Mamma Mia! (2008)

Donna (Meryl Streep), the owner of a small inn, doesn't know it, but she's in for a surprise. Her daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), is getting married and she's invited three of her mom's old boyfriends -- Bill (Stellan Starsgard), Harry (Colin Firth), and Sam (Pierce Brosnan) -- to the ceremony. The ceremony is to take place on the small Greek island where she and her mother reside. Sophie wants to finally know which one of the men is her dad. Donna has never divulged that information to her.

Donna used to be the lead in a popular pop group, and the two others in the group, Rosie (Julie Walters) and Tanya (Christine Baranski), have arrived to celebrate Sophie's wedding. They offer moral support when an upset Donna finds her old boyfriends on the island.

The music all consists of tunes by the 1970's pop group ABBA; their hits have been neatly put into this light and fluffy story. There is so much music that this film almost qualifies as a pop opera. The characters don't seem to get through a few sentences before they break into yet another song. Streep has a fine voice -- she sang in the movie Postcards From The Edge (1990) -- and Baranski and Walters harmonize nicely. Starsgard, Firth, and Brosnan aren't singers per se, but they do well with what is required of them in their roles. If you go into this movie not expecting much, you'll be fine. It's not a bad couple of hours.

Ms. Streep was nominated for an Oscar for her work in The Devil Wears Prada (2006). Mr. Brosnan was James Bond for awhile in a few movies including The World Is Not Enough (1999). He also was a regular on the NBC detective show, "Remington Steele" (1982-1987). Mr. Firth was in Bridget Jones' Diary (2001).