Friday, July 18, 2008

Movie review: Mamma Mia

It has to be said: AARGH!

By John P. Meyer

Mamma Mia!

An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna is about to let go of Sophie, the spirited daughter she's raised alone. For Sophie's wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends--practical and no-nonsense Rosie and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya--from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But, Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own.

Source: Cinema Source

• Showtimes and more on Mamma Mia!

Here's my three-part diagnostic test to determine whether or not I'm watching a woman's movie (a.k.a. chick flick):

1. Is there a toenail painting scene?

2. Is there a lot of teary-eyed weeping resulting from things that would normally make people happy?

3. Do a bunch of guys take off their shirts? And leave them off for extended periods?

Responding in the affirmative to two out of three of these questions would earn any movie a solid "YES" on my "is it a chick flick?" scorecard.

Post toenail painting

Mamma Mia serves up all three, and it garners bonus points for being a musical based on the songs of '70s pop band extraordinaire Abba. Furthermore, it finds Meryl Streep playing a prima donna named Donna who's tasked with conveying dramatic tension while singing "The Winner Takes it All" to Pierce Brosnan on the rocky shores of a Greek coastline.

What have we here, one might be excused for wondering by this point: Woody Allen's right brain doing Antigone?

Nothing so pedestrian, it turns out, but rather the movie version of the smash hit musical of the same name, which has been playing to packed audiences around the world for nigh onto a decade. Phyllida Lloyd, director of the original Broadway production, helms the cameras for this Hollywood cinematic version and does a nice job of getting the actors to smile, weep, go gal pal ga ga and squeal over how much fun they're all having.

I won't waste a lot of time rehashing the plot, because this isn't the sort of entertainment whose success rests upon its narrative merits. Basically, it's the story of hard-working off-the-beaten-path hotel owner Donna (Ms. Streep) and her daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried, giving her infectious smile, wide-eyed gaze and bouncing bosom a real workout). Sophie's about to get married to a chap named Sky (Dominic Cooper), which makes her very happy. But she's never known the identity of her father, which makes her very sad.

Aargh.

Just before the wedding, Sophie gets hold of her mom's diary and discovers that - oh, my! - there are three possible daddy candidates: Sam, Bill and Harry (Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård and Colin Firth). She surreptitiously invites them all to her wedding - without her mom's knowledge - and they all show up for the big event. Let the mirthful madness ensue.

And ensue it does, with Donna's two best friends also arriving on the island (where everyone gets abundant exercise running up and down the carved stone steps - while singing!), thus forming the second of three trios featured in the film - the third being Sophie's two best buds (Rachel McDowall and Ashley Lilley, as Lisa and Ali), who end up getting only brief play in the first reel and then confine themselves to background window dressing. Donna's chums, on the other hand - Julie Walters as Rosie and Christine Baranski as Tanya - soon become the primary focus of merriment and mayhem on the island, with each getting the chance to strut their stuff during solo singing performances (Ms. Baranski on "Does Your Mother Know" and Ms. Walters for "Take a Chance on Me").

Pierce Brosnan: singing sensation, or sensationally bad singer? You decide.

The musical numbers are highlighted by clever employment of found props and amusing use of extras as chorus members. Once ensconced in one's theater seat, even those who consider themselves manly men may discover (reluctantly and against their better instincts) that they're having a good time.

The downside: if you're prone to stuck song syndrome, prepare to have "Dancing Queen" embedded in your consciousness until the next time someone knocks you upside the head with a ball peen hammer.

WINNER OF THE CLINT EASTWOOD PAINT YOUR WAGON AWARD FOR JAW-DROPPINGLY BAD SINGING: Pierce Brosnan

BEST USE OF ELLIPSES IN LIEU OF ACTUAL SEX TALK: "Dot dot dot - that's how they did it in the old days!" - Sophie, re. entries in her mom's diary

Related stories

• UPDATE: Special Mamma Mia! sing along screenings announced for Dallas’ AMC Northpark and Plano’s Cinemark Legacy (and others) (Aug. 27, 2008)

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• Arts > Movies / Film > Mainstream Movies