THE FILM:

I intentionally missed Mamma Mia! in theaters a decade ago, as the musical romantic comedy did not seem like my cup of tea. Upon belated consideration, this Phyllida Lloyd-directed film is not half bad. Based on the 1999 stage musical and the songs of Swedish pop group ABBA, Mamma Mia! has a hell of a cast: Meryl Street, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper and Amanda Seyfried. I suppose you could be a complete grouch and find this movie's lighthearted charms grating, but I allowed the catchy pop tunes to wash over me, and Seyfried proves a lively, charismatic lead. A multi-generational romantic comedy, Mamma Mia! may not be high art, but it is a respectable adaptation of the stage musical.

In blunt but accurate terms, 20-year-old Sophie Sheridan (Seyfried) does not know the identity of her father because her mother Donna (Streep) was sleeping around in the months before Sophie's birth. On the eve of her wedding to Sky (Cooper) on the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi, Sophie finds her mother's journal and reads about her conquests. She then invites three men, architect Sam Carmichael (Brosnan), sailor Bill Andersson (Skarsgard) and banker Harry Bright (Firth), to her wedding without telling Donna, in hopes that one will be her biological father. They agree to attend, and Sophie struggles to hide their presence on the island from Donna, who struggles to maintain a rundown resort and regrets leaving love in the past.

Like ABBA or not, the group is one of the highest selling acts of all time and considered extremely influential to pop-music history. I do not have strong opinions about ABBA; their music has a certain earworm quality, although I do not seek it out. As the soundtrack to this effervescent romantic comedy, it works. There is a lot of random singing and dancing in Mamma Mia!, but there is also regular dialogue. Many of the musical sequences offer heightened reality, and characters jump about the picturesque resort and join choreographed dance numbers on jetties and tables. I do not believe all the actors sing in the film, but it is obvious that Streep does. More than just the credited artist on her musical numbers, you can very clearly tell Streep has some solid musical talent. Not that I'm surprised. Seyfried seems to sing most of her numbers, with some assistance, but many of the supporting characters are obviously lip-synching; not that it's a huge issue.

The film moves quickly through its 109 minutes, and offers significant charms. Streep and Seyfried play well together, as do "the guys." If you told me Firth, Skarsgard and Brosnan were lifelong friends, I would not challenge you. Some of the funniest moments come as viewers are treated to glimpses of the men in their younger days. The Sophie/Sky wedding story takes backstage to Donna and her former suitors, and Sky comes off a bit caddish as he joins his mates on his bachelor's weekend. He also whines a lot, and Sophie does not spend much time in his company during the film. By the final sequence, in which the entire cast sings the title song, complete with unnecessary slow-motion shots, you pretty much get what you signed up for. Whether this movie warranted its recent, belated sequel is debatable, but you could do worse for date night.

THE BLU-RAY:

PICTURE:

The Blu-ray offers a decent but dated 2.40:1/1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that I suspect was ported over from the 2008 Blu-ray release. What was a pretty spectacular image in 2008 is less so a decade later. This film benefits from its gorgeous locations and solid cinematography, and this image does offer gorgeous location shots that are bright and colorful. There is definitely some noise in the image, and, while largely sharp, it's not as clear as a modern HD transfer. Colors are bold and usually do not smear; though skin tones are a bit hot. Black levels are decent, though shadows tend to push toward purple. There are some purposely softer-focus shots and warm contrast, and fine-object detail is acceptable. There is light edge enhancement, which creates occasional halos. A new 4K image would have been nice, but I suspect this is the best you'll get in the near future.

SOUND:

The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix is also acceptable but somewhat dated. There is nothing especially bad about the mix, but it is less dynamic than I hoped. Although there is light ambience and some effects pans, the musical numbers are largely front-loaded and do not take advantage of the surround speakers as they might have. Dialogue is clear and nicely integrated. This mix could be a powerhouse but instead is simply acceptable. French and Spanish 5.1 DTS mixes are included, as are English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.

PACKAGING AND EXTRAS:

This is a pretty shoddy "10th Anniversary Edition" Blu-ray release. The first disc mirrors the 2008 Blu-ray, and the second disc (a DVD), offers new bonus materials. The discs are packed in a standard case that is wrapped in an attractive slipcover. A digital copy is included. On the Blu-ray you get a Sing-Along option for the musical numbers; Deleted Scenes (8:06/SD); Outtakes (1:33/SD); Deleted Musical Number "The Name of the Game" (3:02/SD); The Making of Mamma Mia! (24:05 total/HD), a three-part featurette; Anatomy of a Musical Number: "Lay All Your Love on Me" (5:42/HD); Becoming a Singer (10:55/HD), which sees ABBA members working with the film's cast; A Look Inside Mamma Mia! (2:40/HD), an EPK featurette; a Music Video (3:49/SD); Bjorn Ulvaeus Cameo (1:35/SD), about the ABBA singer's cameo; and an Audio Commentary by Director Phyllida Lloyd.

On Disc 2, you get the following new bonus features in standard definition: A Talented Trio: The Creators of Mamma Mia! (9:30/SD), which sees Lloyd, Judy Craymer and Catherine Johnson discuss the musical; Christine Baranski and the Boys (6:17/SD), which focuses on the "Does Your Mother Know" musical number; Breaking Down "Voulez Vous" (5:14/SD); More of "Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie!" (5:15/SD); Meryl's Big Number (3:59/HD), about Streep's work performing the title track; VH1 10 Most Excellent Things: Mamma Mia! (21:17/SD); Behind the Scenes with Amanda (4:12/SD); On Location in Greece (4:04/SD); and Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie Even More (18:56 total/SD), a three-part featurette covering several aspects of production. Perhaps all of this footage was from SD sources, but offering a bonus DVD in 2018 feels cheap.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

This adaptation of the stage musical benefits from its talented cast and gorgeous locations. Unless you absolutely hate the tunes of Swedish pop group ABBA, it's hard to deny the lighthearted charms of Mamma Mia!. This new 10th Anniversary Blu-ray Edition is not much of an upgrade if you own the 2008 disc. The image and sound are the same, and the new bonus features are offered on a DVD. If you do not own the movie, it is Recommended.

William lives in Burlington, North Carolina, and looks forward to a Friday-afternoon matinee.