Based on the smash musical of the same name, Mamma Mia! is the story of a 20 yr old girl who is getting married and doesnt know who her father is. One day, she found her mum's old diary and found three possible suspects who had "..." with her mother. not knowing which one's her father, she decided to invite all three to her wedding to find out.
Meryl oh Meryl, you know i am going to rave about her. this movie adds to her already spectacular body of work/resume. being the most-nominated actress in Oscar history, she can now add "singer" to her list. she barely has anything that she hasnt tried! comedy, check. political drama, check. tear jerker, check. adventure, check. horror? hmmmmm. that i dunno. this is not her first foray into singing. those who read this space sld recall an earlier post with her singing in A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION, Robert Altman's final film. "Goodbye my mamma" was a tear-jerker. even earlier, she also sang a song on Postcards From the Edge as well.
oh but Meryl alone is enough reason to see any movie she's starred in, whether the movie is good or bad as a whole. Her extensive body language says more than any words, and that face encompasses more emotions than 10 Catherine Zeta-Jones combined and multiplied by infinity. in "the winner takes it all", thou a little exhaustive and the camera doesnt really know how to feature her well, she slouches and straightens, frowns and looks sad, and worked that scarf and wind to her effect. that moment i figured if Meryl werent the Best Living Actress on earth, she'd probably be Celine Dion's predecessor with those diva-like antics and theatricals. her voice is at once playful and excitable, but works best when tender. 'Slipping thru my finger" was so beautiful it almost brought tears to my eyes. However, when put beside her two "dynamos", Meryl seemed to have aged not as gracefully. the wrinkles, white-washed face, worn-down features make her dowdy, but i guess therein lies the charm of a woman. those wrinkles make her look like a living person amongst us and adds to the realism and makes her approachable. no one needs to look like Nicole Kidman all the time. who needs a facelift anyway when she's got the talents. its living proof that it is not all it takes to succeed and have a long-lasting career in Hollywood. Meryl dancing on the bed to "Dancing Queen", that opening of divine sisterhood on the pier, the amazing amazing rolls and flips she does that seem almost acrobatic in "Mamma Mia!", and that hilarious duet with Pierce Brosnan on "SOS", this proves to be Meryl at her most bubbly and daring in a long time.
Speaking of sisterhood, the BEST thing about the movie is Julie Walters and Christine Baranski. playing Meryl's backup singers, these two thespians STOLE THE WHOLE SHOW. every scene they're in is HILARIOUS. heck even when they work alone, their dynamite performances were always entertaining and delectable to watch. sometimes i even think they're better than Meryl in certain scenes. they're the reason enough as well to just catch the film.
Newcomer Amanda Seyfried did a credible job, pierce brosnan's singing voice sounds funnily deep, Colin Firth is Brit wit, the "titanic" scene was hilarious and so were many other scenes that were memorable. it was interesting to note during the credit that Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson were the executive producers of the movie. Coming out of the success of Hairspray, which demonstrated that the musical genre can still make money, Mamma Mia! is a film seemingly for the mid-life women, yet has all the fun for the family. Abba is arguably the best thing to come out of Sweden. their body of work is the epitome of feel-good dance music. The Greece scenaries were fantastic. the turqoise walls and the floral outfits and set was bohemian and exuberant. though the opening scene didnt prove to be as impactful and unforgettable as Nikki Blonsky's terrific Good Morning Baltimore, the film was a psychedelic mix of good music, laughter, and fun. Though at times certain scenes look badly edited and without a smooth flow and elegance, the stellar cast and music were enough to make u look past it and have a great 103mins. use that to drive away the monday blues.
in the end a girl's journey of self-discovery proved to be more than, and everything she's asked for.
some time ago i was looking for Meryl and Lily Tomlin's Oscar presentation of the Honoree Oscar to Robert Altman, but couldnt. this vid demonstrates Robert Altman's style (overlappin dialogue) and their incredible ability to follow the script. probably one of the best piece of presentation in recent Oscar history for me. sadly the vid cant be embedded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcp8xjaFfb8
"Life is many things at once."
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