Mamma Mia! Mamma Mia! Where do I start? The entire premise of the film is not family-friendly. First of all you have Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) born out of wedlock that is now grown up, about to be married, and wants to find her dad so he can give her away. But according to her mother, Donna’ (Meryl Streep) diary in the year she was pregnant, she slept with three men. Not being clear on which one is the father, Sophia invites all three to her wedding. Donna captures the theme in her own words “I was a stupid and reckless slut”.
This plot is surrounded or should I say smothered in songs (made famous by the group ABBA) almost to distraction. Love without commitment tends to be empty and shallow much like the storyline in this film. Most songs in musicals are created to follow the story. “Mamma Mia!” seems to have songs that are mainly thrown in to slightly fit the situation and plenty of them. Don’t get me wrong, if you like ABBA you will find “Mamma Mia!” an entertaining movie. But it is not a family-friendly film.