When you hear that a movie adaptation of a West End stage musical is being produced and will contain non-stop ABBA hits, you either shout with enjoyment, or frown with annoyance. This reviewer did neither, she held her head up high, kept an open mind and I am incredibly glad that I did.
With a cast of many familiar faces and a few new ones, this film provides moments that can only be described as tingles through the soul, sensations that make you shed a tear and songs that make your mouth drop and you skip a breath.
The films plot is quite well known. Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) lives on a small Greek Island with her mother (Meryl Streep) running a hotel. With the wedding to her fiancé (Dominic Cooper) getting closer, like most girls, she wants her father there to give her away. The question is, who is her father, as it has always been kept a secret. After a quick peek in her mother’s old diary, Sophie comes to realise that there are a possible three suspects; Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Harry (Colin Firth) and Bill (Stellan Skarsgård). To find out which one it is, she invites all three to the wedding. With none of them knowing anything about each other, or her for that matter, you can guess things are not going to go as planned.
One of the main aspects that I found to be of great importance and an amazing feature are the relationships that play out though the film. Sophie begins desperate to know her true identity by learning who her father is, but by the end this doesn’t seem such an important aspect. On the reveres side, her mother’s determination to be alone changes when she gets told some home truths.
When you hear that stars such as Pierce Brosnan, Meryl Streep and Colin Firth among others are going to be in a flick where they are going to sing ABBA songs you wonder whether they can pull it off. The answer is a very big YES. The most amazing thing though isn’t the vocal chord of such actors, but the facts that the methods and places in the film where the tracks are used are remarkable. Take for example the presence of ‘Money, Money, Money’ when the diminished hotel is mentioned, or ‘Lay All Your Love on Me’ when Sky and Sophie are getting romantic. The way each of the tracks settles within a specific section of the film is precise and fits like icing on a cake.
You will be amazed and touched when you are watching this breath taker of a flick. Watch out for the hidden presence of Benny and Bjorn in uncredited roles. I wont give two much away but see if you can catch them.
Michelle Moore