had borrowed the movie from my mother and could not seem to get enough of it.So i got it for her as a gift and she has probably watched it at least 20 times so far.Well worth the money
5 Stars Mama Mia- the movie
I had seen the movie and bought it because I loved it so much in the theatre. It is wonderful even the second and third time I watched it.
