Mamma Mia! (film)

Mamma Mia!
Promotional poster
Directed by	Phyllida Lloyd
Produced by	Judy Cramer Gary Goetzman
Screenplay by	Catherine Johnson
Based on	Mamma Mia! by Catherine Johnson
Starring	Meryl Streep Amanda Seyfried Pierce Brosnan Colin Firth Stellan Skarsgård Dominic Cooper Julie Walters Christine Baranski
Music by	Benny Andersson (score) Benny Andersson Björn Ulvaeus Original Music by ABBA
Cinematography	Haris Zambarloukos
Editing by	Lesley Walker
Studio	Playtone
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	June 30, 2008 (2008-06-30) (United Kingdom) July 18, 2008 (2008-07-18) (United States)
Running time	109 minutes
Country	United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Budget	$52 million
Box office	$609,841,637[1]

Mamma Mia! (promoted as Mamma Mia! The Movie) is a 2008 musical/romantic comedy film adapted from the 1999 West End/2001 Broadway musical of the same name, based on the songs of successful pop group ABBA, with additional music composed by ABBA member Benny Andersson. Distributed by Universal Pictures in partnership with Tom Hanks' and Rita Wilson's Playtone and Littlestar,^[2] the title originates from ABBA's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia". Meryl Streep heads the cast, 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).

It eventually became the third highest-grossing musical film since 1974 (domestically).^[3]

Plot

On a Greek island called Kalokairi, 20-year-old bride-to-be Sophie Sheridan posts three wedding invitations ("I Have a Dream") to different men, who set off for the wedding.

Sophie's bridesmaids and best friends, Ali and Lisa, arrive before the wedding. Sophie reveals that she found her mother's diary and learned she has three possible fathers: New York-based Irish architect Sam Carmichael, Swedish adventurer and writer Bill Andersson, and British banker Harry Bright. She invited them without telling her mother, believing that after she spends time with them she will know who her father is ("Honey, Honey"). Villa owner Donna Sheridan is ecstatic to reunite with her former bandmates, wisecracking author Rosie and wealthy multiple divorcée Tanya, and reveals her bafflement at her daughter's desire to get married. Donna shows off the villa, rumored to be built on the legendary fountain of Aphrodite, and explains her precarious finances to Rosie and Tanya ("Money, Money, Money"). The three men arrive, and Sophie smuggles them to their room and explains that she, not her mother, sent the invitations. She begs them to hide so Donna will have a surprise at the wedding: seeing the old friends of whom she "so often" favorably speaks. They overhear Donna working (humming "Fernando") and swear to Sophie they will not reveal her secret.

Donna spies them and is dumbfounded to find herself facing former lovers she could never forget ("Mamma Mia"), and is adamant that they leave. She confides in Tanya and Rosie ("Chiquitita") a secret she has kept from everyone — she is uncertain which of the three men is Sophie's father. Tanya and Rosie rally her spirits by getting Donna to dance with the female staff and islanders ("Dancing Queen"). Sophie finds the men aboard Bill's yacht, and they sail around Kalokairi ("Our Last Summer") and tell stories of Donna as a carefree girl. Sophie musters up the courage to speak with her fiancé Sky about her ploy, but loses her nerve. Sky and Sophie sing to each other ("Lay All Your Love on Me"), but are interrupted when Sky is snatched for his bachelor party.

At Sophie's hen party, Donna, Tanya and Rosie perform 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 talk with each of her three prospective dads alone. While her girlfriends dance with the men ("Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"), Sophie learns from Bill that Donna received the money to invest in her villa from his great aunt Sofia. Sophie guesses she must be Sofia's namesake and Bill is her father. She asks him to give her away and to keep their secret from Donna until the wedding. Sophie's 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 cannot tell them the truth and, overwhelmed by the consequences of her actions, faints.

In the morning, Rosie and Tanya reassure Donna they will take care of the men. On Bill's boat, Bill and Harry are about to confide in each other, but are interrupted by Rosie. Donna confronts Sophie in the courtyard, believing Sophie wants the wedding stopped. Sophie says that all she wants is to avoid her mother's mistakes and storms off. An upset Donna is accosted by Sam, concerned about Sophie getting married so young. Donna confronts him and both realize they still have feelings for each other ("SOS"). Down on the beach, Tanya and young Pepper continue their flirtations from the previous night ("Does Your Mother Know"). Sophie confesses to Sky and asks for his help. He reacts angrily to his fiancée's deception and Sophie turns to her mother for support. As Donna helps her daughter dress for the wedding, their rift is healed and Donna reminisces about Sophie's childhood and how quickly she has grown ("Slipping Through My Fingers"). Sophie asks Donna to give her away. As the bridal party walks to the chapel, Sam intercepts Donna and begs her to talk. She reveals the pain she felt over losing him ("The Winner Takes It All").

When Sophie and Donna are walking down the aisle, the band plays the tune of "Knowing Me, Knowing You". Donna tells Sophie that her father is present but he could be any of the three men, whom Sophie admits to inviting. Sam reveals that although he left to get married, he did not go through with it, and returned only to find Donna with another man. Harry confesses that Donna was the first and last woman he loved. The three men concur that they would be happy to be one-third of a father for Sophie. She tells Sky that they should postpone their wedding and travel the world as they have wanted. Sam proposes to Donna ("I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do"). She accepts and they are married. At the wedding reception, Sam sings to Donna ("When All Is Said and Done"), which prompts Rosie to make a play for Bill ("Take a Chance on Me"). All the couples present proclaim their love ("Mamma Mia" reprise), as their raucous dancing causes the ground to crack and erupt with water from the fountain of Aphrodite. Sophie and Sky bid farewell to Kalokairi and sail away ("I Have a Dream" reprise).

During the principal credits, Donna, Tanya and Rosie reprise "Dancing Queen", followed by "Waterloo" with the rest of the cast. Amanda Seyfried sings "Thank You for the Music" over the end credits.

Cast

• Meryl Streep as Donna Sheridan, Sophie's mother, owner of the hotel Villa Donna, and wife of Sam at the end. She is also Rosie and Tanya's best friend.^[4]
• Amanda Seyfried as Sophie Sheridan, Donna's daughter and Sky's fiancée.^[5]
• Pierce Brosnan as Sam Carmichael, Sophie's possible father, husband to Donna, and an Irish-American architect.^[6]
• Colin Firth as Harry Bright, Sophie's possible father and an English banker; based on "Our Last Summer", which he sings at one point.
• Stellan Skarsgård as Bill Anderson, Sophie's possible father, a Swedish sailor and travel writer.
• Dominic Cooper as Sky, Sophie's fiancé, designing a website for the hotel.
• Julie Walters as Rosie Mulligan, one of Donna's former bandmates in Donna and the Dynamos; an unmarried fun-loving author.
• Christine Baranski as Tanya Wilkinson(?), Donna's other former bandmate; a rich three-time divorcee.
• Philip Michael as Pepper, Sky's best man who likes Tanya. He is also a bartender.
• Ashley Lilley as Ali, close friend of Sophie and her bridesmaid.
• Rachel McDowall as Lisa, close friend of Sophie and her bridesmaid.
• Enzo Squillino as Gregoris, one of Donna Sheridan's employees.
• Niall Buggy as Father Alex, priest who nearly married Sophie and Sky, but ends up marrying Sam and Donna.

Cameo appearances

• Benny Andersson as Piano player
• Björn Ulvaeus as Greek god
• Rita Wilson as Greek goddess

Musical numbers

See also: Mamma Mia! The Movie Soundtrack

The following songs are included in the film, of which 17 are on the soundtrack album:

1. "I Have a Dream" - Sophie
2. "Honey, Honey" - Sophie, Ali and Lisa
3. "Money, Money, Money" - Donna, Tanya, Rosie and Greek Chorus
4. "Mamma Mia" - Donna, Sophie, Ali, Lisa and Greek Chorus
5. "Chiquitita" - Rosie, Tanya and Donna
6. "Dancing Queen" - Tanya, Rosie, Donna, Greek Chorus and Company
7. "Our Last Summer" - Harry, Bill, Sam and Sophie
8. "Lay All Your Love on Me" - Sky, Sophie, Sky's Bachelor party friends.
9. "Super Trouper" - Donna, Tanya and Rosie
10. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" - Sophie, Donna, Tanya, Rosie, Ali, Lisa and Greek Chorus
11. "The Name of the Game" - Sophie (deleted scene)
12. "Voulez-Vous " - Donna, Sam, Tanya, Rosie, Harry, Bill, Sky, Ali, Lisa and Pepper
13. "SOS" - Sam, Donna and Greek Chorus
14. "Does Your Mother Know" - Tanya, Pepper, Guys and Girls
15. "Slipping Through My Fingers" - Donna and Sophie
16. "The Winner Takes It All" - Donna
17. "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" - Sam, Donna and Company
18. "When All Is Said and Done" - Sam, Donna and Company
19. "Take a Chance on Me" - Rosie, Bill, Tanya, Pepper and Harry
20. "Mamma Mia!" (Reprise) - Company
21. "I Have a Dream" (Reprise) - Sophie
22. "Dancing Queen" (Reprise) - Donna, Rosie and Tanya
23. "Waterloo" - Donna, Rosie, Tanya, Sam, Bill, Harry, Sky and Sophie
24. "Thank You for the Music" - Sophie

Production

Most of the filming was done on the small Greek island of Skopelos (during August/September 2007),^[7] and the seaside hamlet of Damouchari in the Pelion area of Greece. On Skopelos, Kastani beach on the south west coast was the film's main location site.^[7] The producers built a beach bar and jetty along the beach, but removed them both when they left.^[7]

The part of the film where Brosnan's character, Sam, leaves his New York office to go to the Greek Island was actually filmed at the iconic Lloyd's Building on Lime Street in the City of London. He dashes down the escalators and through the porte-cochere, where yellow cabs and actors representing New York mounted police were used for authenticity.^[8]

The "Fernando" Bill Anderson's beautiful yacht (actually a ketch) in the film was the Tai-Mo-Shan built in 1934 by H. S. Rouse at the Hong Kong and Whampoa dockyards.^[9][10]

Streep had taken opera singing lessons as a child, and as an adult, she had previously sung in several films, including Postcards from the Edge, Silkwood, Death Becomes Her, and A Prairie Home Companion.^[11]

Release

ABBA appeared together with the film's cast in 2008.

Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog joined Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson at the Swedish premiere of the film, held at the Rival Theatre in Mariatorget, Stockholm, owned by Andersson, on July 4, 2008. It was the first time all four members of ABBA had been photographed together since 1986.^[12]

Reception

Mamma Mia! received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 53% of critics gave the film positive reviews based upon a sample of 168 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10.^[13] The Times gave it four stars out of five,^[14] as did Channel 4 which said it had "all the swing and sparkle of sequined bell-bottoms."^[15] BBC Radio 5 Live's film critic Mark Kermode admitted to enjoying the film, despite describing the experience as 'the closest you get to see A-List actors doing drunken karaoke'.^[16] The Guardian was more negative, giving it one star, stating that the film gave the reviewer a "need to vomit",^[17] while Bob Chipman of Escape to the Movies said it was "so base, so shallow and so hinged on meaningless spectacle, it's amazing it wasn't made for men".^[18] The Daily Telegraph stated that it was enjoyable but poorly put together ("Finding the film a total shambles was sort of a shame, but I have a sneaking suspicion I'll go to see it again anyway."),^[19] whereas Empire said it was "cute, clean, camp fun, full of sunshine and toe tappers."^[20]

The casting of actors not noted for their singing abilities led to some mixed reviews. Variety stated that "some stars, especially the bouncy and rejuvenated Streep, seem better suited for musical comedy than others, including Brosnan and Skarsgård."^[21] Brosnan, especially, was savaged by many critics: his singing was compared to "a water buffalo" (New York Magazine),^[22] "a donkey braying" (The Philadelphia Inquirer)^[23] and "a wounded raccoon" (The Miami Herald),^[24] and Matt Brunson of Creative Loafing Charlotte said he "looks physically pained choking out the lyrics, as if he's being subjected to a prostate exam just outside of the camera's eye."^[25]

Box office

As of April 6, 2009, Mamma Mia! has grossed a worldwide total of $602,609,487 and is the fifth highest-grossing film of 2008.^[1] It is also the most successful British-made film of all time,^[26][27][28] as well as being the highest-grossing film of all time at the UK box office, eclipsing the record previously held by Titanic on December 16, 2008, some 20 weeks after the film's original release, until Avatar broke the record.^[29] This is not adjusted for inflation.^[30] It eventually became the highest grossing musical of all-time in terms of worldwide gross. It is the third highest-grossing film of 2008 internationally (i.e., outside North America) with an international total of $458,479,424 and the thirteenth highest gross of 2008 in North America (the US and Canada) with $144,130,063.

In the United Kingdom, Mamma Mia! has grossed £69,166,087 as of January 23, 2009, and is the fourth highest grossing film of all time at the UK box office (behind Avatar, Toy Story 3, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2).^[31] The film opened at #1 in the U.K, taking £6,594,058 on 496 screens. It managed to hold onto the top spot for 2 weeks, narrowly keeping Pixar's WALL-E from reaching #1 in its second week.

When released on July 3 in Greece, the film grossed $1,602,646 in its opening weekend, ranking #1 at the Greek box office.^[32]

The film made $9,627,000 in its opening day in the United States and Canada, and $27,605,376 in its opening weekend, ranking #2 at the box office, behind The Dark Knight.^[33] At the time, it made Mamma Mia! the record-holder for the highest grossing opening weekend for a movie musical, surpassing Hairspray's box office record in 2007.

Awards and nominations

• Golden Globe Awards^[34]
  • Best Motion Picture: Comedy or Musical Nominated
  • Best Actress in a Motion Picture: Comedy or Musical (Meryl Streep) Nominated

• BAFTA Awards^[35]
  • Outstanding British Film Nominated
  • The Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer for their First Feature Film (Judy Craymer) Nominated
  • Outstanding Music (Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus) Nominated ANS WAS STUPID AND CRAZY

Sequel

Because of the film's financial success, Hollywood studio chief David Linde, the co-chairman of Universal Studios told The Daily Mail that it would take a while, but there could be a sequel. He stated that he would be delighted if Judy Craymer, Catherine Johnson, Phyllida Lloyd, Benny Andersson, and Björn Ulvaeus agreed to the project, noting that there are still plenty of ABBA songs to use.^[36]

Home media

On November 24, Mamma Mia! became the fastest-selling DVD of all time in the UK, according to Official UK Charts Company figures. It sold 1,669,084 copies on its first day of release, breaking the previous record (held by Titanic) by 560,000 copies. By the end of 2008, The Official UK Charts Company declared it had become the biggest selling DVD ever in the UK, with one in every four households owning a copy (over 5 million copies sold).^[37] The record was previously held by Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl with sales of 4.7 million copies.

In the United States the DVD made over $30 million on its first day of release.^[38]

By December 31, 2008, Mamma Mia! had become the best-selling DVD of all time in Sweden with 545,000 copies sold.^[39]

1-disc features

• Sing-along
• "The Name of the Game" deleted musical number
• Audio commentary with director Phyllida Lloyd

The single-disc DVD released in Sweden on 26 November contains all of the following:

• Sing-along
• "The Name of the Game" deleted musical number
• Deleted scenes
• Outtakes
• The Making of Mamma Mia! featurette
• Anatomy of a Musical Number: "Lay All Your Love on Me"
• Becoming a Singer featurette
• A look inside Mamma Mia! featurette
• "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" music video
• Björn Ulvaeus cameo
• Audio commentary with director Phyllida Lloyd
• German and English audio
• Subtitles in English, German, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish

2-disc special edition

The widescreen single-disc includes a bonus disc which includes:

• Limited time only digital copy
• Deleted scenes
• Outtakes
• The Making of Mamma Mia! featurette
• Anatomy of a Musical Number: "Lay All Your Love on Me"
• Becoming a Singer featurette
• Behind the scenes with Amanda
• On Location in Greece featurette
• A Look Inside Mamma Mia! featurette
• "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" music video
• Björn Ulvaeus cameo

Blu-ray exclusives

• Universal Pictures' U-Control^[40]
• Behind the Hits (details and trivia of the music while the musical performance plays)
• Picture-in-picture (access to cast and crew interviews and behind the scene while the movie plays)

Comic Relief satire

The BBC's 2009 Red Nose Day special for Comic Relief featured a 10-minute satire of Mamma Mia. The short starred Jennifer Saunders and her long-time collaborators, Dawn French and Joanna Lumley, as Donna, Rosie, and Tanya, respectively. Sienna Miller appeared as Sophie. While the opening credits listed Saunders and French's characters as Meryl Streep and Julie Walters, rather than the character names, Lumley's portrayal of Tanya was described in dialogue and the opening credits as "Patsy" whom she played opposite Saunders in Absolutely Fabulous. The three possible fathers appear only momentarily in a spoof of their introduction to Sophie: Phillip Glenister is dressed and credited as Pierce Brosnan but references Colin Firth's joking reference to Brosnan by saying "I'm Bond," while Alan Carr is credited as Colin Firth and introduces himself, "I'm Darcy," referencing his parts in both Pride and Prejudice and the two Bridget Jones films, and a swede is credited as "the Swede". A recurring theme is awkward transitions into the songs.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Mamma Mia! (2008)". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=mammamia.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-05. 
2. ^ "Mamma Mia! (2008) - Company Credits". IMDb.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0795421/companycredits. Retrieved 2008-04-05. 
3. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=musical.htm
4. ^ Gans, Andrew (2007-01-11). "Playbill News: Meryl Streep to Star in Mamma Mia! Film". Playbill. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/104803.html. Retrieved 2008-03-09. 
5. ^ "Amanda Seyfried". Imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1086543/. Retrieved 2009-01-17. 
6. ^ "Brosnan set for Abba show movie". BBC. 2007-03-07. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6428471.stm. Retrieved 2008-03-09. 
7. ^ ^{a b c} Mansfield, Paul (2008-07-15). "Mamma Mia! - Unfazed by the fuss in Skopelos". London: The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/artsandculture/2229868/Mamma-Mia---Unfazed-by-the-fuss-in-Skopelos.html. Retrieved May 12, 2010. 
8. ^ description of London locations, accessed 28 August 2009.
9. ^ "45’ Teak Ketch 1933. Yacht for sale from classic yacht broker in Poole". Sandeman Yacht brokerage Poole. Sandeman Yacht Company. http://www.sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk/details/?id=233. Retrieved 2009-09-28. 
10. ^ "Tai-Mo-Shan". Coburg Yacht Brokers website. Coburg Yacht Brokers. http://www.coburgbrokers.com/tai.html. Retrieved 2009-09-28. 
11. ^ Hiscock, John (2008-07-04). "Meryl Streep the singing and dancing queen". London: The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/07/04/bfmeryl104.xml. Retrieved May 12, 2010. 
12. ^ Sandra Wejbro (2008-07-04). "ABBA återförenades på röda mattan (Swedish)". Aftonbladet. http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesliv/film/article2836959.ab. Retrieved 2008-07-06. 
13. ^ "Mamma Mia! Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes. http://rottentomatoes.com/m/mamma_mia/. Retrieved 2008-07-18. 
14. ^ Times Online
15. ^ Channel 4 review
16. ^ BBC 5 Live Kermode and Mayo Film Review
17. ^ Guardian Review
18. ^ [1]
19. ^ Telegraph review
20. ^ Empire review
21. ^ Variety Review
22. ^ New York Magazine, New York Movies
23. ^ Philadelphia Inquirer Movie Review, July 18, 2008
24. ^ Miami Herald Movies, July 18, 2008
25. ^ Charlotte Film Reviews, July 23, 2008
26. ^ [2] Official Abba website
27. ^ Digital Spy
28. ^ The Telegraph Online
29. ^ Avatar beats Mamma Mia's UK box office record
30. ^ "Mamma Mia! beats UK cinema record". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/default.stm.+December 16, 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7785345.stm. Retrieved 2008-12-16. 
31. ^ "UK all time top grossing films". 25thframe.co.uk. http://www.25thframe.co.uk/chartspagetemplate.php?source=ukboxoffice. Retrieved 2008-12-24. 
32. ^ "Greece Box Office Index". Box Office Mojo. June 10, 2008. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/greece/. Retrieved 2008-06-10. 
33. ^ "Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. July 19, 2008. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=mammamia.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-19. 
34. ^ HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION 2008 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS NOMINATIONS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2008
35. ^ 2009 BAFTA Film Awards
36. ^ "Baz Bamigboye on a possible Mamma Mia sequel, Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio and much more". Mail Online. 2008-10-17. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1078332/Baz-Bamigboye-possible-Mamma-Mia-sequel-Kate-Winslet-Leonardo-DiCaprio-more.html. Retrieved 2010-01-17. 
37. ^ Hollywood Reporter - Mamma Mia now biggest selling DVD in UK history
38. ^ MAMMA MIA! DVD Takes In 30 Million In First Day Of Sales
39. ^ http://nyheterna.se/1.799701/
40. ^ "Updated: Mamma Mia! Offers a Blu-ray First, Details Announced | HDR TheHDRoom". Thehdroom.com. 2008-10-29. http://www.thehdroom.com/news/Updated_Mamma_Mia_Offers_a_Blu-ray_First_Details_Announced/3561. Retrieved 2009-01-17. 

External links

• Official website
• Mamma Mia! at the Internet Movie Database
• Mamma Mia! at AllRovi
• Mamma Mia! at Box Office Mojo
• Mamma Mia! at Rotten Tomatoes
• Mamma Mia! at Metacritic
• Mamma Mia! production notes