As fans of the Mamma Mia! show (like me) eagerly await the release of the Mamma Mia movie, I think we’re all wondering the same thing: will the movie live up to the show? Will the movie be the same “Guaranteed Get-Happy Hit” that the Broadway and West End shows are?

I’m not sure, but I’m guardedly hopeful that Mamma Mia film will still have the punch that the Mamma Mia stage production has. Here is my perspective on how the Mamma Mia movie is stacking up…

The Leadership

If the leadership of a project is a good indicator of it’s success, the Mamma Mia movie is looking good. Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, the two guys from Abba, are producers of the film. The director (Phyllida Lloyd) and writer (Catherine Johnson) from the stage production are reprising their roles in the film production.

The Actors

Most of the lead roles have already been announced:

• Meryl Streep will be playing Donna.
• Pierce Brosnan will be playing Sam.
• Dominic Cooper will be playing Sky.
• Amanda Seyfried will be playing Sophie.

Pierce Brosnan I’m pretty sure will be good. Not only is he an actor, but apparently he was a singer before he got into acting. Meryl Streep is also a trained singer, so no worries there. Actually, you can see her sing and dance in this video clip.

The two actors playing Sophie and Sky, though, I’m not sure about. I can’t find any information on their singing or musical experience or abilities. Well, there is the fact that Amanda Seyfried apparently beat out Mandy Moore and Amanda Bynes, both of whom can sing. The show really revolves around Sophie, so it’s going to be imperative that she be a good singer, dancer, and actor, IMHO.

The Energy

Another big question I have, is will the movie be able to bring the energy of the show to the screen? Will the movie be able to bring the clap-your-hands-dance-in-the-aisles energy that the show has? I sure hope so!

Other Questions

Apparently, the songs Mamma Mia, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, and Knowing You, Knowing Me have been cut from the movie version. If that’s true, I think that could be a great mistake. Knowing Me, Knowing You is one of my favorites. Plus, how do you cut the title track of a musical?

The Buzz

I wanted to see what other fans are expecting from the upcoming movie, so I checked around on blogs and dug up these gems:

• Anything with “Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bond in the same film” is bound to be good.
• “[Meryl Streep] has a true comic gift…I can’t wait for Mamma Mia!”
• “This movie will bomb” (based on the cast so far). That was the opinion of the original poster, but most commenters disagreed.

The general opinion seems to be positive, but with a negative outlook on the removal of certain musical numbers….

Conclusion

I’m optimistic that Mamma Mia will be a great movie. I was really impressed by the recent Hairspray movie, and if the producers can do as well at bringing the energy and music of Mamma Mia to the screen, it will be great.

What do you think? What do you think the strengths of the movie will be? Weaknesses?

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