Let me clear up a few things up before I dive into the film itself.
First: I love musicals.
Second: I love ABBA.
But I never saw the stage version of Mama Mia! because I find so-called jukebox musicals kind of a cheat, creatively speaking; structuring a flimsy plot to wring the last remaining cultural/financial viability out of an existing batch of pop songs seems just plain lazy. That said, it has been done well in the past but this ain't MGM in the 1940s and 50s.
Still, let's start with a positive jam...
The good
- ABBA - I've owned Gold since high school. "Dancing Queen" is one of the best pop songs ever recorded, so the music is not a problem here. And even with actors who can't sing worth shit, the songs still hold up.
- The cast - Clearly, they were having a blast. Watching Stellan Skarsgård getting accosted by a gaggle of nubile, young actress, I could imagine him thinking: Fuck this von Trier/Dogma 95 bullshit, I'm goin' for bubblegum musicals from here on out!
- Amanda Seyfried - Having watched her in Veronica Mars and Mean Girls, I knew she was a capable actress. Had no idea she had such a sweet hummingbird voice, and it's that voice that holds this monstrosity together. She was luminous.
- Christine Baranski - Why she doesn't work more is a mystery. Why she only got one solo in this film while we had to hear Pierce Brosnan caterwaul through the Bjorn/Benny catalogue also boggles. Too bad the young man she serenaded was gayer than a Pride parade.
- The Men - Are hilarious and game (Colin Firth was especially hilarious) .... and, sweet merciful Zeus, they're handsome. I get the whole Dominic Cooper thing now; he should never wear a shirt. Ever.
- The scenery - Greece is pretty.
- The Greek chorus - Literally, a chorus of Greeks. It was the wittiest aspect of the whole movie.
- "Voulez-Vous" - The only musical number that actually worked in the entire film, coordinating plot, staging, choreography, and song to effectively heighten tension, character, and story. You know, like a real musical.
The bad
- Direction - Who is Phyllidia Lloyd and why is she allowed behind a camera? She's an opera/stage director with no film experience. Why would you put her in charge of a hugely anticipated, star-studded, multi-million dollar major studio project centered on a Swedish pop musical? She doesn't know how stage a number for the camera or how to move the camera or where to put actors. Her 'keepin' it real' concept - numbers set on the beach and cliffside where Meryl Streep was almost blown away by the wind - was just a big giant FAIL. Why couldn't the producers have gotten someone who actually knew what they were doing, like say: Rob Marshall, who has been nominated for Oscars and Tonys and actually won awards for choreography and film direction OR
Baz Luhrmann who has created some brilliantly insane musicals and could've made this film something exciting to watch instead of it being rather sad and frustrating* OR P.J. Hogan who has actually made a movie about about weddings set to an ABBA soundtrack. **
Oh, the possibilities...
- Editing - This film was a cornucopia of overlong static shots with no transitions and weird, random cuts that completely take you out of the moment. (SEE: End shot of Sophie's three dads bidding her farewell on the dock at night, switching awkwardly from a nicely lit silhouette shot on a soundstage to an overhead shot done on location and then back to the silhouette.) The credited editor actually has a pretty impressive resume, so I'm gonna give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she just had little to work with.
- Choreography - "Retarded" is the word that came to mind regarding the dancing in this movie. Just look at what they made poor Christine Baranski do! It was mostly glorified line dancing and pantomiming lyrics. I wasn't expecting Bob Fosse, but I hoping for a little imagination.
- Screenplay - Done by the book writer who has some teevee experience. So many plot holes (Where did Sophie's friend's come from? Did she go to college at some point?); so many incongruities with time and age. And the characterizations: where did Skye come from? The fight between him and Sophie was the most compelling part of the whole movie. I wish I could've known more about them besides that they're hot and in love. And when did Colin Firth's character meet his hot Greek boy and decide to come out? Oh, and has no one heard of paternity tests? Is Greece cut off from all technology?
- The Women - You'd think that a major film written, produced, directed, and starring women would maybe break free of the usual female archetypes in movies today, but alas we get: the resentful single working mother, the martini-ed cougar divorcee, and the spiky-haired workaholic spinster desperate for a man. Lloyd actually had Meryl Streep and Julie Walters running from and/or chasing men on rooftops, over tables, and shimmying down drainpipes like some poor man's Wile E. Coyote cartoon. I know it's a musical comedy, but couldn't they get some laughs without using humiliating stereotypes? Again, where is the imagination?
- Meryl Streep - Here's a toothpick to get all that scenery out of your teeth, honey. I adore her, but she really needed to pull back the obnoxious, harried mother bit. Too much yelling and arms flailing like she was Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky. She could've pulled back some on the musical numbers too and let the songs do some of the work. "The Winner Takes It All" is a powerful song on its own (and Meryl does belt it out admirably), so there's no need to be fist-jabbing Tae-bo style. (You're mad at Pierce and his beautiful chest fur; we get it.)
- The Greeks - Kept in the background as chorus, as servants, as poor villagers to be enlightened and freed by Western pop music. Is this a Brit/colonial patronizing thing? Kinda bugged me.
After all that, I feel like an ass because my mom just adores this movie, seeing it twice in the theater, buying soundtracks for everyone she knew, and watching the DVD twice plus all the featurettes within 24 hours. She doesn't geek out on pop culture stuff as much as my dad and I do, so I love that she's indulging herself and don't want to denigrate that. And I did find some of it quite enjoyable. It just irks me that this much talent was misused. Also, I am a hateful crank. Forgive me, Mom!
*Though I hear that's what Australia is like. Clearly, he needs to get back to his nutty, musical roots.
**Reminding me that: 1)Rachel Griffith's used to be Australian! and 2)I actually bought this movie on VHS way back yonder in high school and I still have it. Long live Porpoise Spit!
