Mamma Mia

Viewed: DVD

Cowgrit wanted me to watch this with her, and in a deal that she’d watch Iron Man (her idea) with me this weekend, I agreed. I’m not a fan of musicals in general –- the only ones I’ve actually liked were Grease and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas -– and I fully expected to really not like Mamma Mia.

But I have to admit, this musical is very cute. I like some ABBA songs, and, although one or two of the singers in this movie are really not good singers (to be generous, and I won’t name names), the songs seem to fit the movie story very well. Cowgrit asked how the songs and play came about (which came first) because they meshed so well that it almost seemed the songs were specifically written for the play.

There are a couple of plot items that stood out to me. First, Donna (the mother) was a bit of a slut in her youth – she slept with three different men in a very short period of time (a week or two?) whom she never saw again afterwards, and she doesn’t know which one is the father of her daughter. Second, why did Sophie (the daughter) and Sky not go ahead and get married? There’s no reason why they can’t explore the world as husband and wife, and hell, they were standing in front of the priest after all the wedding preparation.

Overall, this movie musical is cute and enjoyable. Would I see it again, as I’m willing to watch Grease again anytime I stumble across it while surfing the TV channels? Probably not, unless maybe I happen to come across it during one of the particularly cute or moving ABBA numbers. The “Dancing Queen” song and dance is as cute as “Summer Nights” in Grease, and the “The Winner Takes It All” song was as moving as “I Will Always Love You” in Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

There, I’ve managed to make references to every movie musical I’ve liked enough to remember anything about.

Bullgrit