Mamma Mia!

It happened… I finally watched Mamma Mia! and since I had very little expectations I have to admit that I enjoyed this crowd pleaser that makes you laugh and yes, in some songs, I even sang along… so, I’m grateful that I saw it on DVD and not in a theater! Still I did find the movie a little uneven, with some parts more interesting than others that became quite boring and then the singing was okay, nothing special, which for me worked fine as it was less hard to sustain the whole movie.

The story is simple a twenty years-old girl is about to get married and decides to invite three men that she recently found out could be her father without telling her mother. All happens in a truly spectacular Greek island that definitively contributes to great cinematography with breathless landscapes.

According to most comments I read, those that haven’t seen the stage musical seems to have enjoyed the movie more that those that had seen it; so there is another reason why I probably enjoy it, as I declined invitations to watch the musical both on Broadway and London. Then if you haven’t seen the stage musical there are chances that you will enjoy the film.

The movie has an outstanding cast, but performances are acceptable for most cast members, except Meryl Streep that looks not only great but definitively does the role with gusto and you get the impression that she is having the greatest and funniest time of her life. On the bad side I concur with almost everyone that Pierce Brosnan was terrible when singing, gosh he definitively cannot sing… not even with “paroles chantées”.

Not a masterpiece in the genre but quite entertaining and definitively a crowd pleaser that has been around the current award season with multiple nominations, including a nomination for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media at the 2009 Grammy Awards (??) and has already won the Best Musical and Meryl Streep Best Performance – Female at the 2008 National Movie Awards in the UK.

If by any chance you do not really enjoy the songs of ABBA –that definitively belong to a different era- then I suggest you give a try to this movie as absolutely the songs do not sound (even lyrics are different) like they sounded in the past and the new versions are more easy listening.

Enjoy!