HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Mamma Mia!'' (promoted as ''Mamma Mia! The Movie'') is a 2008 jukebox musical
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...
film directed by Phyllida Lloyd and written by Catherine Johnson, based on her book from the 1999 musical of the same name. The film is based on the songs of pop group
ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...
, with additional music composed by ABBA member
Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, composer and producer best known as a member of the pop group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duvemåla'', and ''Mamm ...
. The film features an
ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...
, including Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, Amanda Seyfried,
Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He was the fifth actor to play the fictional secret agent Portrayal of James Bond in film, James Bond in the List of James Bond films, James Bond film series, starri ...
, Dominic Cooper, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, and Julie Walters. The plot follows a young bride-to-be named Sophie (Seyfried) who invites three men (Brosnan, Firth, and Skarsgård) to her upcoming wedding, with the possibility that any of them could be her real father. The film was an
international co-production A co-production is a joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint vent ...
between Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and was co-produced by Playtone and Littlestar Productions.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
primarily took place on the island of Skopelos, Greece, from August to September 2007. The film was distributed by
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
. ''Mamma Mia!'' held its world
premiere A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work. History Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the ...
on June 30, 2008, at
Leicester Square Leicester Square ( ) is a pedestrianised town square, square in the West End of London, England, and is the centre of London's entertainment district. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leice ...
in London and premiered on July 4, 2008, in Stockholm, Sweden, with ABBA members
Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, composer and producer best known as a member of the pop group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duvemåla'', and ''Mamm ...
,
Björn Ulvaeus Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (; born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish musician, singer, songwriter, and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA. He is also the co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duve ...
,
Anni-Frid Lyngstad Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad (born 15 November 1945), also known simply as Frida, is a Swedish singer who is best known as one of the founding members and lead singers of the pop band ABBA. Courtesy titles ''Principality of Reuss-Gera, Princess Re ...
and Agnetha Fältskog in attendance. It was later theatrically released July 10 in the United Kingdom, July 17 in Germany, and July 18 in the United States. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the musical numbers and production values, but criticized the casting of inexperienced singers and campy tone. However, it was a box-office success, grossing $611.4 million worldwide on a $52 million budget, becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of 2008. A sequel, titled ''
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again ''Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'' is a 2018 jukebox musical romantic comedy film written and directed by Ol Parker, from a story by Parker, Catherine Johnson (playwright), Catherine Johnson, and Richard Curtis. It is the sequel and prequel to t ...
'', was released on July 20, 2018, with much of the cast returning.


Plot

On the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi (), bride-to-be Sophie Sheridan reveals to her bridesmaids that she has secretly invited three men to her wedding without telling her mother, Donna: Irish-American architect Sam Carmichael, Swedish travel writer Bill Anderson, and British banker Harry Bright. One of the three is Sophie's biological father, though she doesn't know which, and she wants him to give her away at the wedding; she believes that after spending time with each of them, she will learn who fathered her. When the three men arrive at Kalokairi, Sophie explains she sent the wedding invitations, not Donna, but does not reveal that she believes one of them is her father. She hides the men in Donna's goat house, and they hesitantly agree not to reveal themselves yet, as it is a surprise. As Donna is working on the goat house, she spies on them. Dumbfounded to find herself facing her former lovers, she demands they leave. Donna confides in her old friends Tanya and Rosie, who have also arrived for the wedding, that she truly does not know which of the three fathered Sophie. Sophie finds the men aboard Bill's sailboat and they sail around Kalokairi, with the men bonding with Sophie and telling her stories of Donna's carefree youth. Sophie attempts to tell her fiancé Sky about her ploy but loses her nerve. At Sophie's bachelorette party, Donna is distressed by the three men's presence, but Rosie and Tanya assure her that they will take care of them. Sophie talks with each man alone, leaving Sam and Harry questioning their trip. She learns from Bill that Donna received the money for her villa from his great-aunt Sofia: as a result, Sophie comes to believe that Bill is her father and asks him to give her away but keep their secret until the wedding. In the morning, Donna attempts to comfort Sophie and offers to cancel the wedding; Sophie reacts angrily, saying she wants to avoid her mother's mistakes. Sam attempts to discuss the wedding with Donna, and both realize they still have feelings for each other. Sophie admits her actions to Sky and asks for his help, but he reacts angrily to her deception. As they prepare for the wedding Donna admits to Sophie that her mother disowned her after she got pregnant, but she could not be more proud of having her. Donna promises to give Sophie away. As the bridal party and guests enter the chapel Sam intercepts Donna, who reveals the pain she felt over losing him. At the wedding, Sam reveals that he had ended his engagement, but returned to find Donna had gone off with another man (Bill). The three men agree with Sophie that they do not want the paternity confirmed, each agreeing to be one-third of a father for Sophie. Sophie suggests to Sky that they postpone their wedding and travel the world. Sam proposes to Donna, revealing that he is divorced and has always loved her. She happily accepts and they marry on the spot.


Cast

* Meryl Streep as Donna Sheridan, Sophie's mother and the owner of the hotel Villa Donna in Greece *
Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He was the fifth actor to play the fictional secret agent Portrayal of James Bond in film, James Bond in the List of James Bond films, James Bond film series, starri ...
as Sam Carmichael, Sophie's possible father and an
Irish-American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...
architect * Colin Firth as Harry Bright, Sophie's possible father and a British banker * Stellan Skarsgård as Bill Anderson, Sophie's possible father, a Swedish sailor and travel writer * Julie Walters as Rosie Mulligan, one of Donna's former bandmates in Donna and the Dynamos; an unmarried, fun-loving author * Dominic Cooper as Sky Rymand, Sophie's fiancé who is designing a website for the hotel * Amanda Seyfried as Sophie Sheridan, Donna's 20-year-old daughter and Sky's fiancée * Christine Baranski as Tanya Chesham-Leigh, Donna's other former bandmate; a rich three-time divorcée * Rachel McDowall as Lisa, a close friend of Sophie and her bridesmaid * Ashley Lilley as Ali, a close friend of Sophie and her bridesmaid * Ricardo Montez as Stannos * Enzo Squillino Jr. as Gregoris, one of Donna's employees * Philip Michael as Pepper, a bartender and Sky's best man who takes an interest in Tanya * Chris Jarvis as Eddie, a friend of Sky and Pepper * Juan Pablo Di Pace as Petros, Harry's partner *
Niall Buggy Niall Buggy (born 3 October 1948) is an Irish actor. Buggy played Brian in ''Dead Funny'' for which he won an Olivier Award. Biography Early life Buggy was born on 3 October 1948 in Dublin. His parents attended the Theatre Royal, Dublin, Theatre R ...
as Father Alex, a wedding priest *
Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, composer and producer best known as a member of the pop group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duvemåla'', and ''Mamm ...
as "Dancing Queen" piano player (uncredited) * Spencer Kayden as Agnes (uncredited) *
Björn Ulvaeus Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (; born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish musician, singer, songwriter, and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA. He is also the co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duve ...
as Greek god (uncredited)


Soundtrack

A
soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...
was released on July 7, 2008, by Decca in the United States and
Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...
internationally. The recording was produced by
Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, composer and producer best known as a member of the pop group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duvemåla'', and ''Mamm ...
. The album features sixteen musical numbers from the film, including a
hidden track In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as t ...
. The album was nominated at the
51st Annual Grammy Awards The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 8, 2009, honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the ...
for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. The deluxe edition of the soundtrack album was released on November 25, 2008. # "
I Have a Dream "I Have a Dream" is a Public speaking, public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist and Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. In the speech, Kin ...
" (Prologue) – Sophie # " Honey, Honey" – Sophie, Ali and Lisa # " Money, Money, Money" – Donna, Tanya and Rosie # " Mamma Mia" – Donna # " Chiquitita" – Rosie, Tanya and Donna # " Dancing Queen" – Tanya, Rosie and Donna # " Our Last Summer" – Harry, Bill, Sam, and Sophie # " Lay All Your Love on Me" – Sky and Sophie # " Super Trouper" – Donna, Tanya and Rosie # " Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" – Sophie, Ali and Lisa # " Voulez-Vous" – Donna, Sam, Tanya, Rosie, Harry, Bill, Sky, Ali, Lisa and Pepper # "
SOS SOS is a Morse code distress signal (), used internationally, originally established for maritime use. In formal notation SOS is written with an overscore line (), to indicate that the Morse code equivalents for the individual letters of "SOS" a ...
" – Sam and Donna # " Does Your Mother Know" – Tanya and Pepper # "
Slipping Through My Fingers "Slipping Through My Fingers" is a song written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson and recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, with lead vocals by Agnetha Fältskog. It was released on their November 1981 album ''The Visitors (ABBA album), The Visit ...
" – Donna and Sophie # " The Winner Takes It All" – Donna # " I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" – Sam and Donna # " When All Is Said and Done" – Sam and Donna # "
Take a Chance on Me "Take a Chance on Me" is a song by Swedish recording group ABBA, released on 27 January 1978 in the United Kingdom, by Polar Music, as the second single from their fifth studio album, '' ABBA: The Album'' (1977). Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Fr ...
" – Rosie, Bill, Tanya, Pepper, and Harry # " Mamma Mia" (Reprise) – Donna, Tanya, Rosie, Harry, Sam, Bill, Sky, Sophie, Ali, Lisa, Pepper # "
I Have a Dream "I Have a Dream" is a Public speaking, public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist and Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. In the speech, Kin ...
" – Sophie # " Dancing Queen" (Reprise) – Tanya, Rosie, and Donna # " Waterloo" – Donna, Rosie, Tanya, Sam, Bill, Harry, Sky, and Sophie # " Thank You for the Music" (End Credits) – Sophie§ * Featured in the film, but omitted from the soundtrack album. *§ Included on the soundtrack album as a hidden track.


Production

Most of the outdoor scenes were filmed on location at the small Greek islands of Skopelos and Skiathos, in
Thessaly Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...
(between August 29 and September 2007), and the seaside
hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
of Damouchari in the
Pelion Pelion or Pelium (Modern , ''Pílio''; Ancient Greek/Katharevousa: Πήλιον, ''Pēlion'') is a mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly in northern Greece, forming a hook-like peninsula between the Pagasetic Gulf and the Aegean Sea. Its ...
area of Greece. On Skopelos, Kastani beach on the southwest coast was the film's main location site. The producers built a beach bar and
jetty A jetty is a man-made structure that protrudes from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater (structure), breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French la ...
along the beach but removed both set pieces after production wrapped. The wedding procession was filmed at the Agios Ioannis Chapel near Glossa. A complete set for Donna's Greek villa was built at the 007 stage at Pinewood Studios and most of the film was shot there. Real trees were used for the set, watered daily through an automated watering system and given access to daylight to keep them growing. The part of the film where Brosnan's character, Sam, leaves his New York office to go to the Greek Island was actually filmed at the
Lloyd's building The Lloyd's building (sometimes known as the Inside-Out Building) is the home of the insurance institution Lloyd's of London. It is located on the former site of East India House in Lime Street, London, Lime Street, in London's main financial d ...
on Lime Street in the
City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
. He dashes down the escalators and through the porte-cochere, where yellow cabs and actors representing New York mounted police were used for verisimilitude. The ''Fernando'', Bill Anderson's yacht (actually a ketch) in the film was the ''Tai-Mo-Shan'', built in 1934 by H. S. Rouse at the Hong Kong and Whampoa dockyards. Meryl Streep took opera singing lessons as a child, and as an adult, she had previously sung in several films, including '' Postcards from the Edge'', '' Silkwood'', '' Death Becomes Her'', and ''
A Prairie Home Companion ''A Prairie Home Companion'' was a weekly radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor that aired live from 1974 to 2016. In 2016, musician Chris Thile took over as host, and the successor show was eventually renamed ''Live from He ...
''. She was a fan of the stage show ''Mamma Mia!'' after seeing it on Broadway in September 2001, saying that she found the show to be an affirmation of life in the midst of the destruction of 9/11. Amy Adams,
Brittany Murphy Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack (; November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009) was an American actress and singer, known for her work in both comedy and drama. Born in Atlanta, Murphy moved to Los Angeles as a teenager to pursue a career in a ...
, Busy Philipps,
Evan Rachel Wood Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American actress. She is the recipient of a Critics' Choice Television Award as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. She began acting in the 1990s, a ...
,
Jessica Biel Jessica Claire Timberlake (née Biel ; born March 3, 1982) is an American actress. Biel began her career as a vocalist appearing in musical productions until she was cast as Mary Camden in the family drama series '' 7th Heaven'' (1996–2007 ...
, Kirsten Dunst, Leighton Meester,
Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her 1999 debut single "Candy (Mandy Moore song), Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot ...
, and Zooey Deschanel auditioned for the role of Sophie.
Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
auditioned for a role in the film, but he was rejected as his singing was "too bad".


Release

Though the world premiere of the film occurred elsewhere, most of the media attention was focused on the Swedish premiere, where
Anni-Frid Lyngstad Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad (born 15 November 1945), also known simply as Frida, is a Swedish singer who is best known as one of the founding members and lead singers of the pop band ABBA. Courtesy titles ''Principality of Reuss-Gera, Princess Re ...
and Agnetha Fältskog joined
Björn Ulvaeus Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (; born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish musician, singer, songwriter, and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA. He is also the co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duve ...
and
Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, composer and producer best known as a member of the pop group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duvemåla'', and ''Mamm ...
with the cast at the Rival Theatre in Mariatorget,
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
, owned by Andersson, on July 4, 2008. It was the first time all four members of ABBA had been photographed together since 1986.


Home media

In November 2008, ''Mamma Mia!'' became the fastest-selling DVD of all time in the UK according to Official UK Charts Company figures. It sold 1,669,084 copies on its first day of release, breaking the previous record (held by ''Titanic'') by 560,000 copies. By the end of 2008, the Official UK Charts Company declared that it had become the biggest-selling DVD ever in the UK, with one in every four households owning a copy (over 5 million copies sold). The record was previously held by '' Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' with sales of 4.7 million copies. In the United States, the DVD made over $30 million on its first day of release. ''Mamma Mia!'' was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 16, 2008. By December 31, 2008, ''Mamma Mia!'' became the bestselling DVD of all time in Sweden with 545,000 copies sold.


Reception


Box office

''Mamma Mia!'' grossed $144.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $467.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $611.4 million, against a production budget of $52 million. It became the highest grossing live-action musical of all time until it was surpassed by
Bill Condon William Condon (born October 22, 1955) is an American director and screenwriter. Condon is known for writing and/or directing numerous successful and acclaimed films including ''Gods and Monsters (film), Gods and Monsters'', ''Chicago (2002 fi ...
's ''
Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...
'' in 2017. It was also the highest-grossing movie directed by a woman until it was surpassed by Patty Jenkins' ''
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...
'' in 2017. It is the third highest-grossing film of 2008 internationally (i.e. outside North America) with an international total of $458.4 million and the thirteenth highest gross of 2008 in North America (the US and Canada) with $144.1 million. The film made $9.6 million on its opening day in the United States and Canada, as well as $27.6 million on its opening weekend, ranking #2 at the box office, behind '' The Dark Knight''. At the time, it made ''Mamma Mia!'' the record-holder for the highest grossing opening weekend for a movie based on a Broadway musical, surpassing '' Hairspray''s box office record in 2007 and later surpassed by ''
Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1986 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...
''. In the United Kingdom, ''Mamma Mia!'' grossed £69.2 million as of January 23, 2009; it is the thirteenth highest-grossing film of all time at the UK box office. The film opened at number one in the UK, taking £6.6 million on 496 screens. It managed to hold on to the top spot for two weeks, narrowly keeping
Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...
's ''
WALL-E ''WALL-E'' (stylized with an interpunct as ''WALL·E'') is a 2008 American animated Romance film, romantic science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Andrew Stanton, produced b ...
'' from reaching number one in its second week. When released on July 3, 2009, in Greece, the film grossed $1.6 million in its opening weekend, reaching number one at the Greek box office.


Critical response

''Mamma Mia!'' received mixed reviews upon release. On the
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film holds an approval rating of 55% based on 183 reviews, with an average rating of 5.60/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "This jukebox musical is full of fluffy fun but rough singing voices and a campy tone might not make you feel like 'You Can Dance' the whole 90 minutes." On
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences polled by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...
gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. BBC Radio 5 Live's film critic Mark Kermode admitted to enjoying the film, despite describing the experience as "the closest you get to see A-List actors doing drunken karaoke". Peter Bradshaw of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' was more negative, giving it one star, and expressed a "need to vomit". Bob Chipman of '' Escape to the Movies'' said it was "so base, so shallow and so hinged on meaningless spectacle, it's amazing it wasn't made for men". ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' stated that it was enjoyable but poorly put together: "Finding the film a total shambles was sort of a shame, but I have a sneaking suspicion I'll go to see it again anyway." Angie Errigo of ''
Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' said it was "cute, clean, camp fun, full of sunshine and toe tappers." The casting of actors not known for their singing abilities led to some mixed reviews. ''Variety'' stated that "some stars, especially the bouncy and rejuvenated Streep, seem better suited for musical comedy than others, including Brosnan and Skarsgård." Brosnan, especially, was savaged by many critics: his singing was compared to "a
water buffalo The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called domestic water buffalo, Asian water buffalo and Asiatic water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also kept in Italy, the Balkans ...
" (''
New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Clay Felker and Milton Glaser in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'' a ...
''), "a donkey braying" (''
The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...
'') and "a wounded raccoon" (''
The Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company and headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded in 1903, it is the fifth-largest newspaper in Florida, serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe countie ...
''), and Matt Brunson of '' Creative Loafing Charlotte'' said he "looks physically pained choking out the lyrics, as if he's being subjected to a prostate exam just outside of the camera's eye."


Accolades


Sequel

''Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'' was announced on May 19, 2017, with a planned release date of July 20, 2018. It was written and directed by
Ol Parker Oliver Parker is an English director, producer and screenwriter. He wrote and directed the 2018 musical film ''Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again''. Early life Parker was born in London, England, and brought up in the village of Radwinter, near the m ...
. It was announced that Seyfried, Cooper, Streep, Firth and Brosnan would be returning. In July 2017, Lily James was confirmed to portray young Donna. The film took almost five months to film and was released in London and Sweden on July 16, 2018, and was released worldwide on July 20, 2018. The film was a commercial success and made $402 million worldwide with a $75 million budget. Reviews were generally positive, with critics praising the performances and musical numbers. The film was released digitally on October 9, 2018, and on DVD on October 23, 2018. It held the top spot on the charts for the week ending November 3, 2018.


See also

*'' Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell'', a 1968 film about a woman who does not know which of three men is the father of her daughter, which some critics speculate ''Mamma Mia!'' was based upon. * ''Lace'', a 1984 miniseries about a daughter who tries to figure out which of three women is her mother. * Mamma Mia, a television episode of the series ''30 Rock'' that was heavily influenced by ''Mamma Mia!''.


References


Further reading

* Louise FitzGerald (ed.), Melanie Williams (ed.): ''Mamma Mia! The Movie: Exploring a Cultural Phenomenon''. I.B. Tauris, 2013,


External links

* * * * *
''Mamma Mia!''
at the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mamma Mia! (Film) Mamma Mia! 2008 films 2008 directorial debut films 2008 musical films 2008 romantic comedy films 2000s American films 2000s British films 2000s buddy comedy films 2000s English-language films 2000s female buddy films 2000s German films 2000s musical comedy films 2000s romantic musical films ABBA American buddy comedy films American female buddy films American musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American romantic musical films British buddy comedy films British female buddy films British musical comedy films British romantic comedy films British romantic musical films English-language buddy comedy films English-language German films English-language musical comedy films English-language romantic comedy films English-language romantic musical films Films about mother–daughter relationships Films about weddings Films based on musicals Films based on songs Films directed by Phyllida Lloyd Films produced by Gary Goetzman Films scored by Benny Andersson Films set in Greece Films set in hotels Films set in the Mediterranean Sea Films set on islands Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films shot in California Films shot in Thessaly Films shot in London Films shot in Morocco German musical comedy films German romantic comedy films German romantic musical films Golden Raspberry Award–winning films Jukebox musical films Universal Pictures films