kerr-g
Joined Dec 2003
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Reviews10
kerr-g's rating
I liked ABBA in the '70s.
I saw "Mamma Mia" on stage in Vegas, and loved it.
Then I saw "Mamma Mia" the movie.
Oh dear!
I've never agreed with the notion of bringing in big-name stars to create a film version of an already popular musical, but in the past, when a few of those big-name movie stars couldn't sing, the directors (and I would assume the non-singing stars who didn't want to embarrass themselves) had the sense to bring in the Marni Nixons, Bill Lees, Margery McKays, Giorgio Tozzis, etc. to dub the sound tracks.
No such luck with "Momma Mia."
Dominic Cooper is good as "Sky," and Amanda Seyfried is more than good as Sophie, but the rest of the cast is too old and can't carry a tune in the buckets it looks like they are about to kick.
In the 2000s, "Duets," "Chicago," and "Moulin Rouge" were pleasant big-name star surprises.
What happened with "Momma Mia"? Could they not find Marni Nixon's phone number?
I saw "Mamma Mia" on stage in Vegas, and loved it.
Then I saw "Mamma Mia" the movie.
Oh dear!
I've never agreed with the notion of bringing in big-name stars to create a film version of an already popular musical, but in the past, when a few of those big-name movie stars couldn't sing, the directors (and I would assume the non-singing stars who didn't want to embarrass themselves) had the sense to bring in the Marni Nixons, Bill Lees, Margery McKays, Giorgio Tozzis, etc. to dub the sound tracks.
No such luck with "Momma Mia."
Dominic Cooper is good as "Sky," and Amanda Seyfried is more than good as Sophie, but the rest of the cast is too old and can't carry a tune in the buckets it looks like they are about to kick.
In the 2000s, "Duets," "Chicago," and "Moulin Rouge" were pleasant big-name star surprises.
What happened with "Momma Mia"? Could they not find Marni Nixon's phone number?
Watch the movie once and you'll like it. Watch it again, and you'll love it!
The orchestration is just fantastic. Kevin Spacey captures the feel of Bobby Darin, without exactly impersonating Bobby Darin. He moves like Bobby Darin, and he sings "like" Bobby Darin, but he's clearly not Bobby Darin -- in many ways, he's better than Bobby Darin!
I now put the movie in the DVD player and play it like a music CD. I also have the album from the movie, but the way the movie blends dialog with songs makes the DVD better than the album.
Clearly I like the music, but the story isn't bad either. I've never been a Bobby Darin fan, I've never been a Kevin Spacey fan, but I sure am a "Beyond the Sea" fan. This is an easy to watch, compelling, interesting, well-edited movie. Okay, there was one thing I didn't like: I didn't enjoy watching a Cadillac -- was it a '62? -- get beat with a golf club.
From a story point, it helps to watch the movie a second time to better understand the reactions of the people who know what Bobby, and the audience, don't learn until late in the movie.
The orchestration is just fantastic. Kevin Spacey captures the feel of Bobby Darin, without exactly impersonating Bobby Darin. He moves like Bobby Darin, and he sings "like" Bobby Darin, but he's clearly not Bobby Darin -- in many ways, he's better than Bobby Darin!
I now put the movie in the DVD player and play it like a music CD. I also have the album from the movie, but the way the movie blends dialog with songs makes the DVD better than the album.
Clearly I like the music, but the story isn't bad either. I've never been a Bobby Darin fan, I've never been a Kevin Spacey fan, but I sure am a "Beyond the Sea" fan. This is an easy to watch, compelling, interesting, well-edited movie. Okay, there was one thing I didn't like: I didn't enjoy watching a Cadillac -- was it a '62? -- get beat with a golf club.
From a story point, it helps to watch the movie a second time to better understand the reactions of the people who know what Bobby, and the audience, don't learn until late in the movie.