Mamma Mia the Movie (2008) - Golden Globe ® Nominee!

Sight and Sound
"Playful exuberance is the order of the day....['Waterloo'] lures you into a glorious world of upbeat melodies, glitter, sequins and flares, and leaves you dancing out of the cinema." 09/01/2008 p.68

Empire
3 stars out of 5 -- "There's a joyous 'Dancing Queen'....It's full of super troupers and smiles." 09/01/2008 p.64

Premiere
"Set on a stunning Grecian isle, MAMMA MIA! is a frenzied farce....Get ready to dust off those old ABBA discs on vinyl. Because afterwards, you'll want to keep this party going..." 07/14/2008

ReelViews 8 of 10
Mamma Mia! delivers exactly what one can reasonably expect from it. It's a faithful adaptation of the stage play of the same name but, more importantly, it's a repository for ABBA songs - nearly two dozen in total. Considering that the average running length of each of these songs is between two and three minutes, that means about 2/3 of the film is singing, with the remaining 35 minutes (or so) devoted to insignificant things like exposition and dialogue. Mamma Mia! is relentlessly cheerful and unapologetically campy, and will find its strongest (and perhaps only) adherents among the group that looks back fondly on ABBA...Mamma Mia! mostly avoids the pitfalls that tripped up Julie Taymor's Across the Universe. Both films suffer from the same structural problem - trying to fashion a screenplay around numerous pop songs - but, where Across the Universe tried to be artistic and substantive, Mamma Mia! is content to wallow in nostalgia and cheesiness...Visually, the movie doesn't do a lot. The gorgeous island setting provides an impressive backdrop, and some of the stage-bound garishness of the play is toned down. The camerawork is simple, with Lloyd preferring longer takes to the flash-and-cut approach favored in many recent motion picture musicals. The benefit of the approach is that it gives us an opportunity to concentrate on the actors. There's something enjoyable watching such an impressive group making asses of themselves and thoroughly enjoying the experience...It's airheaded just like the songs it embraces but, if you enjoy them, there's every reason to believe you'll appreciate the film. - James Berardinelli
 
Chicago Sun-Times 6 of 10
I saw the stage version of "Mamma Mia!" in London, where for all I know, it is now entering the second century of its run, and I was underwhelmed. The film version has the advantage of possessing Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Colin Firth and Julie Walters, but their assets are stretched fairly thin. And there are the wall-to-wall songs by ABBA, if you like that sort of thing. I don't, not much, with a few exceptions...But here's the fact of the matter. This movie wasn't made for me. It was made for the people who will love it, of which there may be a multitude. The stage musical has sold 30 million tickets, and I feel like the grouch at the party...The plot is a clothesline on which to hang the songs; the movie doesn't much sparkle when nobody is singing or dancing, but that's rarely. The stars all seem to be singing their own songs, aided by an off-screen chorus of, oh, several dozen, plus full orchestration. Streep might seem to be an unlikely choice to play Donna, but you know what? She can play anybody...The island is beautiful. Moviegoers will no doubt be booking vacations there. The energy is unflagging. The local color feels a little overlooked in the background; nobody seems to speak much Greek. And then there are the songs. You know them. You may feel you know them too well. Or maybe you can never get enough of them. Streep's sunshine carries a lot of charm, although I will never be able to understand her final decision in the movie -- not coming from such a sensible woman. Never mind. Love has its way. - Roger Ebert