Mamma Mia! (2008 movie) Review

I very rarely get to enjoy a "grown up movie."  And last night was no exception.  I settled in to watch Mamma Mia and my 3 year old daughter comes down asking for snuggles and alone time with mommy.  How can I watch a movie about a mother/daughter relationship and say, "No"?  So, snuggled into the bed we turned on the DVD and began to watch.

Characters in Mamma Mia:

Meryl Streep: (Mamma) Donna Sheridan, former singer/dancer, now single mom of a 20 year old daughter who is getting married the next day and owner of a inn on a little know island off the coast of Greece.

Amanda Seyfried: Sophie, daughter of Donna and just days before her wedding on a quest to find her never before known father. (I knew I recognized her, but not until I hit up the IMD.com database did I realize it was from Mean Girls!)

Fathers to be: Colin Firth (oh my gosh I am always in love with him, he's just so cute! and that accent); Pierce Brosnan (the only one in the bunch that actually looked ok with his shirt off though Colin is a close second); and Stellan Sharsgard. 

Other standouts are best friends: Julie Walters (Aunt Rosie) and Christine Baranski (Aunt Tanya) and Donna's best friends since the beginning of time.

My Viewpoint:  I have mixed feelings about the movie Mamma Mia. How could all this happen in 24 hours (I had the same feeling about The Di Vinci Code)?  The songs seemed to drag on forever, they were definitely not the short versions and I found myself saying just get on with the story will you?  The dance routines were very well done, but again I found myself asking, Is this all they do on this island is sing and dance?  No wonder the inn is falling down around them. 

I guess during Mamma Mia I had at times more questions than answers and they were not the intriguing sort.  I was tempted a couple of times to just give up and turn it off, but it was like a car accident or something where you couldn't look away.  Yes, it was that cheesy and overdone.

Funnily enough, I am glad I watched the entire DVD of Mamma Mia, of course there was a happily ever after (this is a musical after all) and some of the ending was quite predictable.  In some strange way though I enjoyed the ride.  Maybe it was because last night and again this morning my daughter came up and gave me a hug and said "Mamma I loved that movie!" Mamma Mia! It was worth every minute. Thank goodness the sex part was way over her head!

The 3yr old gives it a 5! 

This mamma though is more thrilled with the time spent together than the movie itself.  And please as good looking as Pierce Brosnan is I never want to hear him sing again.