Mamma Mia - The Movie

If you've seen the stage musical (which I haven't), this is probably just another chance to experience it without having to pay the much-higher stage musical admission price. And perhaps if you are a big ABBA fan, then hearing wall-to-wall tunes by the Swedish uber-band will elevate your 108-minute viewing experience. I'm not sure, though, what else there is to offer the rest of us.

Mamma Mia is not a bad movie. It's just not that good either. Still, despite the mostly-less-than-average singing, the lack of symmetry or story arc, and the impossibly sun-splashed sense of glee that permeates the film, it has the weird power to alter moods. It doesn't matter how you start off when you sit in your seat. By the time you leave, you get the sensation that you're totally at ease, swinging barefoot on a hammock, and listening to the sound of ocean waves in the near distance. Mamma Mia isn't so much a musical as it is therapy for the curmudgeon in need of a smile.

The film benefits from a cheery performance by Meryl Streep, who plays single-mom Donna Sheridan, owner of a gorgeous little hotel on an out-of-the-way Greek island. Her work is hard, the surroundings are crumbling, and her mortgage is crippling. Her equally cheery 20-year-old daughter, Sophie, played by Amanda Seyfried, is about to get married but doesn't know who her father is. After reading through her mom's diary, she surmises that there may be three possibilities - Bill (Stellan Skarsgard), Sam (Peirce Brosnan), or Harry (Colin Firth). She invites them all to her wedding, hoping that her intuition will tell her who it is when they meet. But singling out her Dad is much harder than she had imagined.

The worst thing from the entire show was Pierce Brosnan's voice. Sorry, 007. He can ably hold a gun, but he has no ability to forcefully carry a tune. But the absurdly beautiful setting of the movie did truly amazed me. Consider it a super-showy travelogue - vibrant colors, breathtaking views, and the weather is always sunny.