Mamma Mia, the film; a review
Okay, let me preface this by saying that I saw "Mamma Mia" at the Royal Alex in Toronto back in early 2002. I thought I'd posted about it at the time, but couldn't find a post for it. So, basically, I absolutely loved the musical, and if the tour comes through town some day when I have disposible cash, I'll be there. After seeing the play, I'd gotten the soundtrack on CD, though it was with the Original West End Cast, not with the Toronto cast. I prefer the cast I'd seen in Toronto, but that's just a minor quibble, really.
So, when I found out this spring that there was going to be a film verision coming this summer, I knew I'd be seeing it. I was skeptical about the casting of Meryl Streep as Donna simply because I didn't know what sort of musical background she had. They nailed my mental image of Tanya by casting Christine Baranski in the role, however. What really worried me was the casting of the male leads. While I could see Pierce Brosnan as having the right air and bearing for Sam, I'd never heard him sing. I was even more skeptical of Colin Firth as Harry.
First, let me start with the story. They'd changed a few things for the film version, but nothing significant. I think that the major changes were the Aphrodite's Fountain legend and the fact that Harry, who had a partner in the stage version, only stated that he had a pair of dogs in the film and was paired up with some random guy from the isle at the end, sort of as an afterthought. Once again, the changes weren't major and nothing that I'd really pick at or say ruined the film.
No, if anything ruined the film, it was the casting of the primary leads. Meryl is merely a servicable singer; certainly not what you want from your star in a musical. And her male counterpart, Mr. Brosnan, could not carry a tune in the least. His singing was cringe-inducing; once again, not a good thing for a musical. Colin Firth was actually a pleasant surprise; a nice even tenor voice that fit the role well. Stellan Skarsgard also held up admirably as Bill. And while Baranski and Walters were well cast in their roles, as were Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper as Sophie and Sky, the top two roles would have been better off if the roles had singers rather than actors brought in to provide "star power" to the cast. Even worse was the fact that the "original song" that was inserted into the play for Oscar consideration was sung by Brosnan, rather than one of the more capable members of the company.
Some may complain about "over-acting" or "over-emoting", but that wasn't off-putting to me. It was done in more of a Broadway style than other film adaptations, notably "Chicago". This can probably be attributed to the fact that the director and producer were the same women who filled those roles for the stage versions. And, honestly, I'm fine with that, given my stage background. It certainly could seem a little cheesy at times, a bit like a badly-produced commercial, but certainly wasn't enough to put me off the film. After all, we're talking about a film where people will spontaneously break into song as they go about their daily lives. If you can suspend your disbelief for that, you can deal with the stage-style emoting.
All this said, I plan to buy the DVD when it comes out. I'm that much of a geek where this musical is concerned. And it was entertaining. And I was lip-synching with all of the songs (because I have the sense to know when my voice isn't up the role!). I'd probably not recommend the movie to someone who isn't familiar with the musical, and would recommend it to fans with the warning that the singing leaves a fair bit to be desired at the top of the bill. I'd have prefered lesser-known actors who are more capable singers in the roles. All in all, it was slightly above average. I'd give it a 7.2 out of 10.
So, when I found out this spring that there was going to be a film verision coming this summer, I knew I'd be seeing it. I was skeptical about the casting of Meryl Streep as Donna simply because I didn't know what sort of musical background she had. They nailed my mental image of Tanya by casting Christine Baranski in the role, however. What really worried me was the casting of the male leads. While I could see Pierce Brosnan as having the right air and bearing for Sam, I'd never heard him sing. I was even more skeptical of Colin Firth as Harry.
First, let me start with the story. They'd changed a few things for the film version, but nothing significant. I think that the major changes were the Aphrodite's Fountain legend and the fact that Harry, who had a partner in the stage version, only stated that he had a pair of dogs in the film and was paired up with some random guy from the isle at the end, sort of as an afterthought. Once again, the changes weren't major and nothing that I'd really pick at or say ruined the film.
No, if anything ruined the film, it was the casting of the primary leads. Meryl is merely a servicable singer; certainly not what you want from your star in a musical. And her male counterpart, Mr. Brosnan, could not carry a tune in the least. His singing was cringe-inducing; once again, not a good thing for a musical. Colin Firth was actually a pleasant surprise; a nice even tenor voice that fit the role well. Stellan Skarsgard also held up admirably as Bill. And while Baranski and Walters were well cast in their roles, as were Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper as Sophie and Sky, the top two roles would have been better off if the roles had singers rather than actors brought in to provide "star power" to the cast. Even worse was the fact that the "original song" that was inserted into the play for Oscar consideration was sung by Brosnan, rather than one of the more capable members of the company.
Some may complain about "over-acting" or "over-emoting", but that wasn't off-putting to me. It was done in more of a Broadway style than other film adaptations, notably "Chicago". This can probably be attributed to the fact that the director and producer were the same women who filled those roles for the stage versions. And, honestly, I'm fine with that, given my stage background. It certainly could seem a little cheesy at times, a bit like a badly-produced commercial, but certainly wasn't enough to put me off the film. After all, we're talking about a film where people will spontaneously break into song as they go about their daily lives. If you can suspend your disbelief for that, you can deal with the stage-style emoting.
All this said, I plan to buy the DVD when it comes out. I'm that much of a geek where this musical is concerned. And it was entertaining. And I was lip-synching with all of the songs (because I have the sense to know when my voice isn't up the role!). I'd probably not recommend the movie to someone who isn't familiar with the musical, and would recommend it to fans with the warning that the singing leaves a fair bit to be desired at the top of the bill. I'd have prefered lesser-known actors who are more capable singers in the roles. All in all, it was slightly above average. I'd give it a 7.2 out of 10.