It is important before we go any further that I lay a few things out in the open.
Firstly- and this could be quite polarizing to some- Meryl Streep doesn’t do much for me in the role of Donna Sheridan.
Secondly, Mamma Mia (the original) was not my favourite movie in the world.
Thirdly, this review may contain spoilers.
Christine Baranski, Meryl Streep and Julie Walters in the first Mamma Mia film
Source: Today.com
Now, I have put this disclaimer at the beginning because the first two points will be very evident in my review of the second movie. If the thought of someone criticizing Meryl makes you sweat, then this piece isn’t for you.
To those who have stayed with me I appreciate it, because boy do I have some things to say.
Avid readers and real-life friends will know that I am Cher obsessed. Having not enjoyed the first movie all that much, the addition of Cher to the sequel made me positively giddy with anticipation and excitement.
Cher as Sophie's grandmother, Ruby, in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Source: YouTube
I have to say that based on the film I saw at my local theatre, critics haven’t been just to Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. The second movie ate the first up for lunch, spat it out and devoured it again for dinner, it was just that good.
The storyline, the singing and the acting were a class above what the first offered up all those years ago. While some will argue that the first movie was fun and quirky- what all good musicals should embody- there is a line between fun and ridiculous and the first didn’t quite catch on to that.
Producers on the first film have openly stated that they were tasked with writing a musical that put the songs first. Meaning that the story had to fit around classic ABBA tunes, which right from the beginning spells disaster. In a musical, the song should further highlight how a character is feeling, it shouldn’t inform them of their emotions or situation.
The first movie also favoured big names over hiring actors who could actually sing and dance. A particular facet that made the movie a little cringe worthy at times (Pierce Brosnan I'm looking at you). All those extenuating factors were thrown out for the second film. And let me tell you, that's what made it a success.
Streep and Brosnan undoubtedly butchering an ABBA song in the original movie
Source: Wikipedia
Now I wish I had some Hollywood insider information to impart here, but unfortunately, I don't. Whether Meryl (as reports suggest) simply didn’t want to commit to the arduous work involved in a movie musical or she really did want to pass the torch over to the younger actors, the film was better off without her.
Lily James is a break through star and her performance as a young Donna sets the movie up for success. She did the songs, the dances and the situation justice and didn't have a moment in the film where one cringed from her lack of ability.
Despite discrepancies with the original timeline as laid out in the first movie, James navigated the complex notion of falling for three young men within weeks and subsequently becoming pregnant with expertise and an emotional quality that made you feel for her plight. Whereas with Meryl in the first film I just thought the whole thing seemed ridiculous.
When I saw the trailer for the second film I was worried that characters we had become familiar with would be pushed aside in order to tell a story that is more a prequel than a sequel.
Jessica Keenan, Lily James and Alexa Davis who portray the young Tanya, Donna and Rosie in the second film
Source: Women Digital Spy
However old doubting Thomas me was again proven wrong. Flashbacks to young Donna and her cross-country journey was seamlessly interwoven with scenes from the present day where Sophie attempts to rebuild her life after the loss of her mother. A point that would not seem as poignant if we weren't also being treated to the story of Donna’s past and how connected she felt to her unborn child.
While undoubtedly having big shoes to fill, the actors who portrayed Bill, Harry and Sam in their early youth were endearing, funny and musically gifted.
Special mention to Jessica Keenan who portrayed the adolescent Tanya flawlessly and with great insight.
Josh Dylan as young Bill sailing around collecting hearts all over the world
Source: Pop Sugar
This time around the songs felt genuine and truly applicable to the contexts they were used in. There was a lot of buzz before the premiere about how the first movie had used up all of ABBA’s ‘good songs’. Honestly, this wasn’t even a factor. ABBA have a huge catalogue of songs and even though the second wasn’t riddled with ABBA’s more traditional hits, the songs that were used not only worked with the movie, but also served to highlight how Benny and Bjorn truly nailed the human condition in their lyrics.
While the movie flows back and forth nicely and makes you want to sing along, there is the annoying buzz of a lingering question in the back of your mind. Where the bloody hell is Cher? It remains unseen why the producers would hire an actor and singer of Cher’s calibre only to severely underuse her in the film. In total, Cher probably enjoyed about 10 minutes of screen time, and that is being generous.
With no new big names joining the cast for the second movie, Cher exuded genuine star power and for mine was begging to be used in the earlier parts of the movie.
With the outcome of Cher’s return centring around her committing to being a grandparent, perhaps it would have been nice to see her relationship with Sophie develop throughout the course of the film running parallel to how a young Donna feels about her unborn child. Anyway, just a thought.
Baranski, Seyfried and Walters during a moving tribute to Donna and what is to come for Sophie
Source: Variety
Speaking of underused, did someone say Christine Baranski? Baranski’s Tanya was a source of laugh out loud humour in the first film and her performance of Does Your Mother Know in the first movie was iconic in many ways. Along with Julie Walters, she almost stole the show again with a performance of Angel Eyes and the fact that she wasn’t offered more material was a bit of a letdown.
While I am not a huge fan of Meryl as Donna I am also not completely cold-hearted. When she appeared at the chapel tears were shed and I must admit it was nice to see the chemistry she shared with Amanda Seyfried reignited in the moving song they performed together.
But that small dose of Meryl was just enough to tie the story in a nice bow and provide the fans with some deserved closure.
Just as Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again held the audience near the pit of emotional despair they quickly flicked the switch and provided one of the most uplifting closing sequences in cinematic history. Not only did they have Cher singing Super Trouper, but they had Meryl and the entire cast together and everything just seemed to click. The camera work was spot on, the choreography a throwback to the first film and the acknowledgement of both the young and adult versions of the characters served to show just how great the casting was.
Donna and the Dynamos reunited during Super Trouper- the film's closing number
Source: 8 List.ph
What was evident in the closing sequence was that the team behind Mamma Mia finally understood not only how to create a good musical, but how to do ABBA justice. A musical should leave its viewer uplifted, content and wanting to sing, and boy did Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again leave me feeling like a number one (sup-p-per troup-p-per).
4/5 stars.
Stand-out performer: Jessica Keenan as a young Tanya. She was humorous, elegant and the embodiment of Baranski’s character.
Best song: Angel Eyes. The choreography, the facial expressions, Christine Baranski. It was all flawless.
Scene stealer: Cher. Walking down the stairs as she belted out Fernando there wasn’t a heart that was beating at a normal rate throughout the entire cinema.
Underrated moment: Harry and Bill re-enacting the memorable scene from the Titanic movie as they sail in to Kalokairi.
Eye candy: Young Bill as he sings Why Did It Have to Be Me on his boat.
Zinger: Baranski’s Tanya simply saying, ‘all men are pigs’. I am surprised in today’s climate that more hasn’t been made out of this moment. It is no longer just a line said in a movie, it is a lifestyle, a mood, it is everything.
Cringe-worthy moment: One of Us. While not ABBA’s biggest hit, it is full to the brim with meaning and emotion. Seyfried nails the notes and the emotional understanding of the moment, but it seems Dominic Cooper’s Sky misses the memo entirely. Cooper killed it in the first movie but it seems that in ten years he must have forgotten how to sing.
WTF?!: Cher being cast as Meryl's mother when there is only a three year difference between the pair. Although, I'm not complaining, Cher in MM2 is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Pass the tissues: Donna and Sophie re-uniting in perfect harmony as they sing about an unbreakable bond. A moment that would crack even the toughest of nuts.
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