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"Mamma Mia!" Review

by Jane Boursaw on August 5th, 2008

Meryl Streep plays Donna, an independent, single mom who owns a small inn on an idyllic Greek island. Her spirited daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), is about to be married, so the inn is buzzing with guests and preparations.

Donna has invited her two lifelong friends – practical, no-nonsense Rosie (Julie Walters) and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya (Christine Baranski). The three of them formed a singing trio called Donna and the Dynamos back in the old days.

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What Donna doesn’t know is that Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own. On a quest to figure out who her dad is, she’s invited three men from Donna’s past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier: Harry (Colin Firth), Bill (Stellan Skarsgard), and Sam (Pierce Brosnan).

Over the next 24 hours, new love blooms and old love is rekindled – all to the music of Abba! Yes, the characters sing and dance everywhere from the inn’s attic to the picturesque seaside dock.

I took my two kids, ages 11 and 13, and every time a new song would start, they’d roll their eyes. I did a little bit, too, but Meryl Streep is such a fascinating actress to watch, it’s hard not to like this movie for that reason. My favorite is a song near the end where she really gives it all she’s got. That scene alone is worth the price of admission. And the scenery is spectacular, especially a rustic church perched atop a high cliff overlooking the sea.

NOTE TO PARENTS: The overall theme is about a woman who slept with several men and produced a child. That said, though, I still think this movie is ok for kids 11 and older, but they’ll probably be bored silly, like my kids were.

Images: Mamma Mia!, Universal Pictures, 2008

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