Oh Meryl Streep, you know you can’t hide your true intentions from me. You’re so transparent! House on a cliff overlooking the sea, various scenes of you crying (is it just me, or does her cry sound like a laugh?), taking care of three kids while various bachelors chase you down. Admit it; you accepted the lead character in ‘Mamma Mia!’ because you were trying to relive your crowning role from ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events.’ It’s ok… I won’t tell anyone.
I hearted ‘Mamma Mia!’ so much that, for a solid 30 seconds, it really made me question my Orientation. There are very few films (musicals, even ) out there that can make me giggle… aloud… repeatedly. This one did it. I think the fact that I had an ethereal feeling of being 5 years old again (from all the ABBA songs) throughout the show might have contributed to that.
Aunt Josephine (“oh, she’s such a phony baloney!“) did a good job vocally (her home-run being ‘The Winner Takes It All’) and, shock of all shocks, the voice of the girl from ‘Mean Girls’ (Amanda Seyfried) was actually really good; it had a sweet, non-technical purity that she didn’t ruin by trying to be the kind of vocalist that she wasn’t. And she did it all while accurately predicting the weather! It’s a good that the female leads were good, too, because they really had to hold up the show (vocally) for the men. Why Pierce Brosnan? Why?
Other than the men’s voices (Colin Firth being the notable exception), I liked the casting. The supporting ladies did their job wonderfully: by being just the right amount of goofy, they simultaneously made the lead look good and kept us in the audience from synchronizing our cycles.
Kudos
– Time-worn metaphor (fortress, fountain, falling apart), but still effective
– No previews or commercials!
– The dance scene on the dock
– Streep jumping on the bed = awesome
– Arguably the coolest wedding ever
– The other dance scene on the dock
– I have to say it again: ‘The Winner Takes it All’
