Oh boy…do we ever.
The first number of any movie musical is always an acid test of sorts. It has to have enough punch and contain enough of the movie’s soul that it promises to make everything the audience will be watching for the next two hours, worth it. As soon as I saw the opening number for the first Mamma Mia!, I knew this film was not going to be for me. I just didn’t fall under the spell of Amanda Seyfried and her friends exclaiming: “Dot! Dot! Dot!” What followed felt like a lifeless slog of a movie which, although featuring a handful of fun ABBA re-workings, proved a real chore to get through. Moments into the sequel’s opening number, the horrid “When I Kissed the Teacher,” the movie’s title proved more apropos than ever.
Picking up some years after the first film took place, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again quickly lets us know that lots have happened since we left (or in my case, fled) the island. Donna (Meryl Streep) has died, but not before marrying Sam (Pierce Brosnan). Now, daughter Sophie (Seyfried) has turned their island inn into a luxurious hotel thanks to the assistance of manager Fernando (Andy Garcia). When Sophie discovers that she and Sky (Dominic Cooper) are about to be parents, the connection to her mom has never been stronger, leading her to wonder about what led her to the island. The movie then proceeds to give its audience a look at how a young Donna (Lily James) came to Greece to begin her adventure.
The amount of elements of what doesn’t work is staggering. To begin with, director Oli Parker has no clue on how to handle the film’s transitions between the past and the present. Admittedly, such a practice requires skill, but Parker has his film switching back and forth so rapidly and at many times for no good reason, that it can’t help but effect the flimsy narrative connecting the two sides. The hook is the past. Seeing how James came to be Meryl Streep is diverting enough, but the present day scenes lack any real spark. So many actors, from Colin Firth to Christine Baranski, seem wasted with nothing really to do but wildly embrace when they see each other and rehash a lot of the jokes from the previous film. Because of this, much of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again proves to have all the depth and sincerity of a TV reunion special.
It certainly doesn’t help that the first film used all of the golden ABBA hits. All that’s left here are the iconic band’s b-sides. As good as ABBA was, I can’t imagine many people were anxious to see “My Love, My Life” reimagined for the screen in the same way as “Money, Money, Money.” Numbers such as the aforementioned opening one and “Angel Eyes” suffer from bad choreography and an overall reason to exist, much like the film itself. Other times, the film opts to essentially cover the covers of the first movie, revisiting the likes “Dancing Queen” and the titular track in somewhat desperate, less exciting fashion. But a good number of the songs prove to be some of the film’s biggest saving graces, leading to a couple of worthwhile numbers. Seyfried and Cooper make the lovely “One of Us” pure magic and James throws all of herself into “The Name of the Game” (my personal favorite) with ethereal effect. And of course, Cher knocks “Fernando” out of the park, dueting with a game Garcia. All of this has less to do with the filmmakers’ vision however, and everything to do with the power and universality of ABBA’s music.
James is a revelation here. Young Donna is the closest thing to a fleshed out character as we are given, so it’s only fitting that it should go to someone like this talented young actress. James has so much charm, gusto and effervescence to spare, that every moment with her on screen is nothing but sheer joy. Everyone else however, is wasted. There’s just no getting around it. Seyfried, Cooper and Garcia have a couple of moments, but the rest of the players seem to be searching for something to do. Even Cher and Streep (appearing as a ghost-like presence to Seyfried) only hang around long enough to sing their numbers. Still, you get the sense that everyone is having so much fun, there’s just no reason to care. The final number in which “Super Trooper” is performed by the entire cast (past and present) sees a collection of actors living it up quite infectiously.
There is a decent enough movie here; at least the idea for one. Had producers Judy Craymer, Richard Curtis and Tom Hanks opted for a prequel that solely focused on Young Donna’s journey, the film might have had a shot. James has what it takes to carry a film and there’s certainly enough story there to sustain a two-hour runtime. But nostalgia reigns and because it does, we are stuck with this overstuffed turkey of a movie. Recently, on the promotional tour for the Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Cher revealed that she’s begun work on an album of ABBA covers to be released soon. At least something good has come out of this.
