Mamma Mia

Debut: 2008
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Starring: Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth

Pretty great, I would say. The story you can get from the previews - it's all about a girl who is about to get married and has three possible fathers and invites all three to the weeding to give her away, thinking she would know immediately which one was her father, and she doesn't, and hilarity ensues.

I guess for musicals I was comparing it to Hairspray, because it's kind of the standard you have to live up to. And I would say that Mamma Mia was nowhere near as seamless or natural as Hairspray was. By no means does that imply that I didn't like the film, but a musical really has to have a natural aspect to it. All big musicals in history have this ability, and this one really seemed to be lacking the ability to go into song on a whim.

On that note, I will also mention that this one had a lot more "down time" between songs, which kind of made it a little harder to sit through. The comedy, too, compared to Hairspray was much more kitsch and much less witty.

On a standalone basis, I still thought it was an adorable flick. The cast was easy to love, and it was pretty entertaining. Stick around for the closing credits - the cast dresses up a la ABBA style and it's just too great.