Mamma Mia DVD Review
Mamma Mia! is a fun, addictive tropical romp set to ABBA music. The plot is both complicated and simple—a girl who has lived on a Greek island her whole life is about to marry, and she discovers that one of three possible men is her father.
My Rating: 
Donna (Meryl Streep) runs a falling-apart Greek island hotel and is also helping plan the wedding of her only child, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) to Sky (Dominic Cooper). Donna, who was once the lead singer of Donna and the Dynamos, calls in the support of long-time friends and backup singers (Christine Baranski and Julie Walters) to attend the wedding, while Sophie calls in three of Donna’s former lovers (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgard) in order to find out who her father really is.
Maybe it’s the fact that the talented cast also sings their own songs, or maybe it’s the dazzling backdrop in which the film is set, but I found myself swept up in the good will of the film. Streep (Rendition, The Devila Wears Prada, Prime) is beautiful, funny and charming in her role as Donna, and Seyfried (“Big Love,” “Veronica Mars”) is delightful as daughter Sophie. In fact the pair almost steals the show from the rest of the cast.
Baranski (Chicago, “Cybill”), Walters (Harry Potter franchise, Billy Elliot) and others keep the laughs plentiful. The men in the film, including Firth (Then She Found Me, Love Actually) and Skarsgard (Dancer in the Dark, Good Will Hunting), actually seem overshadowed here, but they bring what they can to their roles (particularly James Bond, I mean Brosnan, who seems to sing his heart out). Cooper (The History Boys, Starter For 10) also performs earnestly, and is equally adorable paired with Seyfried.
Mamma Mia! is presented in anamorphic widescreen 2.40:1 aspect ratio, and the colors pop and visuals are clear and crisp. Audio is available in Dolby Digital 5.1, with optional French and Spanish 5.1 tracks, and subtitles in English SDH, Spanish, and French. There’s also a Sing-Along option that employs a karaoke screen set-up for the music numbers.
Extras include a feature-length audio commentary with director Phyillda Lloyd; the “Deleted Musical Number: ‘The Name of the Game’”; deleted scenes; outtakes; “The Making of ‘Mamma Mia!’,” which has interviews with cast and crew (including ABBA’s Benny Andersson); “Anatomy of a Musical Number: ‘Lay All Your Love on Me’,” which is self explanatory; “Becoming a Singer,” which delves into the cast and their various singing issues, and shows their vocal work and eventual conquering of ABAA tunes; “Behind the Scenes with Amanda,” which is short home video of Seyfried being silly; “On Location in Greece,” involving set design and how to create Greece in the studio; “A Look Inside ‘Mamma Mia!’,” which covers ABBA’s history; “‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!’ Music Video,” again, self explanatory; and “Bjorn Ulvaeus Cameo,” with more ABBA.
Mamma Mia! is rated PG-13 for “some sex-related comments,” but overall, it’s a very family-friendly, entertaining musical romp. Fans of ABBA, the Broadway production of Mamma Mia!, Streep and/or Seyfried will surely enjoy this film.
I give Mamma Mia! 3.5 out of 5 stars.