Lopez Blogs

It's very easy (and lazy in my opinion) for newspapers and magazines to label the latest film likely to draw in a large female audience as "the best chick flick since Bridget Jones" or "the perfect summer movie" and then pontificate about how surprising it is that women will respond to a film en masse when it does well!! However, it has to be said that the cinema was filled with menopausal women all enjoying their free hormone replacement patch with every ticket sold to the ridiculously fun, entertaining and brilliant Mamma Mia. And a jolly bloody good time was had by all.


The transferral of the popular stage show to the big screen has only enhanced the appeal of the flimsy plot and characters. Contained in celluloid magic, they now seem larger than life, engrossing and all the more loveable. And the songs?! Every single note, harmonised melody and brilliantly constructed middle 8 was amplified, magnified and celebrated into a sweeping wave of joy, hilarity, melancholy and heartbreak. But of course, it's Abba so the film makers would have to be pretty uninspired to mess it up (For example Waterloo and I Do I Do I Do I Do made Muriel's Wedding). Bringing these songs to life were the solemn responsibility of a uniformly excellent cast led by the always delightful Meryl Streep (and ably supported by the godlike Julie Walters and lovely Christine Baranski - who always has such amazing legs!). Colin Firth was the most likeable of the likeable potential daddies (I love how Wikipedia states "it is subtly suggested his character Harry may be gay" - if that is subtle then Wikipedia has just successfully rewritten the definition of the word!) and Amanda Seyfried is just perfect as Sophie. Special mention deserves to go to the islanders who inhabit Donna and Sophie's world and bring a new dimension en masse to each song. And of course, Dominic Cooper solidifies his position as my second favourite Dakin ever (after Ben Barnes of course) with his sculpted abs and delicious portrayal of lovestruck Sky. Dribble. I don't want to write too many spoilers so here are the best interpretations of the songs on the screen:

• Dancing Queen is the moment when the film just lets go and launches into a whirling dervish of merriment, joy and encourages the audience to become part of the experience. Used by Julie Walters and Christine Baranski as a means to cheer up Meryl Streep after her realisation that she is a bit of a slut after nobbing off 3 boys in as many weeks in her youth, it becomes a celebration of all things Abba. In it's original format, this flawless four minutes of pop is addictive from the first swoop of strings. On screen, it brings together Meryl's gang into full on party mode and as they dance around the island, the womenfolk 'cast off their daily shackles' and join in the celebrations. And if that isn't a visual representation of the power of Abba music, then I don't know what is. Meryl Streep jumping up and down on the bed must be the most carefree glorious moment in film since Tracy Turnblatt shimmies her way onto the Corny Collins show singing "you can't stop a river as it races to the sea". Magnificent.
• Lay All Your Love On Me (butchered by my beloved Steps in 2000) is the perfect song for Sky and Sophie as they prepare for their stag and hen parties respectively. I'm not sure why it stood out to me so much, but I do remember the "From Here to Eternity" moment where Sophie and Sky roll and romp together in the sand. A nice lusty busty romantic moment, but lets face it - on a practical level, no-one wants to spend the best part of their wedding night pulling weird sandy crap out their crannies do they?
• Voulez Vous - another ace pop song that they did some visual magic with. It's practically transformed into a tribal, intoxicating, exotic, rave experience as Sophie's confusion over her possible daddies intensifies and greek dancing surrounds her. It's a kalediscope of colours, whirling one way then the next as the question of the song infuses the cast and takes on a life of it's own. It's incredibly intruiging to watch and apparently took bloody ages to film. I'm not surprised. One step or twirl out of time and it ruins the whole effect.
• Bring on the heartbreak - the double impact of Slipping Through My Fingers and Winner Takes It All for some reason had me silently sobbing away (i'm having an emotional week!). Meryl does a rather brilliant job of capturing the whole "trying to hold a memory in your hand" as she prepares for her daughter to start a whole new life, and then goes right out and proves you don't need a particularly brillo voice to bring gravitas and heartbreak to a song as well written as Winner Takes It All. Excellent.

This jubilant film ends with the cast breaking the fourth wall and inviting the audience to party along with them. And the cinema did! Brillopad. Best feelgood movie since Hairspray and bound to be in faves of the year. Lets have a gratuitous piccie of Dominic to round things off...

Back soon with more abba, weekly round up, a tabloid scandal, the arrival of that fucking Ciccone book and McFly!