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dreamer_girl
Reviews
Mamma Mia! (2008)
OK for lighthearted fun, but unsubstantial
This was entertaining overall, but didn't have much substance. Also, some ABBA fans may cringe at the singing of their songs by the actors, many of which pale in comparison to the original versions, especially as sung by Pierce Brosnan. The audience laughed when he sang, and I got the impression they were laughing at him and his horrendous singing, not because they were enjoying his performance. It was a poor casting decision; almost anyone would have been better. In addition, I didn't sense any emotion from him when he sang, which is usually the point of a musical number or even acting in general; he was just barking out words. I read a review in which his vocal performance was described as bleating "like a moose who just took a bullet" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) and I would have to agree with that description. Amanda Seyfried is cute as Sophie and Christine Baranski and Julie Walters were entertaining (and Baranski and Seyfried can actually sing). Meryl Streep was okay, too, but she seemed to jump from one extreme emotion to another at times, which made her character less believable to me. I put this down to poor directing. So, it's good for an evening of fun if you want to see a fluff movie. Probably worth the price of a cheap movie ticket.
Uptown Girls (2003)
plot was all over the place
This script needed some serious refinement and re-working before they even thought of taking it to filming stages. The story is jumpy and has many bits shoved into it that just don't fit together well. It seems like the writers each had their own little piece of the plot that they wanted to include and so they decided to put it all in, disregarding if any of it actually needed to be there, or how well it flowed. I think the writers were trying too hard, and worked too much on formula instead of letting the story go where it took them. Dakota and Brittany did their best, however, in trying to make their characters seem believable in this mixed-up story. I commend them on their performances, considering what they had to work with. Definitely not worth the $9-$10 evening rate, but might be worth the matinee price if you absolutely must see it and aren't expecting much in the way of story. You're not missing much if you wait until it comes out on video, though. Two stars out of five.