Two daughters and three Broadway versions of “Mama Mia” later, I was reluctant to have to sit through the movie version on the big screen. But then I’m reminded of the success of “Chicago” and “HairSpray” and figure it can’t be too bad. Colorful scenery and energized actors from the get-go, this movie is capable of doing things that set-changes and curtain calls can’t accomplish. Not to mention, Meryl Streep in the lead role as Donna, Hollywood’s Oscar winning royalty, can be adorable, silly, dance, and even sing. If you’ve seen the show on stage, then you know what you’re in for, but if you live in the middle of North Dakota and will never make it to Manhattan, this might be just the ticket, in the story of a young woman, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) about to married but has one question…who’s your daddy? So she sends old-fashioned letters to three potential candidates from her mother’s love life past. Enter Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Stellan Skarsgaard as the three men who want to know the answer to the same question. Of course a simple DNA test would have solved the problem but then we wouldn’t have a movie that makes us want to jump in the aisles and join in the casts’ infectious enthusiasm. And when you’re tearing up in the sentimental moments, you’ll even be tempted – the minute the credits roll – to call your old, radical girlfriends from the disco days. That is if you’re old like me. Christine Baranski and Julie Waters do a fabulous job as Streep’s silly sidekicks. The musical ‘is what it is’, and it is: Three tiaras
