A MOTHER. A DAUGHTER. THREE POSSIBLE FATHERS. TAKE A TRIP DOWN THE AISLE YOU’LL NEVER FORGET.
Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried) is about to get married on a Greek island and has invited three men to the wedding, one of whom could be her father. The screen adaptation of the smash Broadway hit that is chock-full of old ABBA songs – such an easy and brilliant recipe for success. Part of the charm is having decidedly non-musical actors like Pierce Brosnan perform some of the songs… but a pro like Meryl Streep is not only funny, she also delivers when it comes to the warbling. You can tell that everybody’s having a great time, and so will audiences. The story is nothing special, but amusing, and the stage musical obviously didn’t have the on-site locations.
2008-U.S.-Britain-Germany. 108 min. Color. Widescreen. Produced by Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd. Screenplay: Catherine Johnson. Songs: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus. Cast: Meryl Streep (Donna Sheridan), Pierce Brosnan (Sam Carmichael), Colin Firth (Harry Bright), Stellan Skarsgård, Julie Walters, Amanda Seyfried… Christine Baranski.
Trivia: Co-executive produced by Tom Hanks and former ABBA members Andersson and Ulvaeus (who both have cameos in the film). Bill Nighy was allegedly considered for a part. Followed by Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018).
Razzie: Worst Supporting Actor (Brosnan).
Last word: “It’s a requirement of popular culture that you strike an ironic distance. This doesn’t. It’s a film about women and their whole experiences being hopeful and youthful and older and suffering the regrets that you have over a long life. It’s visceral and I love that.” (Streep, The Guardian)