Peter Mountain/ Universal StudiosReview in a Hurry: Meryl Streep gives it her all, but even her moxie and the absurdly catchy music of ABBA can't smooth out this uneven musical.
The Bigger Picture: Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is about to get married on the Greek island where she grew up under the loving care of her mother, Donna (freewheeling Streep). Longing to learn the identity of her father, Sophie secretly invites three of Donna's old flames to the wedding celebration, and much slapstick, singing, dancing and Nordic music making ensues.
If only Mamma Mia! recognized that it actually was a musical. Though the broadly drawn characters bandy about wildly and shout proclamations at the top of their lungs, the musical numbers are directed like it's a serious family drama. This is ABBA, people, not Tennessee Williams. Director Phyllida Lloyd wants to inject a vérité-like naturalism to the songs but bring the outsized raucous energy of the stage show to the straight—i.e., spoken—scenes.
Well, you can't have it both ways. While the characters are over-the-top and uncontainable, the musical numbers are composed in suffocating medium shots and are cut together too quickly to form a jubilant whole. Mamma Mia! lacks even one big fantastic set piece; visually, each musical number is chopped up into tiny little bits.
It isn't until the final act, when the wedding ceremony finally overtakes the plot, that the movie relaxes and relishes in its own musicality, that giddy spirit that makes song-and-dance films so magical. But sorry, too late.
The 180—a Second Opinion: An intimate approach works during the quieter songs, duets that are moving as Streep's Donna reconnects with her loved ones. They serve as a nice break from the forced exuberance of the other numbers.