ABBA's legacy will stand the test of time far longer than this
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:169
Fresh:90
Rotten:79
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: This jukebox musical is full of fluffy fun but rough singing voices and a campy tone might not make you feel like "You Can Dance" the whole 90 minutes.
Australian Rating: PG [See Full Rating] Mild sexual references and coarse language
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Australian Theatrical Release:
Jul 10, 2008 Wide
US Box Office: $143,704,210
Synopsis: After its run as a West End hit in London, MAMMA MIA became a Broadway smash when it opened in New York back in 2001. With a story framed around the music of the Swedish pop band Abba, crowds loved... After its run as a West End hit in London, MAMMA MIA became a Broadway smash when it opened in New York back in 2001. With a story framed around the music of the Swedish pop band Abba, crowds loved its raucous, dance party vibe. Now it comes to the silver screen, with some truly delightful performances from the likes of Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan. It is the story of Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) a young woman living on a picturesque Greek island with her mother, Donna (Streep.) Together, Donna and Sophie run a ramshackle island inn, and they are in the midst of preparing for Sophie's wedding. As the wedding approaches, Sophie becomes troubled by the fact that she has never known her father. She was the result of one of her mother's summer flings, and her mother has never revealed her father's identity. When Sophie stumbles upon her mother's diary, she learns that there are three possible men who could be her dad. Without telling her mother, she invites all three to her wedding. When Harry (Colin Firth), Sam (Brosnan), and Bill (Stellan Skarsgard) all arrive at the same time, Donna is of course shocked and overwhelmed by seeing her old lovers again after such a long time. She turns to her two best friends, Tanya (Christine Baranaki) and Rosie (Julia Walters), for their support, and vows to just get through the wedding and weekend. Meanwhile, Sophie spends time with each man, determined to learn the truth. Major hijinks and confusion ensues, all amidst the utterly romance scenery, and the rather irresistible, swelling love ballads. Streep has a lovely singing voice, and to watch her throw herself into this whimsical role is truly a delight. She looks like she is having a ball, and it is hard not to shimmy along with her. Baranski reliably delivers an over-the-top showstopper, and Brosnan's tender singing voice makes his character all the more touching. The film strives to be a jubilant celebration of mother/daughter relationships and the love between good friends, and no matter how cheesy some may find Abba, it is hard to resist its many charms. [More]
Starring: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried
Starring: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried, Stellan Skarsgard, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper, Christine Baranski
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Screenwriter: Catherine Johnson
Producer: Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman
Composer: Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus
Studio: Universal Pictures
Reviews for Mamma Mia!
A film that actually earns the exclamation mark that adorns its title, thanks to the exuberance that Streep and her co-stars bring to the job of reviving the rituals of the movie musical.
Perhaps your enjoyment will depend on how much you like the songs (I’m not a huge ABBA fan), but the great thing about this film is its joyousness.
This joyous frolic propelled and inspired by the timeless music of ABBA is a bit like Grease for the older set, with Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan playing the leading roles
Mamma Mia! has an exclamation in its title for a reason: it just wants to shout out its sense of fun. The film is buoyantly unpretentious and proclaims at the top of its voice, "Take me as I am."
Lloyd's film has no shape or tone; it swings wildly from sunny, haphazard scenes that play like outtakes, to higher-pitched, shrieking, hysterical scenes.
British director Phyllida Lloyd does a more than competent job of opening up the play with glorious and impossibly blue Aegean seascapes and rousing montages in bucolic settings in which the peasantry punctuate the songs like a drunken Greek chorus.
More fluff like "Mamma Mia!" than "Made of Honor" would make mid-year moviegoing a happier experience.
Campy theatrics and Busby Berkeley choreography set on a ridiculously breathtaking island paradise -- what's not to love?
Cheese -- but what wonderfully salty, sinfully satisfying cheese it is.
This is entertainment, not a movie. And as entertainment goes, Mamma Mia! belts it out of the park.
Shot on location in Greece, but the way Meryl Streep tears through the scenery, you'd think she was in a giant reptile suit on the back lot at Toho.
The most fun to be had at the movies this or any other recent summer.
Lacking the punch or creativity of the stage musical, this sunny, but not very funny adaptation is short on vocal prowess and choreography.
Mamma Mia! delivers exactly what one can reasonably expect from it. It's a faithful adaptation of the stage play of the same name but, more importantly, it's a repository for ABBA songs.
If you're invited, you might as well enjoy yourself. Just don't say I didn't warn you. And don't you dare say I hate ABBA.
The story is ... urh. No film has ever had a more irrelevant story.
There might not be anything as utterly dispiriting as watching people pretending to have fun, and that is quite literally the only card the movie has to play.
Latest News for Mamma Mia!
February 04, 2009:
Exclusive: Inside Pinewood/Shepperton - A Photo Tour
Every year, the BAFTA film awards present a trophy for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. Introduced in 1978, the award recognises an organisation or a person's career... More...
January 21, 2009:
Razzies Name 2008's Worst Movie Nominees
No awards season would be complete without the Golden Raspberry Awards (AKA The Razzies), awarded each year to the very worst movies to hit Hollywood. This year's winners will... More...
January 07, 2009:
People's Choice Awards Winners Announced
The 35th annual People's Choice Awards were handed out on January 7, 2009. A complete list of film nominees, with winners in bold, follows below. More...
December 28, 2008:
There's a neat free spirit versus family values message here, about a dad being no big deal when you can have three. Not to mention that family is more about who loves you, than whatever does or doesn't dangle between their legs. ![]()
More...
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