James R | On 16, Mar 2013

Director: Phyllida Llloyd
Certificate: Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Dominic Cooper
Certificate: PG
Watch Mamma Mia! online in the UK: Netflix UK / Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (Buy/Rent) / TalkTalk TV / Rakuten TV / Google Play

There are some films that are so bad that they’re good. Mamma Mia! is not one of them. This is a film with no story and no characters. The plan was that a string of ABBA songs would cover that up. It doesn’t. The ABBA songs are the plot, in a twisted kind of way. If the songs were connected to the characters at all, this would be forgivable. They’re not.

In short, Sophie (Seyfried) is getting married to Sky (Cooper) and doesn’t know who her father is. So she invites three former lovers of her mother, Donna (Streep). Cue a group of actors all joining in a karaoke session on a picturesque Greek island. Find karaoke cringe-worthy? This isn’t for you. Except for Dominic Cooper, the cast members don’t seem to know how to sing. (Sophie clearly chose her partner wisely.)

But poor Donna is spoiled for choice. Does she go for spontaneous Colin? Sexed up Stellan? 007? There’s not much between them. Lots of people laugh at Pierce Brosnan’s piercing high-pitch wail, but he’s on par with the others. They all mouth their way through the pre-recorded soundtrack with a lot of enthusiasm. At the head of the pack is mamma Meryl. You could argue that it takes a lot of courage to take on the role. A sense of humour, perhaps, to be able to mock your own cheesy performance. She definitely has both, but they can’t help her as she bellows The Winner Takes it All at James Bond on a clifftop – it just doesn’t work. The result might play well as part of a drunken night in with your mates – with the subtitles turned on, it’s perfect for singalong silliness. But Mamma Mia! doesn’t have the self-awareness needed to make it worth taking a chance on this underwhelming effort.

Mamma Mia! is available on Netflix UK, as part of an £9.99 monthly subscription.

 

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