Mama Mia Review

I want to begin this review by saying that I am happily married to a beautiful woman and my manhood should not come into question in my next statement.
I like musicals.
I always have, and I think everyone can get on board with the idea of a world where anyone can randomly burst into song and dance. I have been fortunate to see some great musicals on the stage, and some even greater musicals on the screen, and while "Mama Mia!" isn't the best musical I have ever seen, it was still a wonderful movie-going experience.
The movie centers around the wedding of a young girl named Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) who has invited three men who could all potentially be her father to her upcoming nuptials. Meryl Streep plays Donna, Sophie's mother, who has no idea that her three ex's are coming to her small hotel in Greece for the wedding, and she is as fantastic as ever.
The movie's plot is pretty straightforward and it doesn't have to be complicated because musicals don't need a great plot to keep people entertained, they just need good music. And what better music could you ask for than that of ABBA? Okay, there is better music out there, but ABBA's pretty dang good.
As I said earlier, I am a man and I took my wife to the film as my date and I'm not sure who enjoyed the movie more. One of the reasons I love movies is because it is easy for me to become involved with the characters and the story and I get enthralled for the next hour or two hours, but with this film, anyone can get involved.
The supporting cast in the movie make everyone laugh and wish you had friends like them. Streep's two best friends and ex-band mates, Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie (Julie Walters) are hilarious and steal any scene in which they appear. You almost wish the movie was about them and the three potential fathers played by Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Stellan Skarsgard.
While some of the humor in the movie is slightly vulgar and sophomoric, you feel like it's okay to laugh because you are in such a good mood. That is what musicals do to people. How could you not want to laugh after tapping your feet to Meryl Streep and a bunch of Grecian women singing "Dancing Queen."
This movie weekend will no doubt be ruled by "The Dark Knight," but "Mama Mia!" deserves its due as a great musical. It is a fantastic date movie and it is perfect for just simple entertainment.

Mama Mia!
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Rated PG-13 for some sexual humor
Starring: Meryl Streep, Amanada Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth