Mamma Mia Contaminates Us All With Some ABBA

By Jane Ivory
10:59, July 20th 2008
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Mamma Mia Contaminates Us All With Some ABBA

You can’t escape it. Whether or not you’re a fan of Abba’s syrupy, upbeat, infectious music or not, hearing the great Meryl Streep singing their tunes in “Mamma Mia!” with gusto and fire and a great singing voice (Surprising? Not surprising? Is there anything she can’t do?) you will find yourself humming along, no matter how silly or over-the-top the verse.

We’re done for. “Mamma Mia!” is sure to create dependency. Never mind the implausible story, never mind the colors that are too intense, the sounds that are too full, the actors’ enthusiasm that is overstated – they sing those songs with such vigor that in the end you’ll walk out of that theater humming to yourself and maybe even dancing a bit.

The story begins with the young and beautiful Sophie, portrayed suavely by Amanda Seyfried, who lives on an idyllic Greek island with her free-spirited mother Donna, portrayed charmingly by Meryl Streep.

Sophie is about to be married and wishes that her father walk her down the aisle. The problem is, just like a sort of fairy tale, that she has never met her father and has no idea who he could be.

She comes across her mother’s journal and some inquisitive reading leads her to conclude that he could be either of three lovers of two decades ago. She then proceeds to send the three potential daddies letters inviting them on the beautiful island.

Donna, who runs an inn, is suddenly faced with her former lovers: the dashing Sam (Pierce Brosnan), the stiffish Harry (Colin Firth), and the wandering Bill (Stellan Skarsgård).

Each has kept a vivid memory of their time with Donna and each wishes to claim Sophie as their daughter.

The impressive cast is completed by Julie Walters and Christine Baranski who play Donna’s longtime friends and former bandmates (Donna and the Dynamos), bubbly, zealous, fun-loving, exuberant women who come to their friend’s aid.

And yes, they all sing. The film adaptation of the Broadway musical based on Abba’s best-known hits bursts at the seams with the Swedish group’s iconic songs belted out enthusiastically by Streep and company.

And yes, Meryl Streep has a wonderful voice. And yes, she jumps and skips and cries and wipes her nose with her hand and looks wonderful throughout. She certainly elevates the whole affair to decency.

Because stage director Phyllida Lloyd and playwright Catherine Johnson transport the broad movements from the stage to the screen with visible effects: you can’t miss a beat, an inch, the tiniest of sounds.

Perhaps we wouldn’t want to either. The idea of the movie is to enjoy yourself as a moviegoer and not think about the experience too much. Just sing along with the cast as they courageously regale us with their renditions of “Honey, Honey,” “The Winner Takes It All,” “I Have a Dream,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “Waterloo” and others.

The stage musical has been seen by 30 million people in 170 cities around the world and the film stands just as good a chance to be a box office hit. It’s the summer. What more than colors and music and Meryl Streep and joy to ask for?

Mamma Mia!

Opens on Friday nationwide. Rated PG-13.

Directed by Phyllida Lloyd.

Written by Catherine Johnson.

Music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus.

Released by Universal Pictures. Running time: 1 hour 48 minutes.

Cast: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfried and Christine Baranski.



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