An awesome and ridiculous film that leaves you thrilled beyond the point of your natural endurance
2012
Theatre
The show has suddenly become quite wonderful, and the galvanising factor is the terrific stage debut of Melanie C
Blood Brothers
Music
The British pop music industry may be eating itself but if Muse are the pick of what it can offer the world in 2010 then British music is in rude health indeed
Muse
I was smitten by both Gilberts enormous luxuriant moustache and the intelligence and nuance of this highly entertaining play
I totally recommend Babbo to anyone who is looking for really good and traditional Italian food
Always been a fan but never seen them live. I was ecstatic to be part of this epic event. WOW!
London,
Charlotte O'Sullivan's rating
Reader rating
Dir: Phyllida Lloyd.
Cast: Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Dominic Cooper, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski
Description: Sophie is poised to marry her hunky fiance Sky on an idyllic Greek island but the blushing bride-to-be has no one to give her away because her Donna has never revealed her father's identity. So Sophie snoops through Donna's belongings and learns that her pater is one of three men: divorced architect Sam, intrepid travel writer and explorer Bill or steadfast banker Harry. Sophie secretly invites all three to the wedding without telling her mother, in the hope that one of them will be able to walk her down the aisle.
Country: UK/US. 2008. 108mins
Acting big: Meryl Streep eventually towers above the film as Donna
Winners take it all: the cast of Mamma Mia at the premiere in Leicester Square
Everyone loves Abba. Even Joe Strummer, at the height of punk, admitted he was partial to their delirious disco yarns. More recently, quite a few have fallen for the 1999 jukebox musical - crammed with Abba hits - on which this film is based. That said, adaptations require great flexibility and veteran theatre director Phyllida Lloyd, initially at least, seems saddled with two left feet.
Young, American bride-to-be Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) has recently found her mum, Donna's, old diary - and realised her dad could be one of three men: Sam, Harry or Bill (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard). So she's invited them all to her wedding, to be held at the family's decrepit hotel on a Greek island.
Donna (Meryl Streep) doesn't know that Sophie knows about her complicated conception. The men don't know that they might be Sophie's dad. Naturally, misunderstandings ensue. Will Sophie's real father give her away. Will Donna be able to let her lovely daughter go?
The plot, a neat mix of fairy tale and post-summer-of-love parable, is tailor-made for the screen, but Lloyd appears intimidated by her task. She films the sumptuous Greek scenery from all kinds of fancy angles, but can't find a way to make the human drama, or songs, blend in. Streep looks especially uncomfortable, obviously having been told to act Big. She wears the desperate expression of a clown trying to entertain restless kids. The more she does (bouncing on beds, waving a hammer), the more you cringe.
But then comes the moment where all the jarring elements gel. It's during Sophie's hen night (roughly a minute into Voulez-Vous) a swirling, whirling fraction-of-a-second that makes the air rattle and hum. Donna throws a concerned look at Sophie. What she sees are Sophie's overwhelmed eyes ...
Streep has a nice voice, but she's here as an actress. Finally allowed to be subtle, she towers above the film in just the way she should.
Even the supporting cast settle down after that. Julie Walters is superb value as Donna's nononsense, plain-Jane friend, while Firth gamely sends up his own image as a stiff-lipped heart-throb.
As for Pierce Brosnan, as Sam, his character doesn't have many great lines; Brosnan really doesn't have a great voice. But he, too, brings a smile to the face, most obviously in the final scenes, where Donna and her friends "rock out". It's always fun to go backstage with the stars and Lloyd gets the raucous, wrapparty atmosphere just right.
Mamma Mia! - almost an embarrassing mess - is ultimately a triumph; an ironical, seriously camp musical that eschews showbiz polish and instead celebrates fallible human beings and their need for pleasure. Its mood is infectious. I've never been tempted to dance in a cinema. When they played Waterloo at the end of this film, I succumbed.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
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ABBA was the first cassette I received and I couldn't imagine a stage musical out of their songs all those years ago. Having been sceptical about seeing Mamma Mia! when it first premièred in London in April 1999, I was proven wrong and left the theatre thinking how cleverly done the musical was and am still a regular patron.
I went back to London for an advanced screening of the movie and it was awesome and the scenery was breath-taking. Whilst all the actors are not singers, they did very well in their respective roles. I thought Amanda Seyfried was an exception and she sang very well. Now I cannot wait for the DVD and until then, I will be returning to the cinema quite a number of times to watch the movie again and again!
- Elaine, Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex
I love Abba, I love Mamma Mia but was anxious before the Premiere. Could it really capture the magic of the stage show? All I can say is it does, and more so. I thought Meryl was amazing - she really brought depth to the role of Donna. Was there a dry eye in the house for Slipping Through My Fingers, the emotional scene preparing for the wedding?
The whole cast was superb despite not being singers. Pierce oozed charm and Amanda was gorgeous and adorable. And Colin, what fun! Finally, Julie stole the show whenever she was on screen showing what a great comedy actress she is.
The setting was sumptuous and beautifully shot. The songs have been reinvented for a new generation and given new meaning.
I challenge anyone not to walk out feeling on cloud nine and humming Mamma Mia. 5 out of 5! Can't wait to go back and get another natural high.
- Jake, London, UK
Morning:
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