Mamma Mia!

[Bourne101]

http://l.yimg.com/img.movies.yahoo.com/ymv/us/img/flickr/56/72/002529115672.jpg?x=660&y=660&sig=Udixx8C1.SO4s3o_2E1AoQ--

Directed by Phyllida Lloyd

Written by Catherine Johnson

Genre: Musical/Romance

Tagline: A mother. A daughter. Three possible fathers. Take a trip down the aisle you'll never forget

http://l.yimg.com/img.movies.yahoo.com/ymv/us/img/flickr/93/47/002380219347.jpg?x=660&y=660&sig=k_3S2B3Mk1uwePSrAg1tDA--

Plot Outline: The story of a bride-to-be trying to find her real father told using hit songs by the popular '70s group ABBA.

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Stellan Skarsgård, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Meryl Streep

http://l.yimg.com/img.movies.yahoo.com/ymv/us/img/flickr/92/67/002380219267.jpg?x=660&y=660&sig=pI98DKD8JM0VqChgJSuMxg--

Rated PG-13 for some sex-related comments.

Runtime: 108 minutes

Looks like a giant ball of cheese. Not my kind of movie, and I will be skipping it.

[ilovemovies]

I think this could be a pleasant surprise just like last year's Hairspray was. And I love the cast.

[TheMazVolta]

108 minutes of ABBA is bit too much for me. Pass.

[Mr.HyDe807]

Call me weird, but Meryl Streep looks pretty hot. Just throwing it out there.:D

[Lazy Boy]

I think this could be a pleasant surprise just like last year's Hairspray was. And I love the cast.

The cast is good, but the translation from stage to screen will probably be rocky unless they juiced up the lame one-liners and bad sexual innuendo dialogue to something more than sitcom level crap. Oh, what a bad musical -- great ABBA songs nevertheless, it was a painful experience when I saw it last year. Hairspray was a big surprise, but I have a feeling my viewing of MM will be tainted by the Vegas production I saw.

[Miss Vicky]

I hate musicals.
I hate most chick flicks.
I hate ABBA.
I hate Pierce Brosnan.

I will not be watching this movie. Ever.

[Bourne101]

Am I the only one who has barely seen ANY advertising for this movie? The only thing I have seen was a short trailer before The Love Guru, of all movies.

[Frank the Tank]

I've seen a lot of advertising for it (Way more than Journey To The Center Of The Earth). The trailer played before Hancock today and the whole audience was audibly groaning at it, so I can't see this connecting with audiences as much as Hairspray did. Not a fan of musicals (Unless it involves songs written by Trey Parker) so I will never see this.

[xseanymacx]

My grandmother is very much looking forward to this.

[Tweek]

The trailer on the DVD for Definitely Maybe (not a horrible movie, btw) made me want to kick a dog. I was scared but couldn't turn away.

[AndrewDB]

Meryl Streep cannot sing for what it's worth, at least that's been proven in the trailers.

I may see this just to hear the music, but, I think I'll wait until its at the local Dollar theater.

[anakinsrise]

You would have to pay me a few million to see this
I saw a clip of Brosnan singing the other day...friggin awful !!!!

[CyclicNightmare]

I don't think there's anything else coming out. This should do really well next weekend.

[tubbsred]

108 minutes of ABBA is bit too much for me. Pass.
Same here

[Moviefan1234]

This looks like a giant fucking turd.

[Le_Big_Mac]

The teenage girls and post-menopausal women can enjoy this schlock while I'm seeing The Dark Knight.

[Moviefan02000]

I'm going opening night*, seems great.

*don't worry. I'm seeing The Dark Knight at midnight. ;)

[MisterChristian]

Mamma Mia! is off to a solid start overseas. From Variety - 'Mamma' is queen overseas (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117988879.html?categoryid=13&cs=1):

Universal's "Mamma Mia!" came out singing overseas ahead of its domestic launch, dominating in English-speaking markets with $24 million on just 1,368 screens in a dozen territories for a stunning $17,536 per-location average.

[dellamorte dellamore]

Mamma Mia! is off to a solid start overseas. From Variety - 'Mamma' is queen overseas (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117988879.html?categoryid=13&cs=1):


I think people are so entranced by Tdk that they fail to see that some people aren't as obsessed with it as they are , and MM will fill in the void for the people who don't care about Tdk . I know , those people should be deported on the next flight out of the Us and their citizenship revoked ( natural born and naturalized ) , but nonetheless , they are out out there :) .


Think about it for a second . This is My miniature anorexic ethnic cliche wedding : the musical . How can it fail , and someone already mentioned that their dear grandma wants to see this , that's the same group that made that other film successful ( no offense to anyone's Grandmothers ). It features a wedding , it has singing , it's pretentious as all hell , and it's not Tdk , there is a market for this film .

It's not my thing , i thought POTO was great , but normally musicals aren't my thing , especially if they're singing Abba , a group who only sang one song i liked .

[truth_be_told]

I'll see it for Streep, mainly. It's been getting good word of mouth last time I checked, so I may give it a look - "chick flick" or not.

[daddiefatsacks]

amanda seyfriend is very boneable

[Lost in Space]

amanda seyfriend is very boneable

truth. I might see it.

[MadsenOMC]

Musical is certainly not my favorite genre, but I like the cast and it looks entertaining. I think there are a lot of movies that look far worse. The intense hatred some apparently have for a movie they haven't even seen (dd again of course) is highly amusing. You act like seeing a musical will magically turn you gay or something. Are there that many 14 year-old boys posting here?

[The Postmaster General]

I think people are so entranced by Tdk that they fail to see that some people aren't as obsessed with it as they are , and MM will fill in the void for the people who don't care about Tdk .


Very well said and full of an understanding of the intricacies of the world.

It's not my thing , i thought POTO was great , but normally musicals aren't my thing , especially if they're singing Abba , a group who only sang one song i liked .

Phantom?

And must you beg me to ask -- which song?

[dellamorte dellamore]

Very well said and full of an understanding of the intricacies of the world.



Phantom?

And must you beg me to ask -- which song?

Yep , Phantom of the Opera , it's my favorite movie musical .


Dancing Queen is the only song i really took to by Abba , i still listen to it on a consistent basis :)

[dellamorte dellamore]

Musical is certainly not my favorite genre, but I like the cast and it looks entertaining. I think there are a lot of movies that look far worse. The intense hatred some apparently have for a movie they haven't even seen (dd again of course) is highly amusing. You act like seeing a musical will magically turn you gay or something. Are there that many 14 year-old boys posting here?

And once again Madsen doesn't seem to read my entire post . Did i say it looks bad , no , i said musicals normally aren't my thing , and that i only like one song by Abba , so why would i possibly want to sit through an entire movie filled with them . I also said there is a market for this film , so how was i putting it down . And don't use the batman joke and the deportation thing as an example , i'm obviously having some fun with that .

Oh well , read my post again instead of purposely writing poopy for the hell of it .

[MadsenOMC]

And once again Madsen doesn't seem to read my entire post . Did i say it looks bad , no , i said musicals normally aren't my thing , and that i only like one song by Abba , so why would i possibly want to sit through an entire movie filled with them . I also said there is a market for this film , so how was i putting it down . And don't use the batman joke and the deportation thing as an example , i'm obviously having some fun with that .

Oh well , read my post again instead of purposely writing poopy for the hell of it .

Did you not say "it's pretentious as all hell?" It sure looks to me like you did. You didn't say it looks, you said it is, implying that you have seen it. I'm pretty sure you haven't seen it.

I read it fine the first time. Your posts aren't full of complexity or hard to read.

[AndrewDB]

amanda seyfriend is very boneable

No matter how sexable Seyfriend is, it won't make me pay to see Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep intimidating dying yaks and calling it singing.

[MadsenOMC]

No matter how sexable Seyfriend is, it won't make me pay to see Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep intimidating dying yaks and calling it singing.

I think it'd be cool to see anyone pull off the intimidation of a dying yak.

[Lazy Boy]

No matter how sexable Seyfriend is, it won't make me pay to see Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep intimidating dying yaks and calling it singing.

Wrong animal!

"I’d like to forget the others—especially Brosnan, whose singing is the best imitation I’ve heard of a water buffalo." - David Edelstein

:D

[Strider]

This looks absolutely dreadful, and ABBA's music makes my ears bleed if I listen to it for too long. And I'd say 108 minutes is "too long." Needless to say, I will not be seeing this film.

Strider

[therealjohng]

This looks absolutely dreadful, and ABBA's music makes my ears bleed if I listen to it for too long. And I'd say 108 minutes is "too long." Needless to say, I will not be seeing this film.

Strider


Take everything this guy said, spin it 180 degrees and that's how I feel.

[darkface]

Take everything this guy said, spin it 180 degrees and that's how I feel.

Then take everything this guy said...

Turn it 360 degrees. Then turn to the right 90 degrees twice and that's how I feel. :p

[SpikeDurden]

I'll definitely check this out, but only after I've seen TDK a few times. I love musicals.

[ilovemovies]

Amanda Seyfried is the best thing about this movie. She's luminous and has a lovely voice and can act. Of all the actor's singing, she's the one who fares the best. Meryl Streep and Colin Firth were okay. Dominic Cooper and Pierce Bronsan were terrible though. Their singing, not their acting.



SPOILERS!







The only real disappointment is that we never actually find out which of the three guys is her dad.







END OF SPOILERS!








But other than that it was a very fun and enjoyable movie.


7/10

[Scarfather]

108 minutes of ABBA sounds like my own personal purgatory.

[Elgyn]

I don`t know guys, countchocula said it was pretty good.

He went to see it with his mom.

[EldridgeSolid]

Am I the only one concerned that this grown woman has three possible fathers and her mother doesn't know which one it is? Yeah, I know it's a movie, but that whole part sounds trashy...

I also noticed the first few times I saw trailers for this movie on TV they mentioned the three possible dads "thing". Now in the last month, i haven't seen it mentioned once. They've just been playing that Dancing Queen song and having a big ol' party.

If you'd never seen the previous trailers or didn't know any of the plot, you'd just think they're having a party.

[SpikeDurden]

I don't have much to say other than that it was one of the cheesiest, most atrocious, most laughable excuses for a film musical I have ever seen. It is almost offensively bad. And I LOVE musicals, almost more than anything. Amanda Seyfried is so cute, though.

[Smiert Spionam]

I just wanna know why ANY film, regardless of its target audience, would open the same night as TDK.

When I went to go see TDK at midnight, it was playing on 14/15 screens. Mama Mia was playing on the last one and I'm certain that it was playing to no one.

[The Poonchy]

i saw this yesterday night, because i'd already seen the dark knight on thursday night.

this is over-the-top the entire time, and needless to say it's probably the chickiest chick flick i've ever seen, but i can't deny that i enjoyed it. the movie would have been better if it was even more over-the-top (i like my musicals like baz likes 'em), but you can't win all the time. pierce brosnan's voice was so hilariously bad, like a strained meat loaf or randy newman, but it just made me enjoy the movie more. 7/10 AND I'M NOT ASHAMED

[Lawgick]

Am I the only one concerned that this grown woman has three possible fathers and her mother doesn't know which one it is? Yeah, I know it's a movie, but that whole part sounds trashy...

I also noticed the first few times I saw trailers for this movie on TV they mentioned the three possible dads "thing". Now in the last month, i haven't seen it mentioned once. They've just been playing that Dancing Queen song and having a big ol' party.

If you'd never seen the previous trailers or didn't know any of the plot, you'd just think they're having a party.

Yeah Sleeping with more then one person in one month is pretty rare and strange these days. Her "trashiness"(read sluttiness) is pretty much a given. Sigh, if only she were a man, then it would just be cool.:rolleyes:

[dellamorte dellamore]

I don't have much to say other than that it was one of the cheesiest, most atrocious, most laughable excuses for a film musical I have ever seen. It is almost offensively bad. And I LOVE musicals, almost more than anything. Amanda Seyfried is so cute, though.

Just a preface , i ' snuck " in to watch this after Tdk and i only made it to about 20 minutes in . it was all i could bear . This is a dangerous film to watch where i live . We have numerous bridges not far from where i am , and i felt like jumping off of one after the first song started . Holy mother of god is this horrendous and cloying . How the heck is the musical so popular , if it's anything like the film , i simply don't get it .

This thing is dreadful , but i will say , the scenery , the on location shots , look great , and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves , even if they seem just a bit too perky .

The banter between the women is solely for the 50 plus crowd . Do you really want to listen to 3 " older " women reference a rabbit because one of them isn't getting any ? Oh man , Christine Baranski is unsufferable in this , but i always thought she was . She plays the cliched older , snarky , rich from multiple marriages chick . I guess people still find a character like that funny , oh vey . Her fiend is no better , for some reason she has an British accent , i think it is , who knows . What's her story , she's just there as comic relief if you can call it that , damn , i would prefer to watch the chics in S and C over this bunch . Streep , yeah , she sings pretty good , and she proves to have some nice comic timing , but she didn't exactly make it bearable to watch .


I'll tell you what would have been good , this story could have worked with no freakin singing . There seems to be a decent story here , if cliched , and the men of the cast were great together , yeah i said it , these guys Brosnan , Staasgard , and Firth are funny together and their chemistry is perfect , it's everything else that's a bore .

Okay , maybe i will sit through this when it hits dvd , but i just want to warn some others , unless you like older women humor , Abba songs ( i mean every freakin song they have ever sang because there's plenty of it here ) , and perky and annoying characters , stay far away from this thing . I can't possibly see how it could have improved , my eyes and ears started to bleed , i had to leave .

Hey man , i gave it my best shot but it's not my mug of beer . Well , it really wasn't that bad , and i can see myself warming up to it eventually , but right now , i have zero interest after my little preview .

I'll stick with POTO for now , that was awesome .

By the way , the theater was at least 3/4s full for a 1 pm show , it definitely has appeal for some people , i never doubted that though .

[chinton]

I disagree dellamore. Even the story is inane. In fact without the music the flaws of the story would be more apparent. Why does the daughter think inviting three people, one of whom maybe her father, to her wedding is a good idea on finding out who her father is? What's up with Streep's reaction when she discovers the three of them there? Doesn't she find it weird that three guys she banged once forever ago are there together? Also, why would the fathers even show decades later? The story is retarded much like many other things here.

[Jim Colyer]

Just returned from seeing Mamma Mia! I laughed and cried for nearly 2 hours. The audience responded well to the high-energy ABBA songs. As I exited the theater, some girls were in a circle singing Dancing Queen. I may go to a karaoke bar tonight and sing it myself. Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan were great. I understand now why Streep is called a great actress. She has told Benny and Bjorn that she wants a part in Kristina if and when it becomes a movie.

[Cato]

If there is anything good about this movie, I think it's Meryl Streep, who used her talent in singing, dancing and acting to save this long-performed broadway musical. Except good music, the movie itself is pretty draggy. Trailer (http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/18263990/review/21842469/mamma_mia?source=movie_reviews_rssfeed)

[dellamorte dellamore]

I disagree dellamore. Even the story is inane. In fact without the music the flaws of the story would be more apparent. Why does the daughter think inviting three people, one of whom maybe her father, to her wedding is a good idea on finding out who her father is? What's up with Streep's reaction when she discovers the three of them there? Doesn't she find it weird that three guys she banged once forever ago are there together? Also, why would the fathers even show decades later? The story is retarded much like many other things here.


I disagree , i think there is a funny " rom com " in there somewhere and it didn't need all the musical numbers . The 3 male leads are terrific together and natural , the main appeal of the movie , the music , for me is it's major drawback , but these types of films aren't made to appeal to someone like me .

[Jim Colyer]

ABBA music will live as long as music is played!

http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=35

[Lost in Space]

I disagree , i think there is a funny " rom com " in there somewhere and it didn't need all the musical numbers . The 3 male leads are terrific together and natural , the main appeal of the movie , the music , for me is it's major drawback , but these types of films aren't made to appeal to someone like me .

I feel similarly, Mamma Mia! is not directed at my demographic at all (17 year old dudes) however, i will see it this afternoon out of curiosity.

[Jim Colyer]

My cousin sent me this Mamma Mia! review from the Courier-Journal in Louisville, KY

'Mamma Mia' is all about the music
By Christy Lemire • Associated Press • July 18, 2008

Review http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200807180430/SCENE03/807180347

Just try getting "Dancing Queen" out of your head once it's burrowed its way in there. "Waterloo," too, is especially pesky. But "Mamma Mia" might be the most tenacious tune in the 1970s Swedish pop group's canon.

The insanely catchy hit inspired a hugely successful Broadway musical a decade ago and now is the basis for a big summer movie. "Mamma Mia!" is a massive mess, but it's fun -- exuberantly goofy, sloppily crafted fun, especially if you're not in the mood for thinking too hard.

If "Mamma Mia!" works on any level at all, it's through the sheer radiance of Meryl Streep, clearly having a blast letting loose as its star, the former rocker chick Donna. Watching the woman who is considered the greatest actress of our time writhing around in overalls on top of a barn or belting out numbers in a sparkly, spandex jumpsuit and platform boots can be a hoot.

Streep was a fan of the Broadway show, and her enthusiasm explodes on screen. She can indeed sing, a talent that's been on display in bits and pieces in previous movies, most recently Robert Altman's "A Prairie Home Companion."

Amanda Seyfried ("Mean Girls," "Big Love") is also solid as Donna's daughter, Sophie, who is getting married on a Greek island and invites three of Donna's former flames to determine which one is Sophie's father. Christine Baranski and Julie Walters are splashy scene-stealers as Donna's best friends and former backup singers, Tanya and Rosie.

But not everyone fares so well. Pierce Brosnan and Stellan Skarsgard, as two of the potential dads, should never be allowed to sing in public again. As Bachelor No. 3, Colin Firth has a touch more musical ability, but then his character is stuck with a contrived subplot.

Ah yes, the plot -- there is one wedged in among all those ABBA songs. (Catherine Johnson, writer of the "Mamma Mia!" musical, also wrote the script. Fans of the show will be happy to see that it's a faithful translation.)

Sophie is about to marry her fiance, Sky (Dominic Cooper of "The History Boys"), but before she can begin a new life with him, she wants to know about her past. She digs through Donna's diary, reads about the three men with whom mom was involved around the time she was conceived and secretly invites them to her wedding.

Donna freaks out at the sight of them, which inspires her to -- what else? -- burst into singing "Mamma Mia." Pals Tanya and Rosie try to cheer her with "Chiquitita" and "Dancing Queen," and on it goes until the father is revealed. The songs have nothing to do with the action, mind you, except for a very literal use of "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do," another one that gets trapped in your brain.

And yet the songs are the whole point, the reason crowds have been flocking to this show for years, and the reason the "Mamma Mia!" movie will probably turn out to be an enormous crowd-pleaser.

[chinton]

As far as the trashiness of the story it reminds me a whole lot of Grease. Grease's story when you really look it has some seriously screwy morals. The story of this one is actually pretty sleazy. It goes without saying though Grease is better than Mama Mia.

[dellamorte dellamore]

As far as the trashiness of the story it reminds me a whole lot of Grease. Grease's story when you really look it has some seriously screwy morals. The story of this one is actually pretty sleazy. It goes without saying though Grease is better than Mama Mia.


I wouldn't say that , from what i saw , it was more about youthful indiscretion during the " woodstock " generation and a girl who wanted to know who her father was so he could walk her down the aisle for her wedding . It was a bit risque , from what i saw , but it's basically harmless fluff , if anything , Grease featured a more overt sexuality than what i saw in those 20 minutes of MM .

[dellamorte dellamore]

MM is on it's way to tripling it's production budget worldwide , that's not too bad , i'm sure the studio is happy about that , it could possibly top out at 200 mil overall , it looks like it had a wider appeal than people gave it credit for . It's a rental for me , but who knows if i'm bored i just may catch it in theaters . Wait a second , what the heck am i saying ?

[Jim Colyer]

MM is an energetic, fun movie. I will see it a second and third time in the theaters and buy the DVD when it comes out. Meryl Streep may be the greatest actress ever.

Streep sings The Winner Takes It All
http://youtube.com/watch?v=bCmOWYbmr4k

[dellamorte dellamore]

MM is an energetic, fun movie. I will see it a second and third time in the theaters and buy the DVD when it comes out. Meryl Streep may be the greatest actress ever.

Streep sings The Winner Takes It All
http://youtube.com/watch?v=bCmOWYbmr4k

I have to admit , the film does grow on you , and you're right , the cast is enthusiastic , so it's almost impossible not too enjoy yourself , even if you try not too like i did :) .

[Lady Stardust]

The teenage girls and post-menopausal women can enjoy this schlock while I'm seeing The Dark Knight.

I'm a teenage female and I'm staying away from MM.;)

[Jim Colyer]

Benny and Bjorn both appear in Mamma Mia! If you blink, you will miss them. Benny is the old guy at the upright piano in Dancing Queen.

Dancing Queen http://youtube.com/watch?v=TJHnC6KAlqE

[corran horn]

I just wanna know why ANY film, regardless of its target audience, would open the same night as TDK.

When I went to go see TDK at midnight, it was playing on 14/15 screens. Mama Mia was playing on the last one and I'm certain that it was playing to no one.

In this case, the target audience is the critical factor: women over 30. They are one of the few demographics TDK doesn't appeal to, and there are a LOT of them. One of the theaters here in Columbus even had a Mamma Mia! contest where people would dress up in disco clothes and compete for the title of "Dancing Queen". Personally, I would have loved to see that crowd go head to head with the TDK viewers.

[Rawlin67]

saw this with my girlfriend.

Pierce Brosnan cant sing.
and it wasnt that good. thats all i got.
4/10

[redfiretruck]

Lol this was just campy fun. When the singing guys came out of the water... I couldn't stop laughing! Although, Pierce Brosnan should NOT sing. Ever. Oh, ans SPOILER:

I was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo upset that they didn't show who her real father was. I mean, paternity test??!?!??!?!?!?!! Come on!

Other than that though, I thought it was really cute, though it seemes like some stuff was thrown in just to get a PG-13 rating. 6/10, and I'll definitely pick up the dvd for the music and visuals.

[Badbird]

I enjoyed it. The first 15-20 minutes were a bit grating, but after that it got pretty good.

I didn't have a problem with Brosnan's singing. He sounded like some Las Vegas crooner if you ask me.

Speaking of which, while watching this it struck me: Pearce Brosnan should still be freaking James Bond! The guy looks great.