Title: "Mamma Mia!"
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Producer: P. Lloyd, J. Craymer, B. Andersson, B. Ulvaeus, T. Hanks, and R. Wilson
Editing: Lesley Walker
Music by ABBA
Starring:
- Meryl Streep as Donna Sheridan
- Amanda Seyfried as Sophie Sheridan
- Pierce Brosnan as Sam Charmichael
- Julie Waters as Rosie Mulligan
- Christine Baranski as Tanya Wilkinson
- Colin Firth as Harry Bright
- Stellan Skarsgard as Bill Anderson
Plot and Critical Review: On a Greek island called Kalokairi, 20-year-old bride-to-be Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried) posts three wedding invitations ("I Have A Dream") to three different men. From across the globe, the men set off for the wedding. Sophie's two bridesmaids arrive and she reveals that she found her mother's diary and learned she has three possible dads: New York-based Irish architect Sam Carmichael, Swedish adventurer and writer Bill Andersson, and British banker Harry Bright. She invited them without telling her mother, believing that after she spends time with them she will know who her father is ("Honey, Honey").
Villa owner Donna Sheridan is ecstatic to reunite with former Donna and The Dynamos band mates, wisecracking author Rosie and wealthy multiple divorcee Tanya (Christine Baranski), and reveals her bafflement at her daughter's desire to get married. Donna shows the villa, rumored to be built on the legendary fountain of Aphrodite, and explains her precarious finances to Rosie and Tanya ("Money, Money, Money").
The three men arrive, and Sophie smuggles them to their room and explains that she, not her mother, sent the invitations. She begs them to hide so Donna will have a surprise at the wedding: seeing the old friends of whom she "so often" favorably speaks. They overhear Donna working and swear to Sophie they won't reveal her secret. Donna spies on them and is dumbfounded to find herself facing three former lovers she could never forget ("Mamma Mia"), and is adamant that they leave. She confides in Tanya and Rosie ("Chiquitita") — she is uncertain which of the three men is Sophie's father. Tanya and Rosie rally her spirits by getting Donna to dance with the female staff and islanders ("Dancing Queen").
Sophie finds the men aboard Bill's yacht, and they sail around Kalokairi ("Our Last Summer") and tell stories of Donna as a carefree girl. Sophie musters up the courage to speak with her fiancé Sky about her ploy, but loses her nerve. At Sophie's bachelorette party, Donna, Tanya, and Rosie perform as Donna and The Dynamos ("Super Trouper"). Sophie is delighted to see her mother rock out, but becomes nervous when the festivities are interrupted by the arrival of Sam, Bill and Harry. She decides to get each of her three prospective dads alone to talk.
While her girlfriends dance with the men ("Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"), Sophie learns from Bill that Donna received the money to invest in her villa from his great aunt Sofia. Sophie guesses she must be her namesake and Bill is her father. She asks him to give her away and to keep their secret from Donna until the wedding.
Sophie's happiness is short-lived as Sam and Harry each tell her they must be her dad and will give her away ("Voulez-Vous"). A shocked Sophie can't tell them the truth and, overwhelmed by the consequences of her actions, faints. In the morning, Donna confronts Sophie in the courtyard, believing Sophie wants the wedding stopped. Sophie says that all she wants is to avoid her mother's mistakes and storms off. An upset Donna is accosted by Sam, concerned about Sophie getting married so young. Donna confronts him and both realize they still have feelings for each other ("SOS").
Sophie comes clean to Sky and asks for his help. He reacts angrily to his fiancée's deception and Sophie turns to her mother for support. As Donna helps her daughter dress for the wedding, their rift is healed and Donna reminisces about Sophie's childhood and how quickly she's grown ("Slipping Through My Fingers"). Sophie asks Donna to give her away. As the bridal party walks to the chapel, Sam intercepts Donna and begs her to talk. She reveals the pain she felt over losing him ("The Winner Takes It All").
During the wedding, Donna tells Sophie that her father is present but he could be any of the three candidates, whom Sophie admits to inviting. Sam reveals that although he left to get married, he didn't go through with it and returned, only to find Donna with another man, so he married his former fiancée (and later divorced her). Harry confesses that Donna was the first (and last) woman he loved. The three men concur that they would be happy to be one-third of a father for Sophie. She tells Sky that they should postpone their wedding and travel the world as they have always wanted. Sam suddenly proposes to Donna ("I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do"). She accepts and they are married.
At the wedding reception, Sam sings to Donna ("When All Is Said and Done"), which prompts Rosie to make a play for Bill ("Take a Chance on Me") which in time prompts Harry to do the same for a local guy. All the couples proclaim their love and their raucous dancing causes the ground to crack and erupt with water from the fountain of Aphrodite. Sophie and Sky bid farewell to Kalokairi and sail away on their honeymoon("I Have A Dream" reprise).
Based on the globally popular music of disco super-group ABBA and "Mamma Mia!", the musical, "Mamma Mia!" (the film) was sure to succeed before it ever hit the screens. It soared to the top of the British box office, becoming the highest grossing film in history in Great Britain until it was knocked to #2 by "Avatar". "Mamma Mia!" remains the highest grossing musical film of all time, surpassing world-wide favorites such as "The Sound of Music", "The Music Man", and "The King and I". It's youthful energy and irresistible joy make it a musical everyone is sure to enjoy for years to come. If nothing else, another reason why Meryl Streep is the greatest actress of this generation.
My Rating: 7/10
Content to Caution:
V-1 - No comment.
L-2 - Some mild cursing.
DU-1 - A little drinking and faux smoking.
RT-0 - No comment.
H/S-0 - No comment.
CH-2 - Some sex-related comedy.
S/N-2 - Almost all of the young(er) characters appear in swim wear, and there are several moments of romantic intimacy.
The "Reel Revelation": "Mind If I Listen In?"
I love movies. Anyone who knows me knows of my deep my love for the medium of film. But I also have a very strong interest in the artistic medium of music. Alongside being a music lover in general, i'm also a composer, songwriter, and performer. I won't say whether I love one more than the other, but I will say that my spiritual philosophy toward both music and film is the same; God is in both and God is speaking to us through both.
But what makes music uniquely different from film is that we absorb so much more of it on a daily basis than we do film. How many movies do you think the average person watches in a week? I'd guess 1-3 movies, although I suspect for some that seems preposterous. How many songs (individual tracks) do you think the average person listens to (or hears) in a week? Let's say the only time the average person listens to the radio is when they're in the car driving to and from work. Presuming they have a 30 minute round-trip commute every day (Monday-Friday) and the average song is three minutes in length, the average person listens to 30 songs a week. That's a conservative estimate as it doesn't account for the music you might listen to at home, at church, in the workplace, or in social situations. But even 30 songs is no small amount of music, especially when we recognize that every song carries its own unique theme, topic, and message.
Because we absorb so much music, we ought to do what we can to be aware of what we're actually hearing. You've probably heard people say "I just like the beat!" That may be true, but that doesn't mean the words aren't still landing on their ears. Borrowing from the tips I suggested in the "Bruce Almighty" Reel Revelation with regard to film review, here are 5 suggestions for how you might more critically process the music you hear.
1. Know that God is present. Whether you're alone in your car or at a crowded concert hall, recognize that God is present as you listen. While that might make us uncomfortable as we don't always listen to songs that God is pleased with, have faith that God will still speak to you regardless of what's in the music. Remember, "...God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong..." (1 Cor. 1:27)
2. Listen for Biblical likeness. Rarely do we find songs that come up with 100% original ideas. Almost all music (and all art, to some degree) deals with the same set of universal topics and themes; life, death, love, loss of love, eternity, search for happiness, keeping a promise, breaking a promise, hope, power, conflict, and so on. A great many (if not all) of these topics are found in the Bible. Keep your ears open for moments that reflect Biblical stories or ideas.
3. Listen for ethical or moral dilemmas. While such moments don't have to reflect Biblical dilemmas of the same kind (although they might), they still speak to human experience and can help to illumine our daily struggles. Remember, almost all art reflects life.
4. Listen for the lyrics that matter. How is God speaking to you through the lyrics of the songs you hear? Like listening for ethical or moral dilemmas, we should also keep our ears open and listen for statements or questions that strike us in a noticeable way. It's hard to define the feeling of this, but I think we all know it when it comes. We feel as if a certain set of words have an unusual amount of importance; importance no musician could have given them on their own. Remember that God's voice doesn't always sound in the obvious and glaringly spiritual places. Elijah heard God's voice in the "gentle blowing" (1 Kings 19:12 - NASB) of the wind, not in the earthquake or firestorm.
5. Ask questions! Feel free to ask questions about what you've heard. Start with questions that relate your life to the content of the music, questions like 'Have I ever felt that way?' or 'Have I ever been in that sort of situation?' While some songs deal with topics and themes beyond the human experience, all music must point back ("must", for it is created by humans) to some foundational element of what makes us human. Ask questions of yourself and God to make sense of where a particular song might point you.
In honor of "Mamma Mia!", here are the lyrics to one of my ABBA most beloved songs; "I Have A Dream". As you read the lyrics, try to apply some of the suggestions listed above.
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Producer: P. Lloyd, J. Craymer, B. Andersson, B. Ulvaeus, T. Hanks, and R. Wilson
Editing: Lesley Walker
Music by ABBA
Starring:
- Meryl Streep as Donna Sheridan
- Amanda Seyfried as Sophie Sheridan
- Pierce Brosnan as Sam Charmichael
- Julie Waters as Rosie Mulligan
- Christine Baranski as Tanya Wilkinson
- Colin Firth as Harry Bright
- Stellan Skarsgard as Bill Anderson
Plot and Critical Review: On a Greek island called Kalokairi, 20-year-old bride-to-be Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried) posts three wedding invitations ("I Have A Dream") to three different men. From across the globe, the men set off for the wedding. Sophie's two bridesmaids arrive and she reveals that she found her mother's diary and learned she has three possible dads: New York-based Irish architect Sam Carmichael, Swedish adventurer and writer Bill Andersson, and British banker Harry Bright. She invited them without telling her mother, believing that after she spends time with them she will know who her father is ("Honey, Honey").
Villa owner Donna Sheridan is ecstatic to reunite with former Donna and The Dynamos band mates, wisecracking author Rosie and wealthy multiple divorcee Tanya (Christine Baranski), and reveals her bafflement at her daughter's desire to get married. Donna shows the villa, rumored to be built on the legendary fountain of Aphrodite, and explains her precarious finances to Rosie and Tanya ("Money, Money, Money").
The three men arrive, and Sophie smuggles them to their room and explains that she, not her mother, sent the invitations. She begs them to hide so Donna will have a surprise at the wedding: seeing the old friends of whom she "so often" favorably speaks. They overhear Donna working and swear to Sophie they won't reveal her secret. Donna spies on them and is dumbfounded to find herself facing three former lovers she could never forget ("Mamma Mia"), and is adamant that they leave. She confides in Tanya and Rosie ("Chiquitita") — she is uncertain which of the three men is Sophie's father. Tanya and Rosie rally her spirits by getting Donna to dance with the female staff and islanders ("Dancing Queen").
Sophie finds the men aboard Bill's yacht, and they sail around Kalokairi ("Our Last Summer") and tell stories of Donna as a carefree girl. Sophie musters up the courage to speak with her fiancé Sky about her ploy, but loses her nerve. At Sophie's bachelorette party, Donna, Tanya, and Rosie perform as Donna and The Dynamos ("Super Trouper"). Sophie is delighted to see her mother rock out, but becomes nervous when the festivities are interrupted by the arrival of Sam, Bill and Harry. She decides to get each of her three prospective dads alone to talk.
While her girlfriends dance with the men ("Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"), Sophie learns from Bill that Donna received the money to invest in her villa from his great aunt Sofia. Sophie guesses she must be her namesake and Bill is her father. She asks him to give her away and to keep their secret from Donna until the wedding.
Sophie's happiness is short-lived as Sam and Harry each tell her they must be her dad and will give her away ("Voulez-Vous"). A shocked Sophie can't tell them the truth and, overwhelmed by the consequences of her actions, faints. In the morning, Donna confronts Sophie in the courtyard, believing Sophie wants the wedding stopped. Sophie says that all she wants is to avoid her mother's mistakes and storms off. An upset Donna is accosted by Sam, concerned about Sophie getting married so young. Donna confronts him and both realize they still have feelings for each other ("SOS").
Sophie comes clean to Sky and asks for his help. He reacts angrily to his fiancée's deception and Sophie turns to her mother for support. As Donna helps her daughter dress for the wedding, their rift is healed and Donna reminisces about Sophie's childhood and how quickly she's grown ("Slipping Through My Fingers"). Sophie asks Donna to give her away. As the bridal party walks to the chapel, Sam intercepts Donna and begs her to talk. She reveals the pain she felt over losing him ("The Winner Takes It All").
During the wedding, Donna tells Sophie that her father is present but he could be any of the three candidates, whom Sophie admits to inviting. Sam reveals that although he left to get married, he didn't go through with it and returned, only to find Donna with another man, so he married his former fiancée (and later divorced her). Harry confesses that Donna was the first (and last) woman he loved. The three men concur that they would be happy to be one-third of a father for Sophie. She tells Sky that they should postpone their wedding and travel the world as they have always wanted. Sam suddenly proposes to Donna ("I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do"). She accepts and they are married.
At the wedding reception, Sam sings to Donna ("When All Is Said and Done"), which prompts Rosie to make a play for Bill ("Take a Chance on Me") which in time prompts Harry to do the same for a local guy. All the couples proclaim their love and their raucous dancing causes the ground to crack and erupt with water from the fountain of Aphrodite. Sophie and Sky bid farewell to Kalokairi and sail away on their honeymoon("I Have A Dream" reprise).
Based on the globally popular music of disco super-group ABBA and "Mamma Mia!", the musical, "Mamma Mia!" (the film) was sure to succeed before it ever hit the screens. It soared to the top of the British box office, becoming the highest grossing film in history in Great Britain until it was knocked to #2 by "Avatar". "Mamma Mia!" remains the highest grossing musical film of all time, surpassing world-wide favorites such as "The Sound of Music", "The Music Man", and "The King and I". It's youthful energy and irresistible joy make it a musical everyone is sure to enjoy for years to come. If nothing else, another reason why Meryl Streep is the greatest actress of this generation.
My Rating: 7/10
Content to Caution:
V-1 - No comment.
L-2 - Some mild cursing.
DU-1 - A little drinking and faux smoking.
RT-0 - No comment.
H/S-0 - No comment.
CH-2 - Some sex-related comedy.
S/N-2 - Almost all of the young(er) characters appear in swim wear, and there are several moments of romantic intimacy.
The "Reel Revelation": "Mind If I Listen In?"
I love movies. Anyone who knows me knows of my deep my love for the medium of film. But I also have a very strong interest in the artistic medium of music. Alongside being a music lover in general, i'm also a composer, songwriter, and performer. I won't say whether I love one more than the other, but I will say that my spiritual philosophy toward both music and film is the same; God is in both and God is speaking to us through both.
But what makes music uniquely different from film is that we absorb so much more of it on a daily basis than we do film. How many movies do you think the average person watches in a week? I'd guess 1-3 movies, although I suspect for some that seems preposterous. How many songs (individual tracks) do you think the average person listens to (or hears) in a week? Let's say the only time the average person listens to the radio is when they're in the car driving to and from work. Presuming they have a 30 minute round-trip commute every day (Monday-Friday) and the average song is three minutes in length, the average person listens to 30 songs a week. That's a conservative estimate as it doesn't account for the music you might listen to at home, at church, in the workplace, or in social situations. But even 30 songs is no small amount of music, especially when we recognize that every song carries its own unique theme, topic, and message.
Because we absorb so much music, we ought to do what we can to be aware of what we're actually hearing. You've probably heard people say "I just like the beat!" That may be true, but that doesn't mean the words aren't still landing on their ears. Borrowing from the tips I suggested in the "Bruce Almighty" Reel Revelation with regard to film review, here are 5 suggestions for how you might more critically process the music you hear.
1. Know that God is present. Whether you're alone in your car or at a crowded concert hall, recognize that God is present as you listen. While that might make us uncomfortable as we don't always listen to songs that God is pleased with, have faith that God will still speak to you regardless of what's in the music. Remember, "...God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong..." (1 Cor. 1:27)
2. Listen for Biblical likeness. Rarely do we find songs that come up with 100% original ideas. Almost all music (and all art, to some degree) deals with the same set of universal topics and themes; life, death, love, loss of love, eternity, search for happiness, keeping a promise, breaking a promise, hope, power, conflict, and so on. A great many (if not all) of these topics are found in the Bible. Keep your ears open for moments that reflect Biblical stories or ideas.
3. Listen for ethical or moral dilemmas. While such moments don't have to reflect Biblical dilemmas of the same kind (although they might), they still speak to human experience and can help to illumine our daily struggles. Remember, almost all art reflects life.
4. Listen for the lyrics that matter. How is God speaking to you through the lyrics of the songs you hear? Like listening for ethical or moral dilemmas, we should also keep our ears open and listen for statements or questions that strike us in a noticeable way. It's hard to define the feeling of this, but I think we all know it when it comes. We feel as if a certain set of words have an unusual amount of importance; importance no musician could have given them on their own. Remember that God's voice doesn't always sound in the obvious and glaringly spiritual places. Elijah heard God's voice in the "gentle blowing" (1 Kings 19:12 - NASB) of the wind, not in the earthquake or firestorm.
5. Ask questions! Feel free to ask questions about what you've heard. Start with questions that relate your life to the content of the music, questions like 'Have I ever felt that way?' or 'Have I ever been in that sort of situation?' While some songs deal with topics and themes beyond the human experience, all music must point back ("must", for it is created by humans) to some foundational element of what makes us human. Ask questions of yourself and God to make sense of where a particular song might point you.
In honor of "Mamma Mia!", here are the lyrics to one of my ABBA most beloved songs; "I Have A Dream". As you read the lyrics, try to apply some of the suggestions listed above.
I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope, with anything.
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale,
You can take the future, even if you fail.
I believe in angels,
Something good in everything I see.
I believe in angels.
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream.
I have a dream, a fantasy
To help me through reality.
And my destination makes it worth the while
Pushing through the darkness, still another mile.
I believe in angels,
Something good in everything I see.
I believe in angels.
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream.
I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope, with anything.
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale,
You can take the future, even if you fail.
I believe in angels,
Something good in everything I see.
I believe in angels.
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream.
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream.
May God give us open hearts and new ears to keep us attentive to the things we take into our hearts and minds, that we may walk worthily of the calling of Christ.
See you tomorrow - E.T.
P.S. - I dedicate today's review to my Aunt Carol, whose love for "Mamma Mia!" is barely matched by my own.
I was going to call you in a frantic state of excitement the other night to inform you that ABBA and Queen were giving a concert in Portland this weekend. However, it turns out my source was mistaken, and it was actually the Portland Gay Men's Chorus performing said songs. *Whew!* What a relief not to have missed the real deal. ABBA rules.
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