DVD Review: Mamma Mia!: 2 Disc Special Edition

TV Show Info:
Writer: Catherine Johnson
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Cast: Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, Dominic Cooper
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Universal Studios

Release Info:
Theatrical Release Date: July 18, 2008
DVD Release Date: December 16, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $22.99

Long has the time passed since musicals were made on a regular basis. In the 1960s and 1970s, many of Broadway’s top shows were converted into film sensations. Some were highly successful, like the beloved classic, The Sound of Music. Others, weren’t quite as successful and were more corn fed than anything. So, in this day in age, it’s rare to see a full fledged musical adapted to movie.

I’d never seen Mamma Mia! on or off Broadway. I used to be in the scene, being a former theatre geek, who also happens to know how to sing. I just never got to see this show. That being said, I was both apprehensive and nervous about seeing this movie. First, most of the cast is made up of actors I respect. C’mon Meryl Streep and Bootstrap Bill in the same movie? How cool! Second, who knew if any of them could sing or not? Singing is kind of important in a musical, after all.

I’ll be honest, the singing is a bit hit or miss. There are a few cringe worthy moments, especially for Pierce Brosnan. No offense to Pierce. I liked him as Sam, but I wish they would have had someone else sing for him. During certain songs when he is singing solo, it sounds like he has a chicken bone stuck in his throat and he’s trying to regurgitate it as he sings.

Seriously, Pierce should have had someone sing for him. I can only blame the director for this one. Of course, while I spent a few moments cringing, it wasn’t so bad it ruined this energetic, fun movie for me. On the contrary, I quite enjoyed it. I just recommend putting on the subtitles while he sings and buying earplugs, just so you don’t get embarrassed (for him) listening to his garbling.

The biggest surprise for me was the fact that the gorgeous, talented Amanda Seyfried has an amazingly angelic voice. I love her on Big Love and also loved in Mean Girls. From the first strains of “I Have a Dream”, until the closing credits, Amanda impressed me greatly. As a trained vocalist, who is quite picky about singing, I don’t know what her critics are talking about when they say her singing “needs work”. In fact, next to veterans, Julie Walters and Christine Baranski (both of whom have beautiful voices) Amanda is the best, most consistent vocalist in this movie.

That’s not to say that Meryl Streep wasn’t excellent. In certain songs, especially “The Winner Takes It All”, Meryl shows a robust musical palette. In fact, I like Meryl as a belter, more than as a casual, pop style singer. Her voice is the strongest in those belting moments and she far surpasses expectations of how magnificent her singing is. By the same token, there are moments where she strains her voice and some songs just aren’t suited for her range. Still, her performance in this movie, as an actress especially, is nothing short of brilliant.

While I’m on the topic of vocal prowess, how about Colin Firth? What a pleasantly British, almost choir-angelic voice he has! He was the best singer of the older men, and while it’s pretty obvious he’s not a professional singer, I still enjoyed hearing him sing “Our Last Summer.” Speaking of men, Dominic Cooper, an unknown to me prior to this movie, has a swell voice. He’s the best male vocalist overall and he rocks it with Amanda Seyfried. While most of these actors aren’t professional singers, some of them sure convinced me that it is time for them to sign a record deal!

The Mamma Mia! Plot
Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is getting married on Skopelos, the Greek island where she grew up. There, she lives with her mother, Donna Sheridan (Meryl Streep) and helps her run her mother’s hotel resort, Villa Donna. At the beginning of the movie, Sophie is mailing out three invitations to her wedding. She is nervous and hopeful, as she puts the invitations into the mail and she sings the song “I Have a Dream” to reflect her hopeful nature for these invites.

The next day, Sophie meets her best friends, Ali (Ashley Lilley) and Lisa (Rachel McDowall), who are also her bridesmaids, at the dock. She is excited, as she tells them she has found her mother’s journal from the year she was pregnant with her. The girls are shocked to learn that three possible men could be Sophie’s  father, and Sophie has invited all of them to the wedding, without telling Donna she knows any of this or what she’s done.

The three possible fathers are Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan), a businessman who Donna fell in love with, until he returned to England because he was engaged to another woman, who he planned to marry. Devastated, Donna met an intriguing man who is now a banker named, Harry Bright (Colin Firth). Harry wasn’t Sam, but he was exciting enough to take her mind off of her lost love. After Harry, Donna fell for a rebellious wanderer, Bill Austin (Stellan Skarsgard). The hardcore romance fizzled and Donna ended up pregnant. Whenever Sophie has asked in the past about her father, Donna only tells Sophie the man was her summer love, but truthfully Donna doesn’t know who Sophie’s father is.

Sophie has shocked her friends, but there isn’t much time for exploring this, since her wedding to Sky (Dominic Cooper), who helps run the hotel with Sophie and Donna, is the next day. Donna’s two best friends, Tonya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie (Julie Walters), show up to help with the wedding preparations. They used to be Donna’s bandmates (Donna and the Dynamos). The chemistry between these three actresses is remarkable, and you can believe they are all best friends outside this movie.

It isn’t long after this that Sam, Harry, and Bill arrive, on Harry’s boat. They’ve all missed the last ferry to the island, so Harry takes them across on his yacht. None of them know their true purpose in coming to Sophie’s wedding; that they might be her father. When they arrive, Sophie tries valiantly to keep them hidden from Donna. She also is upset, because she thought she’d know her father when she saw him, but she doesn’t. Thus begins the hilarity, as Sophie tries to keep the men from Donna and Sky from finding out what she’s done before she can tell him herself.

Mamma Mia! is silly in many parts. There are some laugh out loud moments, and the music is ABBA inspired pop-goodness. Seriously, this high energy movie can’t keep anyone depressed for long. While there are a few choice flaws to this movie, particularly where the singing occurs for Pierce, and the excitement levels are at the beginning (seriously, do women really act that way when they get together?!), the overall, campy, gooey-ness makes the musical lover in me all squishy soft.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Overall Singing:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
You’d expect Mamma Mia! to have this magical quality visually and this is just emphasized by the soft, ethereal quality to the film’s video. Mamma Mia! is presented in a 2.40:1, anamorphic widescreen format. The outdoor location is stunning and it shows up that way in the presentation. While colors are vibrant, the level of saturation suffers during indoor scenes, and the black levels do not have as much depth as they should. The outdoor moments are spectacular, though the transfer has minor compression errors. There aren’t really any other visual problems, but for a new, feature film, the transfer was slightly disappointing.

A musical relies heavily on its score, so the audio is one of the most important elements of a film like this. The English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track suits this movie. It’s robust, vibrant, and energetic, with a full-bodied track and extensive use of the speakers, and all the various sound channels. There is an English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, a Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and a French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track, also included. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish, and French.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
This is a two disc special edition, for Mamma Mia!, so that means there are a few more bonuses included then in the regular release for the movie. The first disc offers only what is available on the single disc release of the movie. It features a Sing-Along option with On-Screen Lyrics for all 22 Musical Numbers (sing along as you watch the movie in this karaoke style feature), a Deleted Musical Number: “The Name Of The Game” (which featured Bill and Sophie bonding, but is not the best vocal number out there), and a Feature Commentary with Director Phyllida Lloyd.

The commentary is okay, but not the best I’ve heard. It’s a bit dry and boring, which isn’t at all acceptable for a film of this extraordinarily exuberant nature. There is a lot of information about the production, problems it had, and the goals of making this musical into a movie. While film buffs might like this, the average person is going to find it a bit stale for their tastes. Well…at least if they are anything like me.

The second disc is chocked full of even more bonus features. Here is a list and description of everything included on the second disc.

“The Making of Mamma Mia!” – This standard making of featurette comes in at just under a half hour in length. It features interviews, a look into the making of process and a back story/history of this movie production. Fans of ABBA will enjoy the interview with Benny Andersson. This could have been much longer and more in depth, but for what it offers, there is some good stuff here.

“Outtakes” – There is less than two minutes worth of outtakes. I love outtakes, and these are pretty funny.

“Deleted Scenes” – Nearly ten minutes of deleted material is included. There is more information presented on Sky, Sam, Harry, and Bill, all of which has been cut. Other than that, nothing of real importance has been included in this section. I guess that’s why these scenes were deleted.

“Anatomy of a Musical Number: ‘Lay All Your Love on Me’” – One of the biggest numbers in the movie, the musical number is gone over in this short featurette. You’ll get to see what went into filming this number.

“Becoming a Singer” – One of the best, most enjoyable features on this DVD, this featurette is over ten minutes long. It looks at the recording of the movie’s score. It features a look at the actors, most of whom aren’t professional singers. Very interesting stuff here!

“Behind the Scenes with Amanda” – This is shot home video style. It takes you behind the scenes with Amanda Seyfried. It’s a bit silly and pointless, but still rather fun.

“On Location in Greece” – The big dance numbers took place in a sound stage not in Greece. This feature looks into filming in Greece and how to replicate the location on a sound stage.

“A Look Inside Mamma Mia!” – This explores, briefly, ABBA and the band’s legacy. This should have been MUCH longer.

“‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!’ Music Video” – This video features Amanda Seyfried.

“Bjorn Ulvaeus Cameo” – A short look into Bjorn, the other half of ABBA that helped to produce this movie.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
Mamma Mia! is a surprisingly fun film. If you can get past the minor glitches that make the movie less than perfect, you will truly enjoy this movie. With a great story, some of ABBA’s best song, and a great cast, many of whom are decent singers, the movie comes together as a poignant, comedy filled movie, that just might brighten
your day.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Mamma Mia, DVD Review, Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, musical, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters

If you like this site, Donate to help keep us going!

---------------------
Written by Dominick - Visit Website
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.