Mum's The Word! Mamma Mia! 9/10

Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), July 14, 2008

In a nutshell: Just put to one side the fact that the singing is a bit ropey and enjoy this infectious romance

If last year's film version of Hairspray put a spring in your step, then dust off your dancing shoes - Mamma Mia!

is a delight.

Director Phyllida Lloyd and writer Catherine Johnson, who masterminded the smash hit stage version of the all-singing all-dancing musical, work their magic here too with an all-star cast including Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth.

From the opening strains of I Have A Dream to the full-cast rendition of Waterloo in glittery catsuits and platform boots, this rollicking romance set to the ABBA songbook is 108 minutes of pure, undiluted joy.

It's so much fun, Mamma Mia! should be prescribed on the NHS.

You'll leave the cinema elated - and perhaps a little tearful after Streep's heartbreaking solo on Winner Takes It All - and it doesn't matter a jot that most of the male cast can't hold a melody.

Indeed, it adds to the film's boundless charm as the cast throw themselves with unrestrained gusto into each brilliantly choreographed number, including impressive mid-air splits from Streep as she bounces on a bed singing the anthemic Dancing Queen with co-stars Christine Baranski and Julie Walters, the latter scene-stealing with her comic exploits.

The Greek islands of Skiathos and Skopelos provide a breathtaking backdrop to the fun and games, with crystal blue waters where Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper frolic for their duet, Lay All Your Love On Me.

You'll wish you were here.

Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is poised to marry her hunky fiance Sky (Dominic Cooper) on an idyllic island where her mother Donna (Streep) runs a decrepit taverna.

Unfortunately, the blushing bride-to-be has no one to give her away because Donna refuses to reveal the identity of Sophie's father.

So Sophie invites the three old flames who could be her old man - divorced architect Sam (Pierce Brosnan), intrepid travel writer and explorer Bill (Stellan Skarsgard) and steadfast banker Harry (Colin Firth) - in the hope that one of them will be able to walk her down the aisle.

Their sudden arrival throws Donna into an emotional whirl, leaving ballsy childhood mates Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie (Julie Walters) to pick up the pieces.

Mamma Mia! skips merrily through ABBA's greatest hits, including Gimme Gimme Gimme, Super Trooper and Take A Chance On Me.

Sadly, Screenwriter Johnson excises a number of songs (Knowing Me, Knowing You, The Name Of The Game and One Of Us) for the stage show to keep the running time trim, consigning "Thank You For The Music" to the end credits.

Streep is marvellous as a mother on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and Brosnan, Firth and Skarsgard embrace their roles without restraint, having as much fun making the film as we do watching it.

Their infectious energy reaches a giddy high when we're encouraged to sing and dance like lunatics in the aisles to an uproarious reprise of Dancing Queen.

Resistance is futile.

CAPTION(S):

MAKING WAVES: Dominic Cooper as Sky and Amanda Seyfried as Sophie in Mamma Mia!; ALL ABOARD: Dreamboats Colin Firth (Harry), Stellan Skarsgard (Bill) and Pierce Brosnan (Sam) on Bill's boat in Greece