Mamma Mia! Here We Go
Again (9/10)
by Tony Medley
Runtime 2 hours.
PG-13
Although I am a huge fan of
Abba’s music and the stage play, Mamma Mia, I was greatly
disappointed by the 2008 film, even though it has accrued a gross
revenue of $650 million on a budget of $52 million. While the story was
contrived and immoral, what destroyed the movie for me was the casting
of Meryl Streep and Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan, none of whom are
qualified to star in a musical comedy.
As a result, because the film
was ballyhooed as a return of Meryl Streep and the others, I was not
expecting much. I knew I would probably enjoy the music, but little
else.
But there’s great news; Meryl
Streep is dead throughout the movie and only appears at the end to sing
one song!
But this one still started out
to meet my low expectations. However, after 10 to 15 very disappointing
minutes displaying a tedious script, it morphed into something quite
enjoyable.
The music is, in a word,
wonderful; the production numbers and orchestrations spectacular. The
Mediterranean (Croatia) locale cinematography (Robert D. Yeoman) is
dazzling. And the acting by lead actress Lily James who plays Donna,
Meryl Streep’s character, as a young woman is a knockout, completely
overshadowing a weak script and story that portrays a woman of extremely
loose morals. But there are some questionable casting choices, to wit,
Donna’s three boyfriends, who don’t really come across as guys who would
be that interested in a woman.
Written and directed by a new
person who was not associated with the first, Ol Parker, Abba’s music is
aptly served by this production. Many of their well-known songs like
“Dancing Queen” and “Mamma Mia” are reprised here and several new ones
added to other Abba standards. ABBA fans will be happy to see
performances of “Fernando” and “Waterloo,” two of their biggest hits,
and the choreography matches the wonderful music. This ranks with the
best movie musicals, one I can easily view over and over, just for the
music and dancing.
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