MAMMA MIA!

RYAN: Rarely are we this excited to see a movie… oh whatever, who are we kidding – whenever it’s a musical we’re this excited! The movie version of “Mamma Mia!” has finally hit theaters and we couldn’t be happier.

CAROLINE: I was actually a little hesitant about this movie since I’m hardly a huge ABBA fan and I’ve never seen the Broadway musical. But it was fabulous!

RYAN: I loved it too! I looked over at you at one point and you were just beaming from ear to ear. You even applauded after several numbers.

CAROLINE: Who didn’t? I was hardly the only one.

RYAN: No. Everyone was bopping their heads to the music. Unlike you, I did see the Broadway show and I didn’t like it. There were a few changes made from the show to the movie, like the “Dancing Queen” sequence.

CAROLINE: That was my favorite! I’m so glad they added it to the movie.

RYAN: Overall, it totally works better as a movie – the plot, the staging, everything. The scenery is so gorgeous it makes one want to go on vacation in the Greek isles immediately.

CAROLINE: Book me a ticket please! Amanda Seyfried, who was in “Mean Girls,” plays the lead girl and she is gorgeous.

RYAN: I love her on HBO’s “Big Love” and she really is degorgeous. She looks like she could be your younger sister.

CAROLINE: I’m blushing! She’s definitely got my rack; I’ll give you that.

RYAN: Love your bosoms. She’s got a great voice and she’s totally believable in the role. In fact, the whole movie is impeccably cast.

CAROLINE: Meryl Streep is beyond phenomenal. This woman can do no wrong, and she’s still fabulous at 59. She’s clearly had barely any, and possibly zero, plastic surgery. If only every older leading lady could follow her example!

RYAN: She must have a great dermatologist. Her performance is stellar, of course, and I will be shocked if she doesn’t get an Oscar nomination.

CAROLINE: There are several great musical numbers and a few scenes where I thought, “This is kind of like ‘High School Musical,’” just because all the young girls were dancing around and singing. The kids are gonna love it. And then later when Meryl and her older gal pals, Christine Baranski and Julie Walters, were singing, it was more “First Wives Club.”

RYAN: [laughs’ Totally! Our pal Jenny who attended the screening with us said, “It’s ‘High School Musical’ for the post-menopausal set.” [laughs’ I loved Julie Walters, who plays Mrs. Weasley in the Harry Potter films. And Colin Firth has a great voice!

CAROLINE: Pierce Brosnan was great too, though not so much a singer. He’s going to get flak for his crappy singing voice, but I appreciated the effort and I liked how everyone did their own singing. I’d rather have that than Drew Barrymore in “Everyone Says I Love You” where they dubbed in a professional singer for her parts.

RYAN: Absolutely.

CAROLINE: I think you mean ABBA-solutely.

RYAN: [laughs’ I also loved Dominic Cooper, who plays Amanda Seyfriend’s betrothed. I feel like we’ve seen him in something recently. This movie is totally for the girls and the gays, and it’s everything you want it to be. Every musical number was staged so well. The one thing that took me out of it was the song “Gimme! Gimme!” cause it’s sampled in the Madonna song “Hung Up” and I kept thinking we’d suddenly hear “I’m hung up on you” or something.

CAROLINE: Totally! The location is just spectacular, and the songs are so much fun, but it really made me realize that I must not be a huge ABBA fan because I only recognized, like, four songs. But all the musical numbers are great and so much fun. I even got teary a few times because they were so good. I wanted to jump out of my seat and start dancing. And then at the end, they reward you with a fabulous performance from the three older gals in full ABBA regalia. It was like a much happier “Muriel’s Wedding.”

RYAN: Yes – minus the suicide. You have to stay for at least the first part of the credits. It’s so brilliant. I loved every minute, and somewhere in New Hampshire, a young boy has a new favorite film. Bottom line?

CAROLINE: I had so much fun at this movie. For anyone who loves a musical, you will adore it. The casting is amazing, the scenery is gorgeous and I would say to Amanda Seyfried, “Welcome to the big time, honey.”

RYAN: This movie is going to make her career. I’d also like to pay credit to first time director Phyllida Lloyd. She’s an out lesbian and I’d like to give her the jolly job well done here. I love and recommend this movie. I will see it again in the theater and I will buy the DVD. I think I liked it even more than “Sweeney Todd”… so chew on that.