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If one enjoyed “Mamma Mia!” back in 2008, “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again” has a little more, but also less to offer.
The additional cast members, longer duration, and new romantic interests are not new to the story. In essence, the sequel is a prequel that lacks depth. But sadly, it is lower in level than the previous one without the drama. There are additional plots, and for all the energy, it actually accomplishes nothing.
Mama Mia Here we “Grooved” again, fans are left wondering if the film relied too much on songs from ABBA and ‘post card’ settings on yet another beautiful Greek island. Mama Mia Here we go again was described as a light Swedish pastry with a side of Baklava, to some the idea sounds like a dream while to some it sounds like a headache and a soar jaw. What further gives the remake of the film ‘Mamma Mia’ more sinister undertones is that the recipes for dessert completely relied on information from the first film. Adding a cherry on top goes behind evolving APBA songs and attempting to incorporate them within the storyline, fans relish seeing strong chunky mid aged women bust some impressive dance moves while purposefully making a fool of themselves. Whilst augmenting the level of charm the recipe can satisfy the consumer’s demand will always remain a source of controversy. Throughout the film, there can be greatly repeated themes and messages rendering the viewer sweet but gritty.
Being a consumer has its own benefits as I can soak up not only watching, but also repeating joy like writing “I am incredibly uncomfortable now,” within my notes. There was a specific point I realized how wrong I was whilst writing my notes. Each emotional theme portrayed acted as an either bait or curse like “winner takes it all.” Streep’s portrayal pulls you in an emotional depth like no other and if again you wish to gaze at her performance and over listening to people argue why so, you will be left disappointed as these moments have directly been cut from the film.
Her mother has passed away, which explains Streep’s free spirited Donna’s absence. However, she is still around in dismal ways. Now, her daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is attempting to reopen the inn that her mother operated. The inn is now called Hotel Bella Donna and it is located on the same picturesque Greek island of Kalokairi where the first film was set. The writer director Parker (who also wrote the “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” movies) expertly weaves through time showing us Sophie anxiously preparing for a massive celebration while also revealing how her mother came to inhabit this isolated portion of land in the Egean Sea sometime in the late 70s, without any certainty regarding who the father of her child was.
In a stellar addition to the cast, Lily James portrays a young Donna who brings to life the character of a boisterous flower child with her high platform boots and curls all over her wild head. (The sunny side to James’ performance is one of the brightest spots in the film). We get introduced to the younger version of her best friends and jumpsuit clad background singers, Tanya and Rosie. To us, Wynn does a dead on impression as Tanya with Christine Baranski while Davies does Julie Walters’ Rosie impression instead. Not unlike the giddy flings Donna has the summer after college graduation, we get to see her flirt and fall in love with her college mates.
First up in our cast is the nervous Harry who is all about trying to charm her or at least pretending to with his broken French in Paris. Up next is the sexy Swede Bill who is portrayed by Josh Dylan, and woos her on the boat that carries her out to the island. When Sam the aspiring architect played by Jeremy Irvine finally comes, he is already enjoying a vacation on Kalokairi. Combine Firth, Skarsgard, and Brosnan together and they morph into Colin who ends up advertising ABBA songs in a delightfully miserable manner right around the time they will be grown up.
Yes, the ABBA songs. They were the icing on the cake that made the stage musical and the one of the blockbuster films a success. This time the best songs from the Swedish group from the 70’s that are played on repeat are: a “flotilla of fishermen singing and prancing to ‘Dancing Queen’” or the over the top finish joining the entire cast for ‘Super Trouper’. A bulk of the soundtrack is made up of the more obscure songs, and the unimaginative manner in which those songs are staged and choreographed seldom makes it easy for them to take off.
Once again, however, these performers are such pros they can’t fail to extract every drop of fun from the paltry material they have been given. Baranski and Walters in particular have crackling chemistry yet again. The sparks flew during the severely underused Firth, Skarsgard, and Brosnan’s antics as Sophie’s three fathers made me want to see them in something else. Anything else. A documentary where they have lunch on the porch in the sunshine of Greece, for instance.
And that’s when Chernobyl appears on the throne. It would seem that no matter where she is, this superstar goddess can never be shackled. But as Sophie’s always absent grandmother, Cher appears strangely subdued. It’s the oddity of the choreography: She just stands there and sings “Fernando.” Then she walks down a flight of stairs in a robotic manner to greet the person she is singing to. (Funny enough, Andy Garcia happens to play the caretaker of the hotel and his character is conveniently named Fernado.)
But for those willing to watch A list stars mercilessly attack catchy pop songs that are almost four decades old, in an eye-popping setting, who aren’t fans of love, and who just need a mindless summer getaway of their own might just enjoy “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.” Just don’t think and pass the ouzo.
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