MovieChat Forums > Mamma Mia! (2008) Discussion > The Best of the not so good Musicals

The Best of the not so good Musicals


This movie is truly odd.

1. The music is excellent. As a long ABBA fan, I just loved all the songs.

2. There are no choreographies. They just moved around and dance a little bit.

2. Is not a traditional musical. The pre-made songs are fit into the story, sometimes awkwardly.

3. The chronology is off. Although the actual Musical play has been eliminating this goofs.

4. The acting is not good, but is funny. They're having a good time and it shows.

5. The actors do their singing. They're not very good at that, although Streep and Seyfried are fair enough.

6. The scenery in Greece is just gorgeous.

7. The story is fun to watch, easy going with no melodrama attached.

8. The editing is choppy, the direction amateurish, and especially the lighting is awful, truly horrendous, like at the scenes outside of the hotel.

9. Not even close in cinematic quality to West Side Story, Moulin Rouge, The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins or Les Miserables.
But better than...High School Musical?

10. But...I love ABBA songs, I liked all the actors, the scenery, the fun story and somehow is just one of the most enjoyable musical films to watch.

So I have to give it a 10/10.

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I saw the play on Broadway first, so it always seems to follow that, for me, seeing the film never lives up to the first image burned in my memory. The same happened with Phantom, although the reviews for the film are pretty good (and I don't mind that film either).

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I saw the movie first, then I started going to the shows. I've seen it a few times, the last of the American tour here in Orange County. It's amazing how good the show is compared to the movie.

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agreed. the show is so much better than the film. i've seen it in the west end a few times and no matter who the cast is and never mind that the script is the same, it never fails to entertain me


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I watched the show in Toronto, long before the movie came out. Definitely, actors singing ABBA take away a lot from the original group. But still, people was getting up so often during the show, dancing and claping their hands, just because of the music and souvenirs. It was amazing...

My 10 years old daugther was with a friend of hers ( same age) at that time, and I was really touched the way she got hooked up into ABBA as well. 15 years later, she still loves them. And this means something for ABBA's herritage, I think.

Thank you for the music, guys...

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It absolutely sucks on every level.

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