Movie Review - Mamma Mia (2008)

I love ABBA and I love this movie. Not something a lot of people will admit to, but lets face it there are a lot of us who were fanatics of the band. They shaped a lot of my growing up, especially my teen years. Listening to ABBA always takes me back to a good place in my memory. So no matter how bad I feel, I find this movie cheers me up and drags me out of depression and/or anger. I mean really, who can stay depressed listening to ABBA?

Sophie Sheridan has grown up like a lot of young people who don’t know who their fathers. She finds her mother’s diary and finds out there are three men who could possibly be her father. Instead of confronting her mother and asking her to explain, she invites all three to her wedding. (Insert Jerry Springer moment here.) Sophie then says “I’ll know my father when I see him”. It turns out she couldn’t be more wrong. She has no idea which one is her father and she realizes she has done something completely insane.

Donna Sheridan (played beautifully by Meryl Streep) is your strong willed single mother who not only raised a child but started a business and kept it going. The world is a hard place for her considering she does it all on her own. She is independent and despite the difficulties she’s proud of herself and of her daughter. Streep was perfect for this role. While the actor is great at serious roles, she really shines in comedy.

Pierce Brosnan was raked over the coals for his singing. I consider that highly unfair. I loved him in the role Sam Carmichael and his singing didn’t offend me. Not everyone can sing. Compare his ability to that of my husband he comes out on top every time. My husband is blindingly tone death and offends fish. So Brosnan singing simply made him sound like a real person. Not everyone can win American Idol for a reason. Sam made a life for himself but his true love was always Donna. When he receives his wedding invitation (thinking that is from Donna) he is clearly excited, whooping as he gets into the cab. The reaction of Harry Bright and Bill Anderson is more subdued.

Donna doesn’t take the surprise of all three of them showing well. Confronting her wild past isn’t easy. You can almost hear the audience yelling “Jerry! Jerry!”. Her friends Rosie and Tanya cheer her up, but she’s afraid of how the revelation will affect her relationship with her daughter. It comes as a shock when at the wedding Sophie reveals that she was the one who invited the three men. Then it comes as a double shock when Sam reveals he didn’t get married when he left but had broken his engagement to come back to her only to find out she was with another man.

Sophie decides it doesn’t matter which of the men are really her father. The fact that all three men are willing to accept the responsibility and support her with whatever decision she makes she decides she doesn’t need to get married right now.

Sam chooses this moment to propose to Donna. “Why waste a good wedding?”

I’ve seen this movie a hundred times I think and it always cheers me up and leaves me feeling more upbeat. Not only do I know the words to all the songs, but I have been known to get up and dance to the music.