A review of the movie Moma Mia. by 12 dogs and a blog
I was trying to tell a family member why I didn't want to be very critical of this movie and yet couldn't praise it either. For me, to be critical of this movie would be like kicking the family "dog". So many excellent actors. Toe tapping musical score. Exuberant mood.
Yes, the movie did look abit like a "dog" but durn it, it was our family "dog".
And you just don't kick the family "dog".
It's a loyalty thing.
Still no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't quite suspend disbelief.
And I wanted to.
So out of loyalty to this lovable mutt?
I'm not going to trash this movie.
Besides--
There could be a saving grace with this movie.
That would be if the "fan", the ABBA fans, embraced this film with the joy and abandon that the actors couldn't quite seem to do. Perhaps there is a chance for MomaMia the Movie as a cult clasic very much like the quirky musical Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Rocky Horror also had a catchy (or is it kischy) musical score and over the top characters. There's actually more plot in MamaMia than there was in RockyHorror. And yes, like RockyHorror, there are plenty of places in the movie for audience participation. Maybe Public Theater will be kind enough to run Moma Mia as their Midnight Show.
It would have be heartfelt and fan driven. Cult clasics aren't manufactured. They have to come from the sheer joy of loving something. Mercy knows there are a whole lotta folks world wide who love ABBA's music. Maybe a whole generation of tweens who love Hannah Montana and are now old enough to see Moma Mia and fall in love with ABBA's music and the cast. It is a very good cast. Especially note worthy is the film's star, Amanda Sayfried, who kept the sunny innocence of Sophie, the ingenue, with out veering into the land of syrupy sweetness.
And heck it is very much like the Bollywood musicals. Not a genre that American audiences are used to but not a big hurdle for the fans of the Bollywood blockbuster. High drama. Family conflict. A big Bollywood finish AND those big musical and dance numbers. Add to that a visually beautiful film. Yeah I'm thinking there's a spark.
Actually next to ABBA fans, MomaMia's structure and story might appeal to folks who love the Big Bollywood musical block buster the best.
Maybe.
Stay tuned, stay tuned cause you just never can tell.
For something different?
"Oh Honey!", Hannah Murphy Sunday brunch... quotes
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