Mamma Mia (5 Stars)

This is the musical that kicked off the recent popularity of jukebox musicals, in which the songs of a particular artist are put together in an order that tells a story. There were other musicals before it that are sometimes referred to as jukebox musicals, but I don't include them. "Buddy" was made in 1989, a biopic of the rock'n'roll musician Buddy Holly, but I don't include it because when making a film about a musician it's normal to use his songs. What makes a musical a jukebox musical for me is that the songs are unrelated to the original artists, with fleeting references at the most. An example of a typical jukebox musical is "Tonight's the night", a 2003 musical using the songs of Rod Stewart.

The musical "Mamma Mia" was written and performed in 1999, using the songs of Abba. In 2008 it was filmed as a big budget production, and I have to admit that it's overpowering. The two main things that make the film succeed are Stellan Skarsgard and Amanda Seyfried. They were already two of my favourite actors, but after seeing them in this film I'm amazed. Not that the other actors are to be overlooked. Meryl Streep, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth are all very good in their own right.

I knew I wanted to see this film again after seeing it at the Birmingham Outdoor Film Festival last July. It was even better being able to sit and watch it in the comfort of my own home. I won't describe the plot again, I already did it last year, I'll just recommend this film to anyone who is still biased against jukebox musicals. It's a real tear jerker, and as my regular readers know I always love a film that makes me cry. Even though I have to make one small criticism: Pierce Brosnan might be a good actor, but he can't sing.