Ten years ago, the smash hit Broadway musical Mamma Mia! (2008), featuring ABBA’s greatest hits, made its way to theaters and it made a killing. The musical grossed over two billion dollars and the movie brought in somewhere north of 140 million dollars. I’m sure Universal Pictures sang “Money, Money, Money” all the way to the bank. A sequel was inevitable at some point, but a decade was a bit longer than most anticipated. Maybe it took the this much time so that they could get a solid story together for its second go round. The question now becomes, was the long wait for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again worth it?
It’s been five years since the events of the first movie took place but a lot has changed since then. The two most important items on that list are that Donna (Meryl Streep) has since passed, but on a much happier note, her daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), is expecting a child of her own. Nothing can ever be easy or without some sort of drama in these stories. Wanting to honor her mother, Sophie extends an invitation to friends and family to come to the Greek island of Kalokairi celebrate in her mom’s honor. This story bouncing back and forth between present day and back when Young Donna (Lily James) first came to this beautiful island where she would find her calling, her home and most importantly, her new family. Serving as both a prequel and a sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again takes audiences on musical joyride through the decades.
It’s ambitious when you attempt to top something that can be described as a bit of a cult classic and definitely a fan favorite. Still though, that’s exactly what Universal Pictures had in mind when they tasked writer/director Ol Parker to come up with an original idea for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again to carry on this ABBA-mazing story of Donna and her friends/family. The music you know, love and recognize have come back to visit, at least in part. New songs are also thrown into the mix but none of them are as catchy the first round of songs were. To be fair, I don’t think anyone was thinking “Hey let’s hold back on some of the iconic songs on the off chance we’re asked to follow that gem of a story up with something new.
From the “young” talent perspective, Donna (Lily James), Tanya (Jessica Keenan Wynn) and Rosie (Alexa Davies) are right there raising hell 25 years in the past. They’re accompanied by their male companions, Sam (Jeremy Irvine), Bill (Josh Dylan) and Harry (Hugh Skinner). This youthful group has fun in their foreshadowing of what’s to come down the road. Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rose (Julie Walters) return to be just as catty and difficult as ever. And on the guy’s side, Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Bill (Stellan Skarsgård) and Harry (Colin Firth) are cool as the other side of a pillow. Sky (Dominic Cooper) returns as Sophie’s love btu there are a couple of new editions worth mentioning. Andy Garcia and the one and only Cher, both add their talents to this new story.
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again starts of trying to find its legs, and it’s a struggle early on. But by the time they get our new story rolling, that old magic begins to twinkle again. The songs (especially the new ones) don’t make you want to get up and out of chair and start dancing straight away. As old familiar songs are put back in play, that magical musical feeling returns and so do the smiles. There is a new story to tell which mirrors what you already know, and yet, it feels fun and fresh. As a huge fan of the first movie, I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed my time watching this new one. The fun times, sad times and happy times makes this a solid recommendation to have a good time in theaters this weekend. Enjoy.
