In 2008, ABBA fans of all ages were delighted by the release of Mamma Mia! The Movie starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Dominic Cooper and Pierce Brosnan. Now, ten years later they are back with a second instalment: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
The sequel, directed by Ol Parker takes us five years after the original, where Sophie (Seyfried) is preparing for the grand reopening of her late mother Donna’s (Streep) hotel. She is still grieving her mother’s passing, and there is much to do in such little time before the big day, and her marriage with Sky hits the rocks after he receives a permanent job offer in New York. Meanwhile, two out of three of Sophie’s potential fathers are unable to make it to the island for the reopening.
Lily James as young Donna.
We are taken back to Donna’s care-free days after her graduation, when she meets the young Harry in Paris. Played by Lily James, we see young Donna in a whirlwind romance with young Harry (and him charming her into taking his virginity). Soon, Donna and Harry part ways as she travels to Greece. When she misses her ferry to Kalokairi, she is offered a ride by Bill. After a memorable trip to the island, which included helping a stranded fisherman stop the love of his life marry another man.
When Donna arrives on the island and begins squatting in an old farmhouse, she meets Sam, who helps her rescue a horse also living there during a storm. The two have a whirlwind romance and Donna can actually see herself with young Sam, until she finds a photograph of him with his fiancé and throws him out.
When young Donna’s best friends Rosie and Tanya come to visit her, Donna channels her anger and sadness into song as she sings ‘Mamma Mia’ at the local bar. It is here that ‘Donna and the Dynamos’ is formed.
To be honest, I was surprised to see Lily James play the part of young Donna, after her fantastic performance in Cinderella (2015). After playing such an angel, I didn’t know how she would go as the free-spirited, somewhat ditzy and clumsy Donna, but she did it!
In the present, things take a turn for the worst as a storm destroys the setup for the hotel’s reopening, and grounds all ferries and transport from the mainland.
With the return of Bill however, we see Harry, Sky, and a whole heap of randoms from the mainland arrive at the island in true Mamma Mia style!
I do consider myself an ABBA fan, but I am sad to say, I have not heard every album from front to back, hence much of the set list in Here We Go Again was completely new to me!
While we were delighted with the usual favourites like ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘Dancing Queen’, other less known songs made appearances: ‘When I Kissed the Teacher’, ‘One of Us’, ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’, and ‘Andante, Andante’, to name a few.
However, nothing prepared me for the special appearance of Cher as Sophie’s grandmother, followed by her red hot duet performance of ‘Fernando’ with Andy Garcia. Check out the sneak peek trailer below!
What never ceases to amaze me is how easily life’s problems are solved in musicals. When things seem to be at their most hopeless, a song is performed, and the problem is solved. In the first Mamma Mia film, we saw the dilemma of who Sophie’s biological father could be. Instead of having a blood test, Sophie decides that all three men would play the part of her father. As for the sequel when Sky is offered a job in New York, he heads to Greece, and after a song or two, he decides that he won’t take the job! To add to this, Sophie knows she is pregnant after throwing up once!
I felt the same way after watching High School Musical. After all the fuss about auditions and the uproar the school would be in, we never got to see so much as a sneak peek of the musical.
Anywho, Mamma Mia Here We Go Again definitely did not disappoint, and I easily give it 4.5 stars with my blessing. A feel-good movie like this helps put things in perspective, and puts you into a good mood, which is what I love most about it.
Check it out in cinemas now! The soundtrack is also available on iTunes and in stores.
All my love,
xoxo Brett.
