Mamma Mia! (From The Northern Echo)

Mamma Mia!

9:16am Saturday 23rd August 2008

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This summers biggest talked about stage show come movie was finally released on a Thursday with box office takings soaring as hundreds flooded to see the musical brought to the big screen. There have been many varied responses to the movie and even speculation about whether Abba should or should not reform.

With an all star cast including Meryl Streep, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Pierce Bronson and leading lady Amanda Seyfried the film is one not to be missed.

The plot is that Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is getting married to fiancé Sky (Dominic Cooper) and has always wanted to find her father. Sophie reads her mothers old diary and finds that there is a possibility of three fathers, she then secretly invites all three to the wedding. Throughout the film Abba songs are used to tell the tales of the characters each with a different dance routine and main singer.

The three diverse fathers are played by Firth, Skarsgård and Brosnan, each eventually believing that they are Sophie’s father.

Streep who plays Donna hates that all three men are at “Hotel Donna” and tries to escape however friends Rosie (Walters) and Tanya (Baranski) are on hand and help to try and find out who the father of Sophie is.

Throughout the film the audience are led to believe that (Brosnan) is the father of Sophie as he and Donna (Streep) are seen to be closest out of the three fathers and she seems to be on edge whenever she see’s him.

All of the routines have been put together and performed wonderfully and manage to fit in with the films plot well. However there are few moments in the film where the actors singing could be questioned. For example not many could imagine Brosnan ex 007 star to be singing in a musical but he managed to pull it off well.

In the film the energy of all of the actors comes through brilliantly especially in Streep and Walters.

With a twist at the end of the film I do recommend that this is the ultimate chick flick for summer 2008. Many people in the cinema were singing along and clapping to the abba songs included. All I’m going to say is…Stay till the full screen of credits begins to roll…you don’t want to miss the treat at the very end.

Jessica Hopper

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