[melon]

Wow, I'm so surprised that there's no thread for this musical-turned-movie yet (or I'm blind and completely missed it).

"20 year old Sophie (Seyfried) is preparing to marry her boyfriend Sky (Cooper) at her mother's hotel on an island in Greece. She seemingly has it all; a carefree life, loving boyfriend and happy friends but one thing has been missing all her life; a father.

Her only wish now is to be given away by her dad at her wedding. By reading her mother's diary she discovers that she has three possible fathers. Sophie then secretly invites all three men in a desperate bid to discover which of them is her father before the wedding bells start to chime!

But not all goes to plan, old loves are re-kindled, new loves are formed and Sophie risks everything to discover the true identity of her father.

Featuring the songs of ABBA and based on the worlds number one musical comedy which has people dancing in the aisles every night, this movie is sure to be the hit of Summer 2008!"
- IMDb

CAST:
Meryl Streep - Donna Sheridan
Amanda Seyfried - Sophie Sheridan
Pierce Brosnan - Sam Carmichael
Colin Firth - Harry Bright
Stellan Skarsgård - Bill Anderson
Julie Walters - Rosie
Christine Baranski - Tanya
Dominic Cooper - Sky
Philip Michael - Pepper
Ashley Lilley - Ali
Rachel McDowall - Lisa

----

I just saw the movie today and I must say, I was rather disappointed. I was looking forward to this movie a lot but the casting was a little odd to me. I just couldn't bear the image of 59-year-old Meryl Streep twirling around in her overalls, giggling with her girlfriends about being promiscuous, and biting her blanket like a 5-year-old child. Not to mention that most of the main cast members are well over their 50s and are not exactly singers or dancers (Pierce Brosnan should never sing again). I guess the ABBA songs just sound better in their original forms. :/

There were also some really overly cheesy scenes that made me want to look away from the screen, like when Sophie and Sky did their duet for "Lay All Your Love On Me," there were a bunch of men in swim fins who jumped out of nowhere and started dancing. It just looked really weird...

Though, I did love the storyline and how they incorporated the songs into the plot line. I haven't seen the actual musical so this was all new to me. Amanda Seyfried (you might know her as Karen Smith in Mean Girls) is an amazing singer, I must say. And the sceneries are absolutely gorgeous! After seeing this movie, I want to get married in Greece myself. Overall, it was a fun and cute movie to watch but it's not really worth the money. Just go watch The Dark Knight (which I really want to see!).

[emma_fifth]

lol. i actually thought it will be about the TV show in my country.

[B0hemian_Sprite]

I've been reading some reviews, and I'm a little nervous to watch the movie. I saw it as a musical and was blown away, but I don't want the movie to ruin the musical...yikes

[crackednut]

I just watched it today!!

Amazing!! I never saw the musical on stage...but I've been a giant ABBA fan for ages and it didn't disappoint!!
It just made me feel wonderful and magical inside The music worked in perfectly, and Meryl Streep is a RIOT!! Amanda Seyfried was a joy to watch as well (don't be fooled by her role in Mean Girls, she's so versatile and her voice is lovely).
The only caution, though...is Pierce Brosnan. He was great, don't get me wrong...but his singing was rather awkward.

Other than that...THIS MOVIE ROCKED MY SOCKS!!!!!!!!!


And the wedding dress? I want it.

[whohungjen?]

i hear it's had a decent opening at the box office
i want to watch it but i kinda blew my money on other stuff
i love musicalgenre-movies though, so hopefully i get to watch it soon!

[Con.template]

I saw the movie on opening night. And I would have to agree with you, melon. The movie was a disappointment. I was lucky enough to catch the musical on Broadway while I was in New York awhile back. Perhaps it was because I went into it with high expectations, because the musical stole my heart, but I just wasn't impressed with the movie. As you mentioned, the casting was just plain awkward. I felt that the movie threw itself so much into comedy that it came out looking ridiculous.

I understand now that some things are better left on the stage of a musical.

However, I did enjoy the music. I'm a big fan of Mamma Mia! music, so it was refreshing to hear new voices sing the songs I adore. My only thing against it is that the actors just look...awkward singing it. That and the random chorus people who keeps jumping in while freaking me out and pissing me off. So throughout the movie, there were some scenes where i just had to CLOSE my eyes. And, as mentioned, Pierce Bronsman should NEVER be in a musical again. Oh dear Lord, he's just awkward.

I have to remember that I paid 100+ bucks for the broadway show musical and paid 10 bucks for this movie- so I shouldn't be so disappointed in it...but it can't be helped.

Overall, I would definitely say that this move is a RENTAL. It's entertaining (to a small degree) so I definitely suggest you put this on your Netflix list as opposed to actually going and paying 10 bucks to see this movie on the big screen.

But hey~ some of my friends, who doesn't mind all the cheesy/annoying factors, enjoyed it. So you might to. :]

There's my two cents.

Next movie: The Dark Knight --> I'm watching it tonight! I'm so excited!

[losborrachos]

i saw this today. it was a little cheesy at times and my main complaint is that some of the main actors are just flat out not very good singers. amanda seyfried, for one, is pretty disappointing (though she's a good actress), and pierce brosnan definitely should stick to acting. having said that, overall i enjoyed it. i just talked about it with my friend and i don't know if it's just actually a good film or if i just love meryl streep too much to believe that she can be in a bad movie. definitely not the best musical adaptation around, but i wouldn't mind seeing it again on dvd or something.

[MUSIClLOVElLIFE]

I honestly think this movie is STUPID.
No, I haven't watched it.
Because I think its stupid.

I did Mamma Mia for my school choir's concert.
Where we sang & danced.
I'm a fan of Abba.
But this movie totally has NOTHING to do with Abba or Mamma Mia. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)
They just use the songs for the soundtrack :x


Just my opinion tho

[losborrachos]

^why, i'd love to correct you. benny andersson and bjorn ulvaeus are both producers in the film and had cameos as musicians. in addition, both frida and agnetha largely approve of the film and attended the swedish premiere. all four have been very involved in the production of the musical, as in fact the creative director got the idea for the musical after working with benny and bjorn on 'chess'. while you can certainly have your opinion, saying you think it's stupid because it has nothing to do with abba is, well, stupid. just my opinion.

[MUSIClLOVElLIFE]

^why, i'd love to correct you. benny andersson and bjorn ulvaeus are both producers in the film and had cameos as musicians. in addition, both frida and agnetha largely approve of the film and attended the swedish premiere. all four have been very involved in the production of the musical, as in fact the creative director got the idea for the musical after working with benny and bjorn on 'chess'. while you can certainly have your opinion, saying you think it's stupid because it has nothing to do with abba is, well, stupid. just my opinion.

Oh, I knew they were producers. LOL.
Ofcourse.
I saw some interview on tv.
But that was just my opinion

[losborrachos]

^then i don't quite understand your complaint. the film has everything to do with abba and mamma mia. it's a direct adaptation of the musical, which incorporates abba's music into the story, basically replacing dialogue with their songs. the arrangement, the choreography and even the visuals (colors) are very much in keeping with abba's overall feel.

[MUSIClLOVElLIFE]

^then i don't quite understand your complaint. the film has everything to do with abba and mamma mia. it's a direct adaptation of the musical, which incorporates abba's music into the story, basically replacing dialogue with their songs. the arrangement, the choreography and even the visuals (colors) are very much in keeping with abba's overall feel.

LOL.
I'm not complaining.
Chill out.
I dont care about this movie. LOL.
If you care about it, great, have fun with it.
I just dont care.
I'm sorry? LOL.

I just gave you my opinion & not everyone can have the same opinion as you.
Keep your opinion & I'll keep mine.

[peelie]

I saw this in the movie theaters, and it was a fun movie.The movie (at least for me) didn't have any "depth", but I came in knowing that I wouldn't be getting that from this movie. It's a fun movie, and that's pretty much what it's all about. The acting was very laid back, and I think the singers (with the exception of Pierce Brosnan...sorry, he could NOT sing) really kept the ABBA spirit while singing. I never saw the musical, and this movie probably can't compare (not sure since I've never seen it), but it's definitely something to watch.

[losborrachos]

LOL.
I'm not complaining.
Chill out.
I dont care about this movie. LOL.
If you care about it, great, have fun with it.
I just dont care.
I'm sorry? LOL.

I just gave you my opinion & not everyone can have the same opinion as you.
Keep your opinion & I'll keep mine.

sorry, maybe you're not complaining. but while "i think it's stupid" is your opinion, "the movie has nothing to do with abba or mamma mia" is a statement, which you admit might be wrong (and, in fact, IS wrong). i don't love the movie but yes, i do care about movies in general, and i want to make sure other people are correctly informed about facts like where the movie comes from or what story it's telling. that's what i've been trying to do. the problem is you're being very defensive with your opinion without providing any good, substantial reason for it. you decided to dislike a movie without having seen it or really knowing very much about it, which is fine. i'm just trying to show other people that the movie can't be stupid for no reason.

[MUSIClLOVElLIFE]

sorry, maybe you're not complaining. but while "i think it's stupid" is your opinion, "the movie has nothing to do with abba or mamma mia" is a statement, which you admit might be wrong (and, in fact, IS wrong). i don't love the movie but yes, i do care about movies in general, and i want to make sure other people are correctly informed about facts like where the movie comes from or what story it's telling. that's what i've been trying to do. the problem is you're being very defensive with your opinion without providing any good, substantial reason for it. you decided to dislike a movie without having seen it or really knowing very much about it, which is fine. i'm just trying to show other people that the movie can't be stupid for no reason.

LOL.
I dont need substantial reason for my movie preference &opinions.
Maybe I just dont like it, for no reason.
It really doesn't matter.
LOL.
If you like it, go for it Great!
But I don't, so why does it matter? LOL.

I'm gonna drop it cus I don't want to be warned for spamming in threads & etc.
But don't say something like "Yeah, thats right, you better back off, blahblah" any of that after reading this post. LOL.
I could go on forever & I choose not to.

[losborrachos]

^i'm not gonna tell you to back off, in fact i'm gonna ask why you keep coming back to reply to this thread if you don't care about the movie? if you think you have a right to throw your opinion around, you best believe others have a right to disagree with you. what you're employing is a very dogmatic approach that is hard to take seriously--people need to realize that they can't avoid dialectical discussions with cop-out statements like "just my opinion" or "no offense".

besides, while i'm sure you'd like to believe my posts are about you, as i've stated my greatest interest is to show other people that the movie, in fact, has everything to do with abba, and by consequence, cannot be stupid for that reason. though pierce brosnan's singing is certainly up for contention.

and for those who said they haven't seen the musicals, i'd gladly recommend it. there are certainly better musicals out there like les mis, billy elliot, and wicked, and given that option i'd suggest watching those over mamma mia. but for a jukebox musical, it's certainly up there. and you get to dance at the end of it (like the whole theatre explodes into a dance party), which is a fun experience that i wish had somehow been incorporated into the movie. maybe they can do a sing-along version like hairspray.

[procrastinator]

I really really liked it. I also agree with what a lot of people are saying about the casting. When I heard that Meryl Streep was going to be in it...I kept thinking isn't she too old for this part. It as very awkward at some points. No Pierce Brosnan should not sing ever again. I don't know I thought the cheesyness was appropriate for this movie. When those people would just pop up randomly I would just laugh my butt off. I LOVE ABBA and since I am not able to go see the Broadway production of it, this is the next best thing. The ending was HILARIOUS.

[bless_u]

what... ru guys seriously... I saw it the movies.. and I loved it... The music is a blast and Amanda Seifield is gorgeous in there... Overall I give the movie a B....

[Angelic_illusions]

I LOVE this movie and i dont care what anyone else says.

Pierce Brosnan just made me laugh everytime he sang ^^ He's perfect for the role but not for the singing ^^ I wanna go to the theatre and watch this again better yet i want to watch the play itself. Plays are soo much better than their movie counterparts

[schun]

I went to see Mamma Mia! (the movie), expecting the worst from the mediocre reviews, but found it wonderfully delightful. If you enjoyed the on-stage musical, you'll absolutely love the movie!! It had much more depth to the story since it was filmed in the Greek islands. If the theater production was 100%, than the movie was a must-see 200%!! It was a bit more risque than the theater version, but something for old and young alike. What a celebration of life!

I really don't understand how the critics can be so down on such an uplifting movie. The audience I saw it with applauded at the end. So much for the critics who gave it a poor rating.

You really must go see it! I came away feeling so good and humming the tunes!