Classics: A Review of Mamma Mia By Lauren Ennis

Many little girls grow up dreaming of the day that they will walk down the aisle in the perfect dress with their father at their side. In the 2008 hit musical Mamma Mia! Sophie's dream wedding is hampered by one complication; she doesn't know who should walk her down the aisle because she doesn't know who her father is. Songs and shenanigans ensue when she sets out to find three men from her mother's past in hopes that one of them will prove to be her biological father. Through the power of love, laughter, and plenty of disco she finds her three possible dads only to realize that the person she really needs to walk her down the aisle is the one who was by her side all along.

Mamma Mia, here we go again...

The story begins as Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) sends invitations to her wedding to three men (Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, and Colin Firth) from her mother's past. When her college friends arrive to attend the wedding she gleefully informs them that she plans to have her father walk her down the aisle, even though she doesn't know exactly who her father is. Sophie then goes on to reveal that after reading her mother's old diary she learned of three men with whom her mother had relationships the summer before Sophie was born; all of whom could be her possible father. She then shocks her friends by telling them that she has invited all three men to her wedding, without telling her mother, Donna (Meryl Streep). Hilarity ensues when all three men arrive for the wedding and an already over stressed Donna is forced to confront her former flames while Sophie struggles to determine which of them is her biological father.

Meryl Streep; academy award winner and dancing queen

For a film whose plot hinges on three possible fathers, the appropriately titled Mamma Mia! is all about mothers and daughters. Free-spirited Donna and tradition minded Sophie could not see the world more differently. Unconventional Donna worries that Sophie will regret her decision to marry young while Sophie longs for the traditional family that she never had. Even as she remains wary of Sophie's choices, however, Donna provides her daughter with nothing less than her full support as she throws herself into planning Sophie's wedding all while managing her struggling hotel. She even goes so far as to graciously welcome her three former lovers in an effort to avoid any interference with the wedding. When the time finally comes to let her daughter go to start a new life, Donna puts Sophie's happiness before her own misgivings and sends her off with love and encouragement. While Sophie might fail to recognize these everyday examples of her mothers love the more that she learns about Donna the more that she is able to appreciate the sacrifices that her mother made throughout her life. It is this new found appreciation and understanding of her mother that finally allows Sophie to see her dedicated mother as a source of inspiration rather than embarrassment. By the film's final number both women learn to see the world from each other's perspective and Sophie realizes that regardless of who her father is, her mother already provided her with all of the family love, encouragement, and guidance that she could ever need.

Mamma Mia! is every bit as charming, uplifting, and infectiously entertaining as the ABBA tunes that it is built around. Following in the classic Hollywood musical tradition the film showcases a series of toe-tapping numbers against a story that is pure escapist fun. Though its combination of popular music and winning performances the film transports viewers to a cinematic fantasy that you'll want to return to again and again. For a film that will have everybody and their mother ready to dance, jive, and have the time of their lives hit the disco floor with Mamma Mia!

Through its charismatic performances, Mamma Mia! treats viewers to a musical extravaganza. Christine Baranski and Julie Walters are uproarious in their turns as Donna's eccentric best friends and former band mates, Tanya and Rosie. Dominic Cooper makes for an apt leading man in his endearing turn as Sophie's fiance, Skye. Colin Firth is a dry-witted delight as Donna's glam-rocker ex turned stuffy banker, Harry. Stellan Skarsgard is all macho charisma as Sophie's second possible father, bad boy adventurer Bill. Pierce Brosnan conveys the debonair charm of a matinee idol as Donna's great love, architect Sam. Amanda Seyfried and Meryl Streep own center stage with Streep lending one of the most exuberantly entertaining performances of her career and Seyfriend showing off her musical and comedic chops with equal skill.

Easily one of the most memorable movie musicals of the modern era,  Mamma Mia! provides viewers with an escape they will want to retreat to again and again. Through its toe-tapping tunes and uplifting script the film relates an endearing tale of mothers and daughters that the whole family will enjoy. For a film that is equal parts heartwarming and showstopping look no further than Mamma Mia!

I'm not gonna cry *sniff*

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