Chuckles Film Reviews: Mamma Mia Here We Go Again

This will be, I hope, a recurring feature that will be on the blog each time I watch a film. I used to love films so much and could watch a pile of them in my spare time. However with my focus on reading, I find little time to enjoy films that are new to me but now I need to start clearing the unwatched pile and get some space back! Here are the latest films I watched.

1) Mamma Mia Here We Go Again!
Starring Amanda Seyfried, Andy Garcia, Cher, Dominic Cooper, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Lily James, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Meryl Streep, Josh Dylan, Jeremy Irvine, Hugh Skinner, Alexa Davies, Jessica KeenanWynn. 

Sophie has finally realised Donna's dream and has worked hard to get the hotel ready for the grand opening. But with her relationship issues with Sky, bad weather and a dwindling guest list, she feels that the whole thing could be a big disaster.

I went into this film having loved the first one and not being that keen on the second one's alleged plot. I had heard that Donna was dead and only features briefly, and I admit that put me right off watching the film as Donna's story was what I loved so much about the first one. I just couldn't imagine watching it without that character, which is why it has taken me so long to get round to watching it. Finding out that Meryl Streep only wanted a small role and not another all singing all dancing role explains why Donna had to be killed off so at least I get that now and it doesn't bug me so badly.

It gets off to a poor start for me. The opening scene which features 'When I Kissed The Teacher' seemed totally dumb to me. Why is this scene even here? It's a song about a schoolgirl fancying her male teacher and kissing him in the classroom but in this the lyrics change to have Donna sing about kissing a female teacher, while she, Tanya and Rosie sing sitting on teacher's knees at their graduation ceremony. It's weird and doesn't fit at all. Lily then says farewell to her friends to go travelling alone. Moving on to the scene with young Harry meeting Donna and then singing Waterloo to her while trying to get her to sleep with him is just awkward, tuneless and cringeworthy. That is my favourite Abba song and I didn't enjoy what they did to it at all. The first twenty minutes I just don't like that much, other than seeing what Sophie is getting up to with the hotel and I did wonder about switching it off but thankfully it soon improves.

I did very much enjoy the soundtrack with the exception of a couple of songs. 'One Of Us' is one of my favourite songs and I liked it being used as Sophie and Sky are on opposite sides of the globe, thinking about where their relationship is going and whether it should end. I liked poor Sam brooding over his lost love, softly singing 'SOS'. I also really loved the excellent duet that young Donna and Bill sing on his boat to another song I like 'Why did it have to be me?'-Josh Dylan was an excellent young Bill and that scene was fun and made me smile. Sam and Donna's emotional breakup to 'Knowing Me Knowing You' fitted in well. I also was amused by 'Angel Eyes' as Tanya, Rosie and Sophie brood about how evil men are. I loved the creative way that 'Fernando' was used which was pretty emotional (I LOVE the song) and the way that Donna was brought into this film was pretty gut wrenching for someone like me who is an emotional sponge, always ready to shed a tear! The recreation of 'Dancing Queen' using a similar scene to the original film also lightens the mood as does the barnstorming rendition of Mamma Mia after Donna breaking up with Sam.

The big issue I really have with the film is the changing of accepted facts from Mamma Mia. After singing with Tanya and Rosie, in the first film Donna is lying on her bed looking up at the ceiling and saying that somebody up there has it in for her, probably her mother. That and Tanya talking about her in the past tense would indicate that Ruby was dead and they knew it for sure. The impression is also given of a strict woman horrified by Donna's pregnancy who threw her out in disgust and thought she was a slut. In MM2, Ruby is a flashy, trendy, life of the party character who is certainly alive and doesn't fit what we were told about her. With the back story given to her this time, Ruby would certainly have had sympathy for Donna's lost love and pregnancy rather than throw her out. In MM1, Sophie also reads from the diary that Harry is the third man to show up and be shown the island by Donna, thought he was first to meet her. In MM2 they have a fling before Donna goes to Greece and meets Bill and Sam, but then Harry does show up at the dock to the island, sees Donna with Bill and goes home. That doesn't fit the story from MM1 and the diary. 

The appearances of the three men in the past also don't match! Remember Donna's flashback vision when she realises the men are on the island-Pierce and Stellan's hippy looks and Harry's punk persona? Well the young guys in the flashbacks don't look like that especially Sam and Harry! It's just annoying! I don't believe for a minute that Harry Headbanger ever existed looking at young Harry and then adult Harry in MM2. It was something I looked forward to seeing in MM2 but was cheated out of! Don't tell us he's a punk and then in the sequel show that he isn't! Then there is young Rosie being upset that Donna cheers herself up over Sam to go off with young Bill who Rosie fancies. NO! Just NO! In MM1 Tanya and Rosie are stunned to hear Donna say that there are three potential fathers as they only knew about Sam. In MM2 they know Donna is spending time with Bill so they must realise he is a potential father. It just doesn't fit the story from MM1 again. 

There is more. Donna in MM1 states that Sam took her to the island. In MM2 they meet in a storm on the island. In MM1 Sam tells Donna about being engaged. In MM2, she finds out herself with his journal. In MM1 Harry says he gave Donna his guitar as a gift and takes it back to play it on the boat to Sophie. In MM2 he is standing with it at the dock and he never takes it to the island as he never goes there. I'm not even going to go into how flawed the timeline is between the two films as that leads to a whole new level of confusion and that would give me a headache! It just bugs me that the writers chose to ignore the accepted story and just changed everything.

There were really good bits in the film too, which did offset some of my niggles. Young Bill and Tanya were excellent and do seem very like their adult versions. I loved Andy Garcia's performance as the always sad hotel manager especially when we get his back story. His scenes with Cher were heart-breakingly emotional and I really loved that. The whole party scene with all the making up going on was great and it came to a very satisfactory end. I loved the award scene with Kurt and the stupidity of the passport checking greek official played by Omid Djalili who keeps popping up. Watch out for him after all the titles comes up at the end of the film. The greek band that Donna becomes friends with were very funny and I liked all the scenes that they were in. Watch out also for the fun Titantic moment on the flotilla of boats heading to the island.

Overall I'd say I did pretty much like the film, but not anywhere near as much as the first film. I would rather have seen more of the happenings with Sophie, her dads and Donna's friends as that is where the humour in the film really comes out. This is a more emotional film with lots of sadness about Donna's death and that scene at the christening did have me blubbering! I felt there was a little too much emphasis on the flashbacks which is a story we already know from the first film. I'd rather have seen the flashbacks show Donna's relationship with Ruby and her new life in Greece with young Sophie and explain why she thinks Ruby is dead than just rehash the dad thing. I did like most of the soundtrack and how it was fitted into the film plot. I did feel the loss of Meryl Streep through the film as the first film revolved around her. 

The film for me gets off to a rough start but steadily improves through the middle, getting me more interested in what is going on. The whole last segment is excellent and on a par with the first film. It deals with everyone trying to get ready for the party, people trying to get there and the events at the party itself. The scenery of course is stunning, the music is entertaining, the plot finds it's feet as it develops and I am glad that I did finally watch it. I think it is one of those films that I might enjoy more next time round if I can get those plot holes out of my mind! That's what I'm hoping anyway. If not at least I can rewatch the first film as much as I want and enjoy that instead.

Maybe they'll do a third film with the hotel as a retirement home housing Sophie's dads and her mother's friends! Mamma Mia-Dancing With Zimmers!