Mamma Mia Mini-Review

There comes the time when as a male, we have to "take one for the team," and see a chick-flick. I had such concerns when I was roped into seeing this movie last night. I am not a fan of musicals, and have never seen a musical in a theater, unless you count that Willy Wonka flick with the Depp boy. I was shanghaied into seeing Phantom on Broadway with work people a few years ago. It was a crime against humanity-- stemming from a poor sound system. Much of the vocals sounded like cats being strangled. So I had low expectations going into Momma Mia.

I had at least some idea what it was about, since it was impossible to avoid the media fuss. It really wasn't too bad. The scenery and music were really the stars of the show-- and it was a bit amusing seeing Streep and Brosnan in a musical. If you hate ABBA, you will really hate this movie. Everyone can secretly tolerate the band, whether they admit it or not. It is amazing how well their sugary songs have held up over time.

There isn't much plot to give away. I was amused how the ABBA songs were completely taken out of their original context, and woven into the story. Of course, the classic songs helped to make the film more accessible to people like me-- who do not like musicals. Seeing it in a packed theater with a proper sound system at least does the music justice. This is not the sort of film to watch on a plane.

As we left the theater, we saw our next door neighbors (the parent's of our babysitter) outside the theater. They had just seen Sex in the City. I joked with him that he must have been the only male in the theater-- and he said that was no joke-- that he essentially was. At that point, I realized he REALLY took one for the team. I had nothing to complain about.

Final verdict: A musical for people who do not like musicals.