Movies •Books •Music •Food •Tv Shows •Technology •Politics •Video Games •Parenting •Fashion •Green Living •more >

Lunch » Tags » Movies » Reviews » Mamma Mia! (movie) » User review

Mamma Mia! (movie)

A 2008 movie starring Meryl Streep

Edit Topic

< read all 11 reviews

Pure fun.

Apr 21, 2009

by Jerry_Saperstein
posted in Movie Hype

Rating:

Writing a "critical" review of this movie would be an exercise in futility. This film is a throwback to the ensemble productions of the 1930s. A bunch of very talented people, some of whom are inconceivable in these roles, all coming together and having a great time together.

Everything works, even the parts that don't.

It's a silly plot line (a young girl on the eve of her wedding trying to find who of three men is her father), the singing is often - to be polite - strained, some of the veteran thespians couldn't dance too well - but who cares?

This movie is just plain fun.

Relax, enjoy, tap your toes in time with the music and forget about the world and its woes for a little while.

Jerry

What did you think of this review?

Helpful

Thought-Provoking

Fun to Read

Well-Organized

Post a Comment

More Mamma Mia! (movie) reviews

review by rbuchanan. January 26

Doubtless, this execrable thing is among the most repugnant motion pictures that I've seen: a fatuous, psychotically overrated, criminally galling celebration of concentrated idiocy. If the stage musical from which this drivel was adapted isn't my cup of tea, I may withal measure it a magnitude superior to this nettlesome slop. Here's what a viewer may anticipate from this cinematic abomination: Plot holes through which one could sail a yacht Unsightly, oversexed, obnoxious … more

Comment Compliments (24)

Quick Tip by memoni445. July 15, 2010

posted in Movie Hype

A Quick Tip by memoni445

I love this movie. Meryll and Amanda pull off their rolls perfectly...and the songs are pretty rocking too.

Comment Compliment

review by vemartin. December 28, 2009

posted in Movie Hype

It Will Not Win Any Oscars, But the Movie is Great Fun

Pros: Excellent performances by all involved; the music is still great after all these years. Cons: Mr. Brosnan can’t sing. The Bottom Line: In my estimation Mamma Mia! deserved all of the hype surrounding its release… Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie''s plot. I am usually not one for musicals, but I did enjoy the music of the Swedish Pop group ABBA like everyone seemed to in ‘70’s … more

Comment Compliment

review by Sandra163. January 25, 2009

Meryl was a very naughty girl 20 years ago...

Mamma Mia! is about Sophie (played by the very talented Amanda Seyfried) who wants her father to give her away at her wedding. Only problem is: she doesn't know who the father is! So she reads her mother (played by Meryl Streep)'s diary dated near the time of her conception and finds 3 potential candidates (She takes her mother's promiscuity a lot better than I would have). Her plan is to invite them all to the wedding and find out who her father is. But of course, … more

Comments (4) Compliments (28)

review by Giordano. January 03, 2009

posted in Movie Hype

Shucks, Why Not?

A cold, gloomy, nasty afternoon in a hotel in Canada. Five hours until warm-up time in the orchestra pit. Take a walk? ¡Ni modo, Quasimodo! Rent a flick? Why not! You'll have to believe me that I have no prior ABBA consciousness, despite the fact that I spent half my childhood in Sweden. I was in Mediterranean and Caribbean lands when they 'conquered' the Anglophone pop music world. I heard or read the name. Honestly, I thought they were another 'heavy metal' or Swedish vampyr … more

Comment Compliment

review by amoslassen. December 19, 2008

No Expectations, Pleasant Surprise

"Mamma Mia" No Expectations, Pleasant Surprise Amos Lassen There isn't a whole lot to say about "Mamma Mia" that has not been said but I will try. I was living in Israel when Abba won the Eurovision Song Contest and "Abbamania" took over Europe. I think I knew every Abba song by heart and as much as it was bubblegum music, I loved it. So when I heard that there was going to be a Broadway musical with Abba songs, I wondered how … more

Comment Compliment

review by KonaCat. December 15, 2008

AARP gals on speed

Beautiful Sophie, who lives on a Greek isle with her mother (Meryl Streep), is about to get married and wants her father to give her away, but who IS he? Twenty years ago, Mom had flings with three men. Each man receives an invitation to attend the wedding and Sophie is sure she'll find her dad among them. This is a total chick flick for not-so-spring chickens (like me). I liked it okay, but I was expecting to really love it. It's a fluffy, sun-drenched giggle-fest, … more

Comment Compliment

review by arichards. September 03, 2008

My three dad Greek wedding

Meryl Streep gets to show her funny side once again, playing Donna, a single mother struggling with the upkeep of her hotel on a small Greek island while raising her only daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) Sophie's about to get married, and is desperately seeking someone paternal to give her away. By sneaking a peek at an old diary, she contacts Harry, Bill and Sam (Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard and Pierce Brosnan) thinking that she can solve the mystery. Short … more

Comment Compliments (3)

review by RobertYokoyama. August 20, 2008

posted in Music Matters

This is a good soundtrack

This is a good soundtrack. Everyone in the cast has their moments. I am impressed with Meryl Streep. She can really sing. I love her performance of "Dancing Queen" "Super Trouper" and "The Winner Takes It All". "Mamma Mia" is quite good too. Julie Walters is so funny singing "Take A Chance On Me". Amanda Seyfried is the other surprise here. I love her vocals on "The Name Of The Game", "Gimmee Gimmee" and "Honey Honey". Christine Baranski shines on "Does Your Mother Know". The best male performance … more

Comment Compliment

review by Decaptain. July 08, 2008

A Decent Soundtrack

Many know or are familiar with the music; "Mama Mia!" is all ABBA; fun, whimsical, outright blissful and enjoyable. The question is how does this movie soundtrack hold up? The answer is that it's pretty good. Right off hand, I felt some of the movie versions of these songs were a bit too campy and lacked the hard-to-capture spirit of the original. The songs where Pierce Brosnan sings on made me cringe, really taking me as a listener out of the song and making me feel thankful that he isn't featured … more

Comment Compliment

see all Mamma Mia! (movie) reviews (11)

About the reviewer

Jerry Saperstein (Jerry_Saperstein)
Ranked #220

I am an e-discovery strategist, computer forensics specialist and testifying expert witness - and an avid reader. Aside from technology books, I love thrillers, suspense, mystery, … more

Consider the Source

Use Trust Points to see how much you can rely on this review.

Uptown Girls (2003 movie)

Just Like Heaven (2005)

Music and Lyrics (2007)

Drowning Mona (2000)

rate more to improve this

Recent reviews by Jerry_Saperstein

Still the very best for learning and using WordPress …
a review of WordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Reflections on the 1,400 year war.
a review of Endless War: Middle-Eastern Islam vs. ...

The most versatile of the current Flip line.
a review of Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes

see more reviews

About this movie

Wiki

Mamma Mia! is a fictional musical based on the songs of Swedish pop band ABBA. A movie based on the musical was released in summer 2008, and starred Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Amanda Seyfried. Both the movie and the musical have been internationally popular and commercial successes.

The story takes place in the Greek islands, and begins with Sophie, who is getting married. Because she doesn't know who her father is, she invites her mother's previous lovers to the wedding, and tries to deduce the mystery.

Meryl Streep leads an all-star cast in the feature-film adaptation of the beloved musical that has been seen by more than 30 million people in 160 cities and 8 languages around the world. Bringing the timeless lyrics and melodies of iconic super group ABBA to movie audiences, Summer 2008 is the season for MAMMA MIA!

Produced by Judy Craymer and Gary Goetzman, MAMMA MIA s all-star cast which, in addition to Meryl Streep, includes Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper. (Universal Pictures)

An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna (Streep) is about to let go of Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), the spirited daughter she s raised alone. For Sophie s wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends practical and no-nonsense Rosie (Julie Walters) and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya (Christine Baranski) from her ...

view wiki