Arts & Entertainment

Why Mamma Mia! is the Perfect Movie Musical

With Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep, and ABBA, Mamma Mia is truly a dream.

Valentina Galvan, Writer
October 16, 2023

Mamma Mia! was filmed in Skopelos, Greece, and takes place on a fictional island in Greece called Kalokairi. (Peakpx)

I was on a plane traveling last year when I found a movie starring Amanda Seyfried and Meryl Streep, that incorporated music from ABBA for the entire movie, and had a plot surrounding a mother and a daughter struggling with love. In my mind, that combination seemed promising, and boy was it more than promising. Mamma Mia!, based on the hit musical, went above and beyond my expectations, making it one of my all-time favorite movies wasn’t even a choice. All of the elements of the movie captivated me, with loving characters, amazing music, and a thrilling plot, they all balanced perfectly to create the perfect movie musical for me.

The Characters

ABBA is seen in public together for the first time in decades with the cast of *Mamma Mia!* during their movie premiere. (Daniel Ahs Karlsson)

Mamma Mia! consists of several characters that you’ll grow to love throughout the film. All of them are portrayed by phenomenal actors that can act and surprised us with their singing skills (with Pierce Brosnan’s singing as an exception). Donna (Meryl Streep) and Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried) are the mother-and-daughter duo of the movie that takes you on a journey of romance, family, and friendship. Sophie is a bubbly and loyal 20-year-old woman who romanticizes having the perfect life with her fiance, Sky (Dominic Cooper), as the two prepare for their wedding throughout the movie. However, Sophie is also a curious and determined girl who wishes to find her father and figure out who he is, so he can walk down the aisle with her.

Donna is a charismatic mother who only wants the best for Sophie and the hotel she runs. She’s a confident and fierce individual, who makes the best out of life. However, her past is something that she struggles with as Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Harry (Colin Firth), and Bill (Stellan Skarsgård), three men she spent her time with when she was younger, come to the island when they were invited by Sophie. However, Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie (Julie Walters), are Donna’s firecrackers who will make you laugh throughout the movie as they comfort Donna yet aren’t afraid to have fun and make the most out of life just like her.

The Plot

As Sophie and Sky prepare for their wedding day, Sophie desires to know more about her father. Donna raised Sophie as a single mother, so Sophie has no clue as to who her father is. That was until Sophie read Donna’s diary, and secretly invited Sam, Harry, and Bill to her wedding. These were the three people she suspected could be her father. Once Sophie finds out who her father is, she believes that she will find herself and truly know who she is.

Nevertheless, when Donna sees that they’re here, she panics and tries to get them off the island, disturbed to see them. Both Donna’s and Sophie’s deceptions start to cause a rift in their relationships as the movie progresses. Does the wedding day even happen? Does Donna do anything about the men? Do Donna and Sophie make up? You’ll have to find out yourself.

The Music

“

I’ve heard about him before / I wanted to know some more / And now I know what they mean, he’s a love machine / Oh, he makes me dizzy

— Mamma Mia! The Movie Soundtrack, Honey, Honey

The discography of Mamma Mia! is entirely from the band, ABBA. ABBA’s music fits perfectly with this storyline. For example, “Honey, Honey” is the first song in the movie that talks about Sophie reading Donna’s diary out loud, with love messages and Donna romanticizing, it fits perfectly. We also see hits like “Voulez-Vous” and “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” during a party scene and other songs that correlate to events in the movie. The music adds an additional element of emotion to the movie as Donna tries to figure out what Sam, Harry, and Bill are doing on the island, and Sophie romanticizes about having a perfect life once she’s married at the hotel with her mother.

Although Mamma Mia! is more of a comfort movie than a heavy film, it captures the heart-warming messages of growing up, identity, your regrets and hopes, happiness, and the satisfaction of having a perfect life, because there isn’t. The movie helps us to seek the best in others and to accept that we will make mistakes and that we just want to make ourselves and others happy in the end. The sense of fulfillment is something everyone longs to have, and the movie captures it so well by showing what it’s like realistically to get that and perfection. Mamma Mia! is a marvelous movie because of that, and the other elements above. If you give it a shot, you’ll undoubtedly be hooked for life.