Wednesday, August 6, 2008

‘Mamma Mia!’— A hit for all ages

By Sarah Poulton

Every good chick-flick has a fairy tale ending.

Add in Greek men, an island you can get to only by boat and songs by ABBA, and you get a musical masterpiece.

“Mamma Mia!,” based on the 1999 musical by Catherine Johnson, makes you laugh, cry and believe in the idea of everlasting love.

With 20-year-old Sophie’s (Amanda Seyfried) wedding approaching, she wants nothing more than to be walked down the isle by her father. Only, she doesn’t know who he is.

Apparently back in the ‘70s, her mother, Donna, (Meryl Streep) got around quite a bit, leaving a mystery as to which of three men fathered Sophie.

Man number one, Bill Anderson (Stellan Skarsgard) is a scruffy fisherman. Man number two, Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan) was Donna’s true love who broke her heart. Man number three, Harry Bright, is a former head-banger turned homosexual.

On a whim, Sophie invites all three of these men to her wedding, certain she’d know her father when she saw him. The perfect plan soon turns into a fiasco. The story is told through appropriate ABBA songs and dance, making it nearly impossible for you to stay in your seat, especially when Donna and her friends bust out “Dancing Queen” in her bed room.

Streep played an unusual, but excellent, role in “Mamma Mia!” She strayed from her usual serious, diva roles and transformed into a hard-working, down-to-earth hilarious single mom who wants nothing more than happiness for her daughter — and unconsciously, herself.

Brosnan had a similar challenge in his role. Known to most Americans as “James Bond,” he stepped outside his role as a secret agent and into the shoes of a funny, lighthearted man who set out to woo back his woman at any cost.

Through ABBA’s “Take a Chance on Me,” “Super Trouper,” “Mamma Mia” and a slew of others, the film ventures through an adult story line that’s acceptable for viewers of all ages. There is no profanity of any sort, yet the filmmaker did a fantastic job of getting the point across.

“Mamma Mia!” was also successfully adapted from a stage performance to on-screen by keeping the scene transitions simple, making it stand out from recent musicals.

If you love ABBA, hate ABBA, or feel indifferent toward them, this is still a movie worth checking out. It’s not every day you see Meryl Streep dance around her room and jump on her bed belting out “Dancing Queen.”