Mamma Mia! the Movie

Mamma Mia! the film, released in 2008, is probably among my favorite musicals in existence. Sophie, played by Amanda Seyfried, is a week away from her wedding when she finds her mother’s diary from around the year she was born, which contains three possible men that could be her father. She invites all three men to the Greek island where her mother owns an inn for her wedding. For the sake of the plot all three show up simultaneously, unbeknownst to her mom. Considering her history with each of them and having not seen them in 20 plus years raises some issues. Sophie ends up getting to know each of them and tells them why they were invited the night before the wedding.

I absolutely love the energy in this movie. The scenery is stunning. The music (which the movie was actually written around rather than the traditional other way around) fits seamlessly with the plot. I love the contrast between characters; each character is so unique and has their own growth and development. I think the switch of what type of love is prominent in the movie is beautiful; it changes from being primarily about romantic love to the love of a father (or three). The end of the movie is so poetic and the three men agree not to get a DNA test because they would all rather be part of her life than risk losing her. My only complaint about this movie is that she calls off the wedding during the service, and personally I thought there was not enough build up. It was a weird plot twist that felt out of place. After that her mom uses the already decorated and planned wedding to marry one of the men who came back, and it’s kind of strange that no one seems to be bothered that Sophie just changed her mind at the drop of a hat.