Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Universal, 2018
Starring Amanda Seyfried, Lily James, Pierce Brosonan, and James Irvine
Directed by Ol Parker
Music and Lyrics by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus

Universal had been trying to get a sequel to Mamma Mia! off the ground ever since the first movie was a huge hit in 2008. When they did finally got a sequel off the ground, it was mostly without a busy Meryl Streep, who for many people was the first film. How does this second round of ABBA tunes and mother-daughter bonding work without her? For an answer, we return to the Greek island of Kalakori and Donna's villa, where her daughter Sophie (Seyfried), is working on achieving her mother's dream...

The Story: Sophie has been restoring her mother's villa as a hotel ever since she'd passed away the year before. She's in a panic over the grand opening party, especially because the only one of her fathers who can come is Sam (Brosonan). Her mother's two best friends, Tanya (Christine Baranski), and Rosie (Julie Walters), do make it. Rose's still upset that she broke up with Bill; Tanya's more than happy to flirt with Fernando (Andy Garcia), the hotel manager. Sophie's also having problems with her husband Skye (Dominic Cooper), who stayed in New York for his job and because he's tired of her obsession with her mother.

From Sam, Tanya, Rosie, and the citizens of the island, she learned how her mother had originally come to have her. Having just graduated Oxford in 1979, Donna (James), Tanya (Jessica Keenan Wynn), and Rosie (Alexa Davies) are looking forward to a summer traveling around Europe. Donna meets Harry (Hugh Skinner) in Paris and sleeps with him, but leaves soon after. She catches a ride to Greece with Bill (Josh Dylan). Soon after arriving in Greece, she discovers the farmhouse and is delighted by its unfinished charms. She discovers a horse in the basement that's spooked by a storm. Sam (Irvine) comes in to help. She's as much in love with him as the island, but her love fizzles quickly when she discovers that he has a fiancee back home. She finally opts to stay when the mother of the owner of the bar where she and the girls sang (Maria Vacratsis) agrees to let her live at the farmhouse for free for saving her horse.

Meanwhile, another storm has destroyed Sophie's outdoor grand opening party and delayed the arrival of the press. She and Sam are devastated...until the ferries arrive, and Sophie begins to understand how important her mother's dream and her kindness were to many people, not just her.

The Song and Dance: I was impressed by the story this time around. It's touching and thoughtful and maybe even a tad bit darker than the first film, while not sacrificing that fizzy fun that made the original such a huge favorite. James was excellent as the young Donna, bubbling with life and love (and possessing a lovely singing voice, to boot). In fact, the casting of the young actors, men and women, was absolutely spot-on. They really did look like they could have been the actors 20 years ago. The filming in Croatia was equally gorgeous, with some wonderful vistas of the Adriatic Sea.

Favorite Number: The past sequence starts strong with "When I Kissed the Teacher," Donna and her friends' big song that turns their Oxford graduation into a wacky disco concert. Seyfried and Cooper have a nice split-screen "One of Us" about their broken relationship. Donna goes off with Bill in "Why Did It Have to Be Me?"...but Harry's wondering how he got left behind. "I Have a Dream" reveals Donna's desire to restore the farmhouse and how much she now loves the island life, even during a storm. "Knowing Me, Knowing You" packs a wallop as she and Sam break up; "Mamma Mia!" is Tanya and Rosie's attempt to cheer her up, but it's so infectious, turns into a number for half the island. "Dancing Queen" is almost as epic as the previous film as the elder Bill and Harry finally arrive at the island. Cher and Andy Garcia get in on the action with a fun "Fernando" towards the end.

Trivia: Look for cameos by songwriters and original ABBA members Bjorn Ulvaeus as a professor in "When I Kissed the Teacher" and Benny Andersson as the pianist in the Parisian restaurant in "Waterloo."

What I Don't Like: They couldn't have brought Cher and Streep in a tad earlier? Like, before the last ten minutes of the film? Streep's energy and enthusiasm from the original film is definitely missed, and not just by the characters. Actually, the obsession with her and how wonderful she was can get a little annoying in the present sequences. Though the story isn't as fluffy as the first movie, it's still fairly light-hearted, especially for something that heavily discusses birth and death. And yes, this still isn't for people who don't love ABBA or the pop music of the late 70's.

The Big Finale: To my surprise, I enjoyed this far more than the first one. Streep's missed, but the rest of the cast is game, the numbers are just as much fun, and the plot is touching, sweet, and makes a lot more sense (and actually has a resolution). If you loved the first film or are a fan of ABBA or the cast, by all means, check this one out, too.

Home Media: This was just as big of a hit as the original, and is just as easy to find in all formats, including streaming and 4K.

DVD
Blu Ray - Mamma Mia! 2 Movie Collection
Blu Ray
4K
Amazon Prime