Mamma Mia!

I finally caught Mamma Mia, the movie.  I had a chance to watch the musical twice, both in London, but two years apart and both times, even with the different casts, it was excellent.  I didn't want to enter the cinema with high expectations but Meryl Streep truly pulled it off.  I can't say the same for Pierce Brosnan.  He looked too stiff and too self-conscious. Each time he broke into song he looked as though he were staring at himself in a mirror. Also, I couldn't get past his "Bond, James Bond" signature face, complete with the squint and one brow lifted.

Of course, the Abba songs were wonderful, they are a throwback to a time when melody and lyrics were what mattered most. This was way before avant garde tastes invaded the music industry and before deconstruction was ushered in by post-modernity. Many say "cheesy and downright baduy," but hey, I'll take the Abba sound over hip hop and country any day. There, I just gave away my age. Also, show me someone who won't break into dance when he hears "Dancing Queen" at full blast.

But what really moved me was the scene where mother helped daughter get ready for the wedding. That, to me, was the heart of the movie. I think of how now, everyone is so caught up with the dress designer, the make-up artist, photographer--all big names in the wedding industry and hired for hundreds of thousands that the mother of the bride can't even get a minute with her daughter before she marches down the aisle. Sad...

Maybe, we should make some changes and let the mother have more time with her daughter and get her more actively involved in the few hours leading up to the ceremony. Well, it's just a thought.