The Best Summer Musical

By Gabrielle Fernandez

Staff Writer 

Peter Mountain/Universal Pictures

The iconic dancing queen movie of 2008, Mamma Mia!, will sing and dance it’s way into your heart like no other film will. Starring incredible actors like Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, and more it is a movie you will never forget. 

All the way in Greece is where the movie was shot and took place in, specifically on a fictional Island called Kalokairi in 1999. Mamma Mia! Is categorized as a musical romance comedy, a very light hearted but heart felt film that is magical entertainment for all ages.

On a small resort island in Greece, Donna, a single mother, is planning a luxurious wedding for her daughter Sophie and her fiance Sky, who are due to marry in a few days. Sophie, the mischievous bride, has wanted to know the story of her dad and who he is her whole life. Finding three potential father figures from her mother’s past, she invites all three to her wedding in hopes to find which one is her real father in order to be walked down the aisle during her big white wedding. Donna, unbeknownst to their presence on the Island, eventually finds all her past lovers in her old goat shed where all the drama begins. 

What makes this whole ordeal even more confusing and secretive is that all the past lovers Harry Bright, Sam Carmichael, and Bill Anderson, have no idea Sophie might possibly be one of their daughter’s. Donna doesn’t know that Sophie knows anything about them ethier and actively tries to get them away from her and off the Island before the wedding. 

Throughout the movie Sophie takes the time to get acquainted with Sam, Harry, and Bill thinking that she could easily figure out who her father is until slowly she spirals out of control once each man starts to figure out the real reason why they’ve all been gathered for Sophie’s wedding. 

The plot in itself is interesting enough but the music included truly brings this whole masterpiece together. All songs sung throughout the movie are from the popular swedish band called ABBA who actually worked very closely in creating the film. In total, there are 25 ABBA songs pieced into this musical movie, each worked into every scene they occur in wonderfully, making it almost normal to suddenly break into song and dance every few minutes. 

A great example of how easily slipped in the songs are is the performance of Slipping Through My Fingers during the scene where Donna is getting her daughter Sophie dressed up for the wedding. Their dynamic of mother and daughter, how Sophie is getting married and starting her own life, is perfectly presented through the lyrics, melody, and emotions of the song. While the music basically makes the movie, what really stands out about the movie is the acting and how the actors portray their characters. 

While there are a few questionable scenes of acting like where Rosie, Donna’s friend, falls off a boat and it looks quite fake, overall the acting is phenomenal and brings the movie a real special feel. 

A big reason why I keep coming back over and over again to this movie is because of how exciting and homey it feels. When you see all the characters singing and dancing their hearts out, jumping in the sparkling water around the Island, it makes you want to be right alongside them because there really is joy. You can take one look at this movie and see that the actors truly enjoy starring and acting in this film because it is something that people want to do, just to set free and move their body to the beat of the music. 

To be very honest that is exactly how the music makes me feel, wanting to go off and travel to a beautiful place to sing and dance with my most favorite people in the world. Besides, my personal love and obvious bias of Mamma Mia! From an outsider’s perspective you need to have a certain taste in movies to truly enjoy this kind of film.

 Some people may see it as a movie with a silly plot, one that could just be solved with a sit down conversation between Donna and Sophie along with a DNA test but the whole point is Sophie discovering how the missing thing she believed she had was right there all along. Having a father won’t complete her life because where has he been? Her mother has been there for her all her life and she finally realized it along with her true passion to travel the world with Sky. 

Mamma Mia! Has a truly special place in my heart all the way to the music, the subtle jokes, and all the characters shown throughout the film. 

It’s the kind of movie you could watch over and over again without getting tired of and a piece that can always keep you glued to your screen. It is especially a fantastic movie for the hot summer, one to share with family or friends, and will definitely be worth your time. Mamma Mia is truly a magical movie for the summer time.