Mamma Mia!

I have just been to see Manna Mia with ma brother James, and James got up dancing to the songs in the isle lol, some girls tried to flirt with James and then they started talking to me and I did not know what to say to them, plus thefact I was not interested in them. I had my jeans on that made my ass look fine so James said lol which was rather random. I was so embarrassed lol






Mamma Mia! Review
98 minutes, UK/USA (2008), PG

After a blockbusting run on stage, the musical Mamma Mia! comes to the big screen. Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Julie Walters star
Mamma Mia! has all the swing and sparkle of sequined bell-bottoms. Of course, for those who remember ABBA's greatest hits like a bad acid flashback, it's simply 'big shiny pants'. Without a doubt the film is spectacularly naff, but that's also its selling point as the usually po-faced likes of Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth blatantly relish the chance to let their hair down (including the occasional handlebar 'tache) and belt out those Swedish pop anthems, tongue firmly in cheek.

With the original writer of the show Catherine Johnson and stage director Phyllida Lloyd reunited for this adaptation, the formula stays pretty much the same. There's hardly a story to speak of, just a fraying thread of logic that loosely ties the songs together. Hollywood starlet Amanda Seyfried plays Sophie, a young bride-to-be who invites three men - one of whom she suspects is her father - to her wedding on the idyllic Greek island of Kalokairi. That's where she lives with her ex-hippy mum Donna, played with just a touch of delirium by Meryl Streep. Naturally the veteran star takes it up a few notches after discovering this trio of former lovers (Brosnan, Firth and Stellan Skarsgård) stashed in her goat house.

Donna can't be sure who the father is, but it's clear that she still holds a torch for the more grounded of the three candidates, Sam (Brosnan). With such a gorgeous backdrop - Lloyd making the most of a sun-dappled Med and rosy-hued sunsets - the old flame is soon rekindled. It's hardly an epic romance though - in fact, it looks more like cold fear making Brosnan's heart pound as an exchange of dialogue turns into the first line of 'SOS'. Thankfully that stiff upper lip, reminiscent of Bond, quickly loosens up and he delivers with unreserved gusto (albeit no great vocal chops). It's those moments which are so endearing and hilariously funny too, but crucially, you're always laughing with the cast rather than at them.

Dangerously infectious


Streep, by contrast, always gives a no-holds-barred performance and is especially buoyant in her rendition of 'Dancing Queen'. Lloyd too throws everything at this disco classic, even roping in a few hunched-up Greek widows to kick loose on the island pier. Beyond the song-and-dance pieces, Streep also gets to showcase her natural flair for comedy, but it's Julie Walters who gets the lion's share of belly laughs as her doddering pal Rosie.

There's more than a touch of Mrs Overall about her as she struggles to stay upright in platform heels and serenades Skarsgård with a menacing version of 'Take A Chance On Me'. Completing the gaggle of 'golden girls' is Christine Baranski as Tanya, working her liposucked lush routine to the hilt. If received in the spirit in which it is offered (and a few spirits may help), then Mamma Mia! is sure to leave you smiling.

It lacks finesse, subtlety and sophistication of any kind, but then that shouldn't trouble anybody who loves ABBA. Lloyd shoots at such a dizzying pace there isn't time to stop and pick holes in the plot.
Those who aren't old enough to remember Björn and the gang are still likely to find the enthusiasm of the cast dangerously infectious. Plus stay tuned to the end credits for an eye-watering celebration of kitsch and very tight cat suits.

VerdictIt's like a booze-fuelled night of karaoke (complete with literal Greek chorus); both hugely embarrassing and brilliantly fun.