BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: From the smash hit stage show comes this larger than life musical epic. Bringing you an all-star cast, the songs of ABBA and an extravaganza of dancing and laughter, Mamma Mia! The Movie is the feel good film of the year. Bride to be Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is on a quest to find her father before her big day. There is just one problem, she’s just not sure who he is. After secretly reading her mother Donna’s (Meryl Streep) old diaries, she discovers he is on of three past loves. Knowing her mother would not approve, she invites them all. Sophie desperately tries to keep their presence hidden but it’s not long before the secret is out and the fun begins…

FILM REVIEW: You cannot really be too harsh on a film like this; it’s pure, escapist fun. I’ve never enjoyed musicals for the simple reason that when I see actors break out in to song, the suspension of disbelief evaporates, leaving a corny, unreal feel to the proceedings. “Mamma Mia!“ is not immune to that problem, however, the cast sing and act in such a genuine fashion, with a story that is directed with passion and enthusiasm by original stage director Phyllida Lloyd, that it’s hard not to have fun watching the trials of young Sophie as she tries to establish who her real father is, and in the process, uncover her mother’s more promiscuous past so she can move forward with her own wedding, marriage and life.

The story is very simple: young Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is about to be married, but she has never known the identity of her true father. One day, she discovers her mother’s diary and learns that she could have three possible fathers. She decides to secretly invite all three to her wedding. When her mother Donna (Meryl Streep) finds out, all hell breaks loose, or should I say, all music breaks loose as the characters all come to terms with what happened in the past so they can all move forward.

The story and plot are a little thin, but it somehow manages to provide a great structure to hang the ABBA songs, and they fit very well within this framework. Another plus is the setting; a beautiful Greek island which sets the stage for a grander canvas than most musicals can afford. One caveat though is the studio-based work looks blatantly obvious, particularly when sequences move from location to studio, highlighting the differences between the natural beauty of the island and the harsh, blue-screen work of the studio. This is perhaps the only technical down-side to Phyllida Lloyd’s direction in that these transitions were not done particularly well.

ABBA songs are inherently catchy, and you would have heard them at one time or another. Almost all of their hits, and certainly all of their very well known hits are sung with much sincerity, passion and enthusiasm by an energetic cast. Meryl Streep leads the way, proving that she is very talented singer as well as an actress. Amanda Seyfried, although a little over the top in the acting department does a magnificent job singing some of the tougher songs. The men even have a good show, with only Pierce Brosnan looking odd at times, not handling the more theatrical aspects of the piece as well as the rest of the cast.

One of the nicest parts of this film is that the identity of the father is not actually revealed in the end because nobody knows. All three men decide to be a part of Sophie’s life with her consent, making way for a very happy, yet somewhat unconventional ending where everybody gets to live happily ever after, as befits a film of this type.

“Mamma Mia! The Movie” is corny but fun. The film is a must for all ABBA fans and/or musicals.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: The video transfer on this film is flawless, almost too good in a way as some of the studio-shot scenes are obviously apparent in the images compared to the location shoots. The colours, richness and contrast of the images are nonetheless excellent. It’s a shame that all of the movie was not shot on location as the images captured on the Greek Islands are magnificently captured and presented on this DVD. The audio is spot on, and it needed to be, and you will want to turn up the volume whenever the cast start belting out another one of the ABBA songs. This is an excellent transfer.

EXTRAS REVIEW: Given this is only a single disc release, this DVD is jam-packed full of quality extras that will give fans of this musical reason to cheer. There are a number of traditional extras such as documentaries on the making of the film, including explorations of the cast, origins of the stage show and film, coverage of the detailed choreography and voice training required of the cast and a look inside ABBA itself and why they became such a big phenomenon. There are a number of deleted scenes, including one musical number which was cut, a few minutes of hilarious out-takes, and a music video sung by the cast of “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” The director’s commentary is insightful and very informative, containing very little silence or pauses. The cherry on top however is a nice karaoke function that is embedded in to the film where you can sing-a-long with the characters as they perform the songs in the film. This is a fantastic collection of extras, all the more impressive that they were all somehow squeezed on to one disc.

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it.