Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: Meryl Streep is in this movie for five minutes. She may be front and center in the promotional poster, and she may get the “and” in the credits, but she makes her entrance during the very last scene of the movie. The premise of this prequel/sequel is that her character has died, and her daughter is struggling to run the hotel by herself. I know; no one told me that, either. This one’s a drama, folks.
I thought this movie was going to be terrible, a silly excuse to prance around and sing more ABBA songs, alongside a thin plot that was described in five minutes during the original and didn’t need more detail. But it’s so much better than the first one! Not constrained by the ill-fitting songs of the original Broadway musical that stuck numbers into scenes with no connection to furthering the story, this movie actually puts songs in when they matter. There are a few overlaps of songs that were used in the first movie, but the vast majority of the songs are new (to the movie, not to ABBA fans); and many of them have a more somber tone that fit the story. “One of Us” is sung by Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper when they break up at the start of the movie. “I Wonder” (a great number that you’ll only find in the deleted scenes) is sung by Lily James as she heads off to have a European adventure after graduation.
The best part of the movie, and the reason it’s infinitely better than the first one, is the respect the “younger cast” gives to the “older cast”. While part of the plot is a sequel, five years after the first movie ended, with Amanda Seyfried planning a grand re-opening of the hotel with one of her dads, Pierce Brosnan, by her side, the main plot is a prequel, chronicling her mother’s journey to Greece and her encounter with three young men. In this extensive flashback, everyone was given a younger counterpart, and everyone did extensive research. Lily James projects all of Meryl Streep’s mannerisms from the first movie, Jeremy Irvine perfects Pierce Brosnan’s accent, Hugh Skinner matches Colin Firth’s hesitation and speech patterns, Josh Dylan is just as carefree and fun as Stellan Skarsgard, Alexa Davies puts in shoulder rolls and wacky movements to channel Julie Walters, and Jessica Keenan Wynn seems like someone put Christine Baranski in a time machine. It’s wonderful to see the younger cast and the older cast in alternating scenes, and, just like the original, you can feel how much fun everyone had while filming.
While it’s rude to pick out one member among the cast as the highlight, Lily James is such an adorable, likable sweetheart, she deserves an extra mention. It’s no small task to make everyone in the audience forget they came to the theaters to see Meryl Streep, and yet to continually remind everyone that you’re playing her younger counterpart. No offense to Miss Streep, but no one will miss her in this movie. With a bright, fresh, new actress on the screen who embodies the free spirit of a time period that passed before she was born, it’s just not possible to think anything’s missing from the leading lady of the film. She’s delightful, beautiful, sunny, frisky, and full of life. You might even puzzle as to where you’ve seen her before, since she’s so transformed from the famed cinder girl, Churchill’s secretary, and, most notably, the flapper cousin to the Granthams.
There’s so much attention to detail in this movie, and as someone who knows the first Mamma Mia like the back of my hand, I was able to appreciate all of it. Writer-director Ol Parker obviously loved the original and studied it, including references to every clue dropped in the script, from adding in a twin to making sure Hugh Skinner wore a Johnny Rocket t-shirt. Just don’t pay attention to the order of the relationships written in the diary from the first movie. This one makes so much more sense, so just go with it. With fun, flashy colors, costumes, and on-location filming, every song and scene is enchanting.
Keep in mind it’s a drama. I may be an easy target, since I bawl my way through the first Mamma Mia every time Meryl Streep sings “Slipping Through My Fingers,” but I cried twice as hard during this movie. There are a couple of songs that connect mother and daughter, and, depending on your level of sappiness, you’ll need between one and fifty Kleenexes to get through them. In my opinion, it’s a great compliment to the film if the audience cries. I wouldn’t have cried so much if Lily James was unlikable or if the story wasn’t interesting.
Trust me, even if you think it’s going to be silly, you’ve love it far more than you thought possible. From songs that declare children the love of a parent’s life, to big ’70s hair, to finding home where you least expect it, to seeing everyone reunited ten years later with jokes and winks to go around, this is a movie you’ll want to watch over and over again. If you thought the end credits of the first movie were fun, you’ll love the credits in these, as the older and younger people dance together and savor adorable curtain calls. I know what I’m getting for Christmas—that, and a box of Kleenex.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. When Amanda Seyfried lies down on her bed during “One of Us” the camera spins around in a circle, and it will make you sick. There’s another circle during “Waterloo” right after it shows the chorus woman in a wheelchair. A third spin is in the closing credits during a group shot. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
More Meryl Streep movies here!
I thought this movie was going to be terrible, a silly excuse to prance around and sing more ABBA songs, alongside a thin plot that was described in five minutes during the original and didn’t need more detail. But it’s so much better than the first one! Not constrained by the ill-fitting songs of the original Broadway musical that stuck numbers into scenes with no connection to furthering the story, this movie actually puts songs in when they matter. There are a few overlaps of songs that were used in the first movie, but the vast majority of the songs are new (to the movie, not to ABBA fans); and many of them have a more somber tone that fit the story. “One of Us” is sung by Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper when they break up at the start of the movie. “I Wonder” (a great number that you’ll only find in the deleted scenes) is sung by Lily James as she heads off to have a European adventure after graduation.
The best part of the movie, and the reason it’s infinitely better than the first one, is the respect the “younger cast” gives to the “older cast”. While part of the plot is a sequel, five years after the first movie ended, with Amanda Seyfried planning a grand re-opening of the hotel with one of her dads, Pierce Brosnan, by her side, the main plot is a prequel, chronicling her mother’s journey to Greece and her encounter with three young men. In this extensive flashback, everyone was given a younger counterpart, and everyone did extensive research. Lily James projects all of Meryl Streep’s mannerisms from the first movie, Jeremy Irvine perfects Pierce Brosnan’s accent, Hugh Skinner matches Colin Firth’s hesitation and speech patterns, Josh Dylan is just as carefree and fun as Stellan Skarsgard, Alexa Davies puts in shoulder rolls and wacky movements to channel Julie Walters, and Jessica Keenan Wynn seems like someone put Christine Baranski in a time machine. It’s wonderful to see the younger cast and the older cast in alternating scenes, and, just like the original, you can feel how much fun everyone had while filming.
While it’s rude to pick out one member among the cast as the highlight, Lily James is such an adorable, likable sweetheart, she deserves an extra mention. It’s no small task to make everyone in the audience forget they came to the theaters to see Meryl Streep, and yet to continually remind everyone that you’re playing her younger counterpart. No offense to Miss Streep, but no one will miss her in this movie. With a bright, fresh, new actress on the screen who embodies the free spirit of a time period that passed before she was born, it’s just not possible to think anything’s missing from the leading lady of the film. She’s delightful, beautiful, sunny, frisky, and full of life. You might even puzzle as to where you’ve seen her before, since she’s so transformed from the famed cinder girl, Churchill’s secretary, and, most notably, the flapper cousin to the Granthams.
There’s so much attention to detail in this movie, and as someone who knows the first Mamma Mia like the back of my hand, I was able to appreciate all of it. Writer-director Ol Parker obviously loved the original and studied it, including references to every clue dropped in the script, from adding in a twin to making sure Hugh Skinner wore a Johnny Rocket t-shirt. Just don’t pay attention to the order of the relationships written in the diary from the first movie. This one makes so much more sense, so just go with it. With fun, flashy colors, costumes, and on-location filming, every song and scene is enchanting.
Keep in mind it’s a drama. I may be an easy target, since I bawl my way through the first Mamma Mia every time Meryl Streep sings “Slipping Through My Fingers,” but I cried twice as hard during this movie. There are a couple of songs that connect mother and daughter, and, depending on your level of sappiness, you’ll need between one and fifty Kleenexes to get through them. In my opinion, it’s a great compliment to the film if the audience cries. I wouldn’t have cried so much if Lily James was unlikable or if the story wasn’t interesting.
Trust me, even if you think it’s going to be silly, you’ve love it far more than you thought possible. From songs that declare children the love of a parent’s life, to big ’70s hair, to finding home where you least expect it, to seeing everyone reunited ten years later with jokes and winks to go around, this is a movie you’ll want to watch over and over again. If you thought the end credits of the first movie were fun, you’ll love the credits in these, as the older and younger people dance together and savor adorable curtain calls. I know what I’m getting for Christmas—that, and a box of Kleenex.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. When Amanda Seyfried lies down on her bed during “One of Us” the camera spins around in a circle, and it will make you sick. There’s another circle during “Waterloo” right after it shows the chorus woman in a wheelchair. A third spin is in the closing credits during a group shot. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
More Meryl Streep movies here!