Mamma Mia!

I’m not the target group, but I really didn’t expect fingernails on chalkboard. Brosnan is the only person to put on at least an ok performance (not his singing), the others just spend the time making faces. Streep really didn’t deserve this. A cruel, unsatisfying ending and incredibly dumb people. It reminds me of Czech movies. (20/05/2018)

Four amazing actors sold themselves out to a naïve script, a talentless director and a colorblind Greek director of photography. Even the slugs in Microcosmos were filmed in a more dynamic, interesting and original fashion than the dance numbers in this movie, which is just cheap, TV-like entertainment for non-discerning audiences. It is an embarrassment for the first-league Hollywood musical genre. (25/08/2008)

A well-known female film critic once wrote about this film that it is a crystalline kitsch, but so sweet and cute that it is simply impossible to be angry at it. This is where the poverty of film criticism manifests itself when almost all the reviews in newspapers and magazines are written by women, and gender bias inadvertently influences their reviews. I can only confirm that from my perspective, it is a kitsch unlike any other, but as a man, I wouldn't consider it cute. It can be considered a parody of itself, and even the songs of ABBA, which I grew up with, sound disgusting here and it's probably the worst use of musical motifs by a popular Swedish group that I can remember. While they usually enhance the atmosphere, such as in the case of the Australian film Muriel's Wedding, here they seem forced. Overall impression: 20%. (19/05/2011)

The immortal music of the legendary ABBA comes to life in a film named after one of her biggest hits in an enojoyable and unpretentious musical complete with a stellar cast and a simple script. The trio of "grandmothers" are surprisingly energetic to the point of taking one's breath away (or at least mine), and their "Dancing Queen" and "Super Trouper" are absolutely perfect. I loved how they were often able to appropriately incorporate the lyrics into the context of the film to make it sound as meaningful as possible. In short, a cool showcase of timeless music that doesn't get old even after repeated viewings. (31/07/2011)

Young people love each other, older people love each other, everyone dances, the older ones even jump on the beds, and everyone sings Abba, Abba, and Abba again. And after the first ten minutes, I lose my slightly contemptuous expression and a smile appears in its stead. And it simply doesn't want to disappear for anything. There hasn't been a more positive movie in a long time, plus Amanda Seyfried is the sweetheart of the summer of 2008, plus all three "fathers" are partially clowns and partially dads to admire. Not to mention that Meryl Streep's "The Winner Takes It All" is such a fantastic number that I couldn't find any flaws until the (slightly extended) end. When I see it again on the screen, maybe the magic will start to fade. For the moment, however, I hope it never does. (17/09/2008)