Mamma Mia!

 

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Rated: PG13

reviewed by Charity Bishop

 

Bravest Cast
 

There are two things I absolutely love -- musicals and comedies. Mamma Mia! is one film that combines both of my loves into one smart, funny package with a magnificent cast, gorgeous setting, fantastic costume design, and a soundtrack you're going to want to purchase the second you hit the pavement outside the theater. Oh, and did I mention it's your one chance to see Colin Firth in a bright blue retro 70's outfit and platforms?

It is the week of a wedding on the idyllic little Greek island where bride-to-be Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is awaiting the arrival of her bridesmaids, with exciting news to tell them. Having recently discovered the old diary of her mother, Donna (Meryl Streep), she now has the information needed in order to discover her mysterious father's identity. She has three potential fathers, and since she wants one to walk her down the aisle at her rapidly impending wedding, she sends all three men invitations, certain once she sees her father, she will immediately know who he is. The trio in the running are the suave Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan), wealthy Harry (Colin Firth), and free spirited Bill (Stellan Skarsgård), all of whom turn up on her doorstep the day before the wedding under the assumption that Donna has invited them. Only Donna doesn't know about any of it and blows a gasket when she learns they have all come to the island at once.

Each of the men have individual qualities and Sophie's hopes that she would know her true father on sight come tumbling down around her, as she frantically attempts to keep their presence a secret, and figure out how to tell her mother the truth. In the meantime, Donna is trying to discern how best to boot them all off the island, along with the assistance of her two best friends (Julie Walters, Christine Baranski). The result is a surprisingly snappy and memorable two hours of song and dance that will make you both laugh and cry as you ponder the nature of motherhood and watching a child grow up. The entire cast is absolutely wonderful and have surprisingly strong voices (minus Brosnan, who is a bit weak in that area, but the charm of his character makes you forgive his soft notes). Everyone contributes to the humor but I have to say that Julie Walters stole the film and then some. She had the audience I was with screaming with laughter, as did the comic antics of Colin Firth, particularly in the ending musical tracks, when all the characters show up in campy retro outfits. (At this point, all of the women over forty in my showing started hooting and clapping.) The real gem of the film is Amanda, who shimmers through her musical numbers with a luminous smile and shows some genuine acting chops that I honestly didn't expect from her. There also was not a dry eye in the house when Streep finished "Slipping Through My Fingers," about her sorrows at watching her daughter grow up.

All gushing aside, the film does suffer from a few problematic elements and aspects I could have done without. There is a mild amount of sexual innuendo -- Donna's friends ask her if she's "getting any," which prompts her to laughingly turn on her power drill; one of her friends sticks something between her legs as she makes masculine gestures. More troubling is the song "Does Your Mother Know?" in which a young man makes advances toward a much older woman; the song contains some visual innuendo, lots of pelvic thrusting, and what the audience thinks is a case of oral sex, before it's revealed to be something else entirely. Two more things worth mentioning are the brief backside nudity (which audiences could see coming) and the later revelation that one of Sophie's prospective dads is actually gay. He and a young man share a couple of amorous glances, and in the closing song embrace and sing one line of a love song together. The visual innuendos in the former song and the gay twist make me a little leery of taking my younger friends to see it, which is a shame because it's comic gold and also is surprisingly touching.

One thing I loved was Sophie's decision regarding her "fathers," and their reaction to it, because it was something I hoped would happen. The film is not perfect but for a musical, it's very memorable and will have you humming the title track as you leave.