Mamma Mia! The Movie (Two Disc Special Edition)
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Amanda Seyfried, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan SkarsgardBrand: STREEP,MERYL
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Original Language); Spanish (Original Language); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.40:1
Running Time: 108 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-12-16
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of Mamma Mia! The Movie (Two Disc Special Edition)
Movie Review: IF YOU LIKE ABBA, YOU'LL LOVE THIS MOVIE!
Summary: 5 Stars
Mamma Mia! is a stage musical with a book by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. It is an example of a jukebox musical, and is notable for popularizing the genre. A common misconception is that the plot is adapted from the 1968 film Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell starring Gina Lollobrigida. (In that film the mother is a former prostitute who told all three men that they were the father to secure payment for her child's upkeep. This differs vastly from the Mamma Mia story. Donna is not based on a prostitute and the writers deny any knowledge of the 1968 film, any similarity is coincidental.)
Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper Mamma Mia, the plot is fictional, not biographical.
Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, who composed the original music for ABBA, were involved in the development of the show from the beginning. Anni-Frid Lyngstad has been involved financially in the production, while Agnetha Fältskog has not, though she was present at the Swedish premiere and final show.
The musical includes such hits as "Super Trouper", "Dancing Queen", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", "Thank You for the Music", "Money, Money, Money", "The Winner Takes It All", "Voulez Vous", "I Have a Dream" and "SOS". It had been seen by over ten million people worldwide as of July 2003.[1] Estimates of 2007, is that 30 million have now seen Mamma Mia!. Since its opening in 1999, the production has grossed US$2.0 billion in earnings. [2]
A stage-to-film adaptation, Mamma Mia! The Movie, starring Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski and Julie Walters, premiered in July 2008Mamma Mia! The Movie is a 2008 Golden Globe-nominated stage-to-film adaptation of the 1999 West End musical of the same name, based on the songs of successful pop group ABBA, with additional music also composed by ABBA member Benny Andersson. The film did very well at the box office becoming the most successful Hollywood film musical of all time and the highest grossing film of all time in the United Kingdom.[2] Like the stage musical, the film's title originates from the group's 1975 chart-topper Mamma Mia. It was produced by Universal Pictures in partnership with Playtone and Littlestar.[3]
Meryl Streep heads the cast of the film, playing the role of single mother Donna Sheridan. Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård play the three possible fathers to Donna's daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried).
On August 29, 2008, Mamma Mia!: The Sing-Along Edition, with lyrics to the songs highlighted on the screen, was released in select theaters.[4]
On December 15, 2008, it was announced that Mamma Mia! had become the highest grossing film in Britain of all time. The previous record was held by Titanic in 1998.The film takes place on the enchanting Greek island of Skopelos (Kalokairi). The story begins at the remote Aegean island hotel, Villa Donna, run by Donna Sheridan (Meryl Streep), her daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), and Sophie's fiance Sky (Dominic Cooper).
Prior to her forthcoming marriage, Sophie nervously posts three wedding invitations ("I Have a Dream") to three different men, one of whom she believes may be her father. From three cities across the globe, three men set off to return to the island, and the woman that had enchanted each of them 20 years earlier.
Back on that island, Donna is rousing her staff for the frenetic day ahead as Sophie's bridesmaids and best friends Ali and Lisa (Ashley Lilley and Rachel McDowall) arrive and she shares with her best mates a scandalous secret: Sophie has found her mother's diary and learned she has three possible dads; American businessman Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan), Swedish adventurer Bill Austin (Stellan Skarsgard), and British banker Harry Bright (Colin Firth). Without telling her mother, she has invited all three to her wedding ("Honey, Honey"), believing that after she spends time with them, she will at last know who her real father is.
Meanwhile, back on the Greek mainland, Sam, Bill, and Harry; strangers until today have met at the harbor. Fortuitously, Sam and Harry have missed the ferry to Skopelos (Kalokairi), and Bill offers them a lift on his yacht to reconnect with the woman who broke all their hearts 20 years ago.
Back on Skopelos, Donna is ecstatic to reunite with old friends and former "Donna and The Dynamos" bandmates, wisecracking author Rosie (Julie Walters) and wealthy multiple divorcee Tanya (Christine Baranski), and reveals her mystification at her daughter's desire for a traditional wedding or any wedding at all. At the Villa, Sophie introduces Tanya and Rosie to true love Sky, and tells them about their idea of designing a website to attract tourists to the island. Donna explains her precarious finances ("Money, Money, Money") to her girlfriends as she takes them on a tour of the Villa. Hounded by her creditors, Donna dreams of a "rich man's world," sunbathing on a yacht and being deliciously pampered. She is brought back to reality as an ominous crack appears in the courtyard.
The three men arrive, and Sophie smuggles them to their quarters and sheepishly explains that she, not her mother, sent the invitations. She begs the men to hide so Donna will have a fantastic surprise at the wedding; seeing the old friends of whom she "so often" favorably speaks. They overhear Donna working (humming "Fernando" to herself) in the storeroom below preparing to fix the crack and the men swear to Sophie they will not reveal her secret. Sophie leaves by the window just in the nick of time, as Donna peeps through the trapdoor.
She is dumbfounded to find herself face to face with the three former lovers she could never forget ("Mamma Mia!"), while the men clumsily make up excuses for their presence. Donna is adamant; they simply cannot stay. Visibly shaken, she confides in Tanya and Rosie ("Chiquitita") a secret she has kept from everyone - she is uncertain which of the three men is actually Sophie's father. No matter, as Tanya and Rosie rally her spirits by getting Donna to join in with the female staff and islanders accompanying a musical number intended to make her forget her woes. Donna and The Dynamos reclaim their glory days and champion the women of the island in a call to liberation ("Dancing Queen").
Sophie finds the men aboard Bill's yacht, and they take a trip around the gorgeous island of Skopelos ("Our Last Summer") and tell her stories of Donna as a carefree girl. Upon their return, Sophie musters up the courage to speak with Sky about her ploy, but loses her nerve. Sky and Sophie sing passionately to each other ("Lay All Your Love on Me"), but are interrupted by the bachelor party that has descended upon Sky to kidnap him for his last night of freedom.
At Sophie's bachelorette party, Donna, Tanya, and Rosie perform in a surprise one-night-only event 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.
The young bride uses the confusion of her amorous girlfriends' dancing with the men ("Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)") to speak with Sam about his love for Donna. Next, she's on to Harry about his desire, if any, for children. Finally, Bill reveals that the old woman who gave Donna the money to invest in her Villa was his Great Aunt Sofia, and Sophie guesses she must be her namesake. That's it! Bill must be her father! Sophie asks him to give her away and to keep their secret from Donna until the wedding
Over the moon, Sophie returns to the party. But her 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 action, faints on the dance floor.
In the morning, Rosie and Tanya reassure a frantic Donna they will take care of the men. Donna confronts Sophie in the courtyard, mistakenly believing Sophie wants the wedding stopped. Sophie angrily says that all she wants is to avoid her mother's mistakes and storms off. An upset Donna is accosted by Sam, full of fatherly concern at Sophie getting married so young. Donna dresses him down, and both realize they still have feelings for each other ("SOS").
Meanwhile, on Bill's boat, Bill and Harry are about to confide in each other, but are interrupted by Rosie who is startled to find Bill, naked, making breakfast. Similarly, pulses are racing down on the sandy beaches as Tanya and young Pepper (Philip Michael) continue their May-December flirtations from the previous night ("Does Your Mother Know").
With her plans falling apart and wedding in jeopardy, Sophie knows it is time to come clean to Sky and ask for his help. He reacts angrily to his fiancée's deception and Sophie must turn to her mother for support.
As Donna helps her daughter dress for their wedding, the rift is quickly healed and Donna reminisces about Sophie's childhood and how quickly she's grown ("Slipping Through My Fingers"). Then and there, Sophie decides the only parent she's ever known is the only one who should give her away. As the staff and bridesmaids accompany Donna and Sophie to the chapel, Sam lies in nervous wait. Donna waves the wedding party on, and he begs Donna to talk. She cuts him short, however, revealing the deep pain she felt over losing him ("The Winner Takes It All").
After the ceremony begins, Donna can hold her tongue no more. She confesses to Sophie that her father is present but he could be Sam, Bill, or Harry. Sophie, in a shocker of her own, admits she invited them. The three men concur that they would be quite happy to be one-third of a father for such a girl. The surprises keep coming when Sophie tells Sky they should postpone their wedding and travel the world, as they have always wanted. It appears that preparations have been in vain until Sam steps in with the final curveball: he proposes to Donna.
She accepts ("I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do"); Sam and Donna then go through an impromptu ceremony, surrounded by the churchful of guests.
At the wedding reception, Sam sings to Donna, whom he has loved for 21 years ("When All Is Said and Done" [in the film only, not the musical]), which prompts Rosie to make a coy play for Bill ("Take a Chance on Me"). All the couples present proclaim their love and, magically, water from Aphrodite's fountain of love bursts through the crack in the courtyard at Villa Donna ("Mamma Mia!").
The story concludes as Sophie and Sky bid farewell to Skopelos island and sail away to a new life together ("I Have a Dream"), one full of hope and promise.
Donna, Tanya, and Rosie reprise "Dancing Queen" during the first part of the credits, then launch into "Waterloo" with the rest of the cast. Finally, Amanda Seyfried sings "Thank You for the Music".
Summary of Mamma Mia! The Movie (Two Disc Special Edition)
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 16-DEC-2008
Media Type: DVD
The delirious sight of Meryl Streep leading a river of multigenerational women singing "Dancing Queen" is one of the high points of Mamma Mia!, the musical built around the songs of the hugely popular pop group ABBA. The plot sets in motion when Sophie (Amanda Seyfried, Mean Girls), daughter of Donna (Streep), sends a letter to three men, inviting them to her wedding--because after reading her mother's diary, she suspects that one of them is her father. When all three arrive at the Greek island where Donna runs a hotel, Donna flips out and finds that passions she thought she'd laid aside are coming back to life. But let's face it, the plot is not the point--it's a ridiculous contrivance that provides an excuse for the characters to sing the massive hits of ABBA. Regrettably, first-time film director Phyllida Lloyd (who directed the original stage production) has drawn over-the-top performances from everyone involved, even Streep; every production number hammers its exuberance into your eyeballs. Which is too bad, because Mamma Mia! is a rarity: A middle-aged love story. The kids start things off, but the story is really about Streep and the three guys (former James Bond Pierce Brosnan, former Mr. Darcy Colin Firth, and Swedish star Stellan Skarsgard), as well as Donna's best friends (Christine Baranski, best known from the TV show Cybill, and Julie Walters, Calendar Girls). It's a romantic comedy aimed at the people who were around when all these songs were new, and that's an age group Hollywood largely ignores. For that alone, Mamma Mia! deserves to find an audience. --Bret Fetzer
Stills from Mamma Mia! (Click for larger image)
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