Movie - Mamma Mia

Movies - Mamma Mia! (= 1st) 

Score : 7/10 

Year :  2008
Director: Phyllida Lloyd 
Cinematography: Haris Zambarloukos
Music:  Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (the 2 men in ABBA)
Country:  USA. UK. Germany
Language: English. Greek 
Duration:  1h48 (IMDB)
Writers:  Catherine Johnson (Screenplay and musical book) 

Full cast & team (IMDB)

Sophie invites three men, whose names she found in Donna - her mother's- journal, in the hope to find which of them is her father - to give her away when she gets married (soon) to Sky (yes, I know, his name....). 

She doesn't tell her mother about this invitation, so their arrival is a comical series of characters avoiding one another...

Mamma Mia! is based on an eponymous Broadway music, and its story is told using hit songs by the popular 1970s group ABBA. Benny and Björn, the two men who wrote their songs, are credited for the music and songs in this film - but also as executive producers, among others. The songs aren't merely an audio soundtrack, but the chosen songs accompany each segment as the characters in the scene sing them, and then dance - the singing is more or less successful, as some of the cast members' voices are more of a spoken-word than actual singing... the choreographies are sometimes exaggerated (as to be expected, IMO), a few are actually good, but others left me bleh. 

The movie is set on Skopelos, a colorful Greek island, where Donna once wished to open a hotel, and where Sophie has been trying to help fulfil her mother's dream.

Also present during these shenanigans are Donna's friends, from their days as the Dyanmos : Rosie Mulligan (Dame Julie Walters) and Tanya Wilkinson (Christine Baranski), each with her own characterization and loyalty to Donna and her daughter Sophie. I Really liked Rosie and Tanya, who are somewhat polar opposites who are close friends, and how their interactions with the rest of the characters are unique, as opposed to general characters' who could be just anyone. They own their personality, and their sex-appeal - one of the choreographies involves a younger man trying to flirt with Tanya, who plays along in Baranski's song. 

As much as Rosie, Tanya, Donna and Sophie's dynamic words on-screen, and get their song out well enough, those of the men - Sam, Bill and Harry - lack, where they're supposed to have been Donna's lovers! To some extent, this is explained, but the acting is too uneven for their supposed chemistry. Also, in a musical where the men's singing talents are very lacking, this reduces the overall appreciation of the very musical.

Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, her choice for cinematography (itself directed by Haris Zambarloukos ) uses the natural beauty of the island and avoids overly gimmicky or over-produced cinematography : we get an authentic view, apart for the choreographies (by Anthony Van Laast and two others, see IMDB for details). 

Some choices and acting aren't quite well done as others ; but the aims of this musical are clearly towards fieheard ABBA fans and to entertain - with dance, songs, disco-y outfits, and laughs - in dialogues as well as situations. It reaches these goals adequately, and I'd recommend it to other ABBA fans.