Meryl Streep's latest movie, the Abba-powered musical "Mamma Mia! The Movie," is unfortunately just a cheesy girl movie only suited, at best, for a girls night out (if the girls are baby boomers, that is). Streep can sing, but she ain't that good, and her partner Pierce Brosnan is certainly not a great pick for a musical. It's pretty obvious that he was chosen just to look good and rake in those female fans.

The musical comes through as too brutal in almost demanding that the audience has fun together with the cast, whose hysterical singing and moves start to be frightening after a while.

The story begins with the young and beautiful Sophie, portrayed by Amanda Seyfried, who lives on an idyllic Greek island with her free-spirited, hippie mother Donna, portrayed by veteran actress Meryl Streep. Sophie is about to be married and wishes that her father walk her down the aisle. The problem is 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, eventually annoying women who come to their friend’s aid.

The musical fails in that it tries to force a good time on you, with no actual reason, and one ends by looking at the movie as to a play of hysterical, annoying, Abba-singing actors.

Rating: PG-13 (for some sexual comments)
Cast: Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, Colin Firth
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Writer: Catherine Johnson
Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes