Posted: Thursday 20th November 2008

Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is marrying Skye (Dominic Cooper). As her wedding draws closer Sophie decides she wants to invite her father but the trouble is she has no idea who he is. After reading her mother Donna's (Meryl Streep) diary, Sophie narrows the identity of her father down to three men; Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Harry (Colin Firth) and Bill (Stellan Skarsgard). When the three men arrive on the Greek island where Donna runs her hotel, and Sophie is getting married, Sophie must keep them hidden from her mother until she figures out which one is her real father.

Mamma Mia is based on the hit musical of the same name. The stage version has become one of the most popular shows in history and plays every night to a packed audience. Interweaving the songs of Abba with a silly but engaging romantic comedy, Mamma Mia managed to translate into box office gold on it's release earlier this year. As the DVD release approaches, the movie is still showing in a number of cinemas across the country; some offering a song-a-long version.

The movie version of Mamma Mia captures the spirit of the stage show but it fails to capture the energy that accompanies the show every night on stage. The actors, with the exception of Pierce Brosnan, throw themselves into their roles with gusto. The singing abilites of the cast varies greatly with Amanda Seyfried and Meryl Streep being amongst the more capable and Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan being out of their depth. Brosnan in particular disappoints with his Michael Bolton-esque tones and wooden performance.

Amanda Seyfried is the movie's real star. She reinvents herself as Sophie and is a million miles away from the ditzy girl she played in modern classic Mean Girls. The camera loves her and she genuinely looks as if she is enjoying every moment infront of the camera.

Extras on the DVD are plentiful with a gag reel, behind-the-scenes footage, a music video and a musical number cut from the theatrical version of the movie. Obviously the one extra most people will enjoy is the sing-a-long option.

Mamma Mia isn't perfect and with stronger casting for certain roles it could have been even better. That having been said there's no denying how enjoyable the movie is and we guarantee that you'll want to rush out and buy Abba Gold once you've seen it. We still think the stage show is better but if you can't get to London to see the show then this movie is well worth your time and money.