It is astounding how the creators of Mamma Mia! has been able to string together hits of the Swedish group ABBA into a semblance of a plot: Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried) is about to wed her boyfriend Sky ( Dominic Cooper) in a Greek paradise-island. Sophie, however, wants to find out her who her father is before the wedding and decides to send out three separate invitations to Bill Anderson (Stellan Skarsgard), Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan), and Harry Bright (Colin Firth), three men who have figured in Donna Sheridan’s (Meryl Streep’s), her mother’s, exciting past. All three possible sperm donors arrive in paradise-island and chaos ensues.
Mamma Mia! is not only a wonderful trip down memory lane for ABBA lovers but is also a bedlam of interesting minute details: the man who she thought left her high and dry; unattended cracks on the patio floor; hinges which do not work; plastic surgery; independence versus love (are they mutually exclusive?); pursuing one’s dream; dependability of old friends; filial duty; illegitimacy issues; and the challenges of single parenting.
What is almost beyond belief in this film (which is by the way based on a stage musical), however, is hearing the man formerly known as Bond. . . James Bond, singing like his life depended upon the outcome of that song and seeing him in a shimmery, tight fitting suit and goodness, were those platform boots? (Was it possible that he regretted even for a millisecond relinquishing the Bond title in the middle of that predicament?) What is not surprising at all is seeing Meryl Streep take on another role with complete aplomb, abandon, and staggering brilliance.
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