“Mamma Mia!” – The Rob Review
OK kids. Here it is…the Rob review of the new “Mamma Mia!” movie. And let’s face it, my opinion is the only one that matters, right??! LOL As if. Just teasing. I’ve seen this movie four times already. Yes, the gal pals keep taking me along. And I’m not about to complain. So here we go…
Much like its stage musical counterpart, “Mamma Mia!” the movie is ABBA-solutely fabulous! The critics be damned!! And thank you, America, for getting out there and proving the bastards wrong! I wouldn’t expect dimwitted asshole critics who never bothered to see the stage version of the show to have an ounce of appreciation for the movie. Were it not for “The Dark Knight” opening the same weekend, “Mamma Mia!” would be the #1 movie in the country right now. As it stands, it is the number 2 movie in the country – having raked in an impressive $27.7 million in its opening weekend at the box office.
“Mamma Mia!” made another impressive statement in its opening weekend as well. It is the highest grossing opening weekend movie musical in history. But this is no surprise. The stage musical which gave birth to the movie is still the highest grossing stage musical in the world, raking in more than $2.5 Billion USD since it opened in London in 1999. It is estimated that some 30-35 million people have seen the show around the world and it has been performed in at least 11 languages. Pretty damn impressive for what early critics of the stage show called “a waste of time and money.” Um yeah, go eat your words fuckwads!
Needless to say, the movie already had a large fan base before it even opened. Many people, like myself, were waiting anxiously for the movie’s release last weekend. And I will admit it. When I first heard that Meryl Streep was playing the lead role of Donna Sheridan, I caught myself thinking…huh? Maryl Streep? OMG, can she even sing? The answer — YES, she can – and she does!! Meryl kicks ass! She absolutely OWNED that role and made it her own. The singing in the show is incredible and although the movie is not a mirror image of the stage show, it is still incredibly fun and infectious. I was disappointed when I heard some of the songs that were being cut, but it didn’t take away from the show’s impact at all. One of my favorite songs from the stage version of the show, “Under Attack,” is not there, but it’s OK. It’s still a great film.
The movie, from beginning to end, is as enjoyable and fun-filled as the stage musical. In some senses, it is even more fun because the big screen allows us to “visualize” Greece instead of just having it “implied.” The scenery is breathtaking, the musical numbers kick ass, and the story line is still tons of fun. One of the things I really appreciate is that the movie elaborates a bit more on the character of Harry Bright, one of Sophie’s possible dads, who is gay. For those gay bros reading this who have not seen the movie yet — get your ass to the theater! The eye candy alone makes it worth seeing…and the music just adds to the fun of the experience. I’m not sure where they found all the boys for this movie, but I’m glad they did. The best man candy scenes are “Lay All Your Love On Me” and “Does Your Mother Know.”
Bottom line, this is a movie musical at its finest. And how could it not be? The same people, every single one of them, who had a hand in the stage musical also had a hand in the movie. The director of the movie was Phyllida Lloyd, who directed the stage show. The writer of the screenplay was the same person who wrote the script for the stage show, Catherine Johnson. The same choreographer who directed the dance numbers for the stage show also choreographed the movie. And yes, even the same musical directors, including Benny and Bjorn from ABBA were involved in orchestrating the music. There was no way they were going to let this be a “bad” movie.
So a word to the critics who have badmouthed “Mamma Mia!” from the beginning: get a life and shut the fuck up! Get your lazy asses to a stage version of this musical and then go see the movie again. Perhaps then you’ll understand why 30 million people can’t be wrong. Thanks! Well, there you have it kids. A word of advice from me to you: get out and see this movie! Oh, and do yourselves a favor. If you live in an area with a theater that has digital projection systems, be sure to see it in that format. It will make for a much more enjoyable experience from a picture and sound perspective.
Have a terrific weekend – and let me know your thoughts when you see it!!
