Mamma Mia!
Dir: Phyllida Lloyd
2008
*
The popularity of 2008's Mama Mia! is beyond me. It is one of the worst films I have ever seen and I absolutely detest it. The acting is awful, the singing is dreadful, the story is pitiful, the structure and how they work the songs into the script is laughable (if not completely baffling) and everyone shouts and runs and jumps... Stop it!! It seems these days that if you've got a crap film to make you make it in Greece because people won't notice as the scenery is so beautiful it will distract from all the negatives. Someone's laughing, someone's urinating Pina Coladas and lighting their cigarettes with £50 notes on a tropical beach somewhere because great cinema viewing public will watch just about anything. If you like Abba, buy their CD's, if you like dancing go to a disco, just don't buy into this awful excuse for a film. Many have cited Catherine Johnson (who wrote the musical the film is based on) as a ex-punk sell out, which is a little harsh but I understand where they are coming from. She has written some amazing productions but I'm afraid Mama Mia! reeks of an easy success at the expense of the West End. Now Theatre land is full of tacky musicals based on rubbish films and the death of creativity looms.