You would have to have been living under a rock this week not to know that Mamma Mia! is the movie version of the stage presentation that is set around the Abba song list.
What plot there is, exists simply to link the songs and for those songs where it works well to give added meaning to their pop lyrics.
The movie, a little slow at the beginning when the focus is on the younger cast members, really lifts once the veterans Meryl Streep, Julie Walters and Christine Baranski get involved.
Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard are solid foils for the women. I thought Firth does best and it is probably no coincidence that he seems to be having the most fun. I watched Firth closely during the end credits song montage and he really gets into the swing of the campness of it all.
When I first knew that Streep was in the movie I thought her an odd choice but she does really well only faltering in the dramatic moment of The Winner Takes It All when her singing voice is not powerful enough for the strongest notes. A pity, because that moment in the Sydney stage show was stunning.
The stage show, as I saw it in Sydney, was a lot of fun and had the audience toe tapping to the familiar melodies. The movie is much the same and has that glorious summery feel and look of the Greek islands as background throughout.
Mamma Mia! does not contain the wit of Stephen Sondheim or Cole Porter but it is a lot of fun for Abba lovers.
I felt the same way about Meryl Streep. Even in the trailers I thought it was sooo odd. I believe it opened here last Friday. I think I'll try to catch it. Thanks for the write-up.
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