Mamma Mia! (2008)

	Directed by: Phyllida Lloyd	COUNTRY UK/USA/Germany GENRE Musical/Comedy/ Drama/Romance NORWEGIAN TITLE Mamma Mia! RUNNING TIME 108 minutes
	Produced by: Judy Craymer Gary Goetzman
	Written by: Catherine Johnson

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Sophie Sheridan	Amanda Seyfried
Bill Anderson	Stellan Skarsgård
Sam Carmichael	Pierce Brosnan
Harry Bright	Colin Firth	½
Lisa	Rachel McDowall
Ali	Ashley Lilley
Donna Sheridan	Meryl Streep	½
Rosie	Julie Walters	½
Tanya	Christine Baranski
Sky	Dominic Cooper

Review

There is loads of positive energy and an abundance of great songs, but director Phillida Lloyd isn't quite able to knead this lackadaisical and dated plot into a well-functioning film. The original stage format shines through a bit too much. The good thing about this is that Mamma Mia! has an uplifting and uniformly optimistic quality – which shouldn't be underestimated. Unfortunately, the negatives neutralize many of the positives. Lloyd's uncritical direction results in an overfocus on an annoying plot, in which we are asked to care for characters who are forced to appear stupid in order not to reveal the long-winded and predictable narrative twists.

Without Meryl Streep, this film could have fallen completely flat, but the brilliantly versatile 59-year-old's ability to turn every bit of material into quality makes Mamma Mia! an enjoyable experience despite its drawbacks. Of course, it is imperative to like the music of ABBA in order to be truly able to enjoy Mamma Mia!, but if you do, the musical numbers should be able to do the trick. Many of them are brilliantly performed, not least Streep's rendition of "The Winner Takes It All".