MAMA MIA

Cert PG

Saturday December 20th at 8pm - and now at 5pm Saturday also!

UK/USA/Germany, 2008 Directed by Phyllida Lloyd Starring Meryl Streep, Julie Walters, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard  108 mins

Any serious attempt to try and describe this film will entirely miss the point, and will fail miserably to convey its appeal, but here goes...
Sophie lives in an idyllic Greek island hotel owned and run by her mother, Donna, a one-time show stopping rock goddess now scraping a living out of her dilapidated and unprofitable hostelry. Sophie is about to be married, but there is something eating into her pre-nuptial bliss – she does not know the identity of her father. Scrutinising her mother’s diaries, she identifies the three likely candidates, and secretly invites them all to be present for The Big Day, placing faith in the knowledge that she will instantly recognise the other half of her genetic heritage.

What ensues is a farcical comedy, not so much a narrative as an attempt to string together a narrative out of a bunch of fab Abba numbers. Throw in a glorious setting, great frocks, a cluster of unfeasibly gorgeous locals, and the inevitable wedding finale, and you have...well... provided you abandon all critical faculties at the door, you have a hell of a night out.

The cast are fantastic, abandoning themselves wholeheartedly to the spirit of the enterprise, belting out Bjőrn and Benny’s classics for all they’re worth, tongues wedged firmly in cheek. A particular highlight for this reviewer was Meryl and Pierce’s quite unforgettable rendition of SOS – a memory that will stay with me to the grave.

Come and see what has had audiences all over the country – and no, not only women and gay men – laughing and singing with abandon. There could be no better way to mark the festive season, so be there with bells on. Drag, as ever, optional.

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