Mamma Mia! (2008 movie) Review

Mamma Mia is not a movie that I ever felt a burning need to see, but when I found it on the cable company's "on demand" offering and I couldn't find anything else interesting, I decided to check it out.  I've always enjoyed ABBA's music and wanted to see how it was connected to the movie.

Basically, this movie follows a woman who is running a hotel on a small Greek island.  She enjoyed a "summer of love" many years ago and now has a daughter (father unknown) who is getting married the following day.  Unbeknownst to her, Sophie (daughter) invites the 3 most likely father-candidates in the hope that she will be able to figure out who her father is in time to give her away.  The mother (played by Meryl Streep) has a minor breakdown when she sees all three of the men show up in her hotel.

What is unique about Mamma Mia is the fact that the characters break out in song periodically, specifically in ABBA songs! I'm not going to say that there is a super-strong plot line in this film, but it is pretty entertaining to see people suddenly bust out into beloved ABBA songs.  The one drawback about that, though, is the fact that some of the actors simply don't have the voice for the role.  Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan are a bit painful to listen to at times, though their acting is splendid. 

I watched Mamma Mia once on cable and once was enough.  I enjoyed the fact that this was an unusual movie that incorporated wonderful ABBA songs throughout.  I think if I tried to watch it again, though, the quality of the singing would diminish my enjoyment of it.