Film Review/Preview: 'Mamma Mia!'

By Alex Ostroumoff

If you’re in the mood for senseless dancing, uncontrollable belting and hysterical crying, then Mamma Mia! may just be the right movie for you. Catch up—before the sequel hits theaters this summer—with this heart-throbbing romantic comedy about a young girl, Sophie Sheridan, who is longing to find her father before she gets married.

Set on the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi, the movie begins as Sophie greets her bridesmaids, explaining that she has a secret: she discovered her mother, Donna’s, diary from around the time that she was conceived. The diary includes salacious details about her mother’s affairs with three men during the summer of her conception. Sophie gets the brilliant idea to invite all three potential fathers to her wedding, thinking that as soon as she meets them, she is going to know who her father really is. Big mistake.

The movie is filled with amazing beach scenes with the beautiful Dominic Cooper, who plays Sophie’s fiancé, Sky. The colors of each scene brighten the mood immediately, paired with songs from the brilliant band ABBA, including the eponymous song “Mamma Mia,” “Take a Chance on Me” and “Dancing Queen.” The songs seriously make me want to get up, rip my clothes off and dance in the rain. I watch this movie way too much to just dance.

Recently, the trailer for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was released, and you better believe that I will be at the premiere. The new movie has all of the same characters, except for Meryl Streep (there are rumors that Streep isn’t in the movie but there has also been speculation that she is).

The sequel tells the story of young Donna and her friends, along with her relationships during the summer she conceived Sophie. This movie ought to be good because, although the first movie is amazing, I have been longing for these answers—I’ve wanted to know the actual details of her relationships with all three men for a while.

Another great feature of the sequel is simply the fact that Cher is in it, who plays Sophie’s grandmother. This is also a much-discussed topic among viewers, because Donna briefly mentions that her mother was a stickler in the first movie. But come on: Cher? What more could I ask for in a movie? Check it out on July 20, when it makes its way to theaters and back into the hearts of all its adoring viewers.