Synopsis
Set on a colourful Greek island, the plot serves as a background for a wealth of ABBA songs. A young woman about to be married discovers that any one of three men could be her father. She invites all three to the wedding without telling her mother, Donna Sheridan, who was once the lead singer of Donna and the Dynamos. In the meantime, Donna has invited her backup singers, Rosie Mulligan and Tanya Wilkinson.
Cast
Meryl Streep…Donna
Amanda Seyfried…Sophie
Pierce Brosnan…Sam
Stellan Skarsgård…Bill
Colin Firth…Harry
Julie Walters…Rosie
Christine Baranski…Tanya
Dominic Cooper…Sky
Rachel McDowall…Lisa
Ashley Lilley…Ali
Philip Michael…Pepper
Best character
Rosie is by far my favourite character. I absolutely adore Julie Walters, she’s a fellow Brummie so she’s obviously the best person in any film.
Her character is just too funny and she reminds me of my childhood best friend’s grandma. I want to be the type of person to dance on tables when I’m her age.
Favourite scenes/best musical moments
*I do not own the rights to any videos in this post, no copyright infringement was intended. All rights go to the production studio*
As always with musical films I’m going to combine these sections as they’re basically the same anyway.
Best quotes and one liners
SOPHIE: I want the perfect wedding, and I want my father to give me away.
ALI: Better be a wide aisle.
SKY: You must be Tanya. I’ve heard so much about you.
TANYA: Oh. All bad, I hope.
SKY: Yes.
DONNA: And all true!
SAM: You always knew how to make an entrance.
DONNA: I’d better be dreaming. You’d better not be here.
BILL: You want me to pinch you, Donna?
DONNA: No! You keep your hands to yourself, Bill Anderson.
PEPPER: (To Tanya.) Now, baby, this should tickle your taste buds.
TANYA: Down, big fella. I’m old enough to be your mother.
ROSIE: Grandmother.
TANYA: Ladies and no gentlemen, presenting, for one night and one night only…
ROSIE: Because that’s all we’ve got breath for.
TANYA: Speak for yourself, you old bat! The world’s first girl power band, Donna and the Dynamos.
SOPHIE: I have been tossing and turning all night. I’ve got three dads coming to my wedding, and I have to tell two of them they’re surplus. Only, which two?
HARRY: Donna must be tearing her hair out doing this wedding on her own. What would the father of the bride normally do?
TANYA: Pay [pause] though my dad drew the line at my third.
DONNA: [at the wedding ceremony] And welcome to… to… Sophie’s dad. I have to tell you, he is here.
SOPHIE: I know. I invited him.
DONNA: You couldn’t have. I don’t know which one it is.
SAM: Am I getting this right? Sophie may be mine, but she may be Bill’s or Harry’s?
DONNA: Yeah. Yes! That’s right. And don’t get all self-righteous with me, because you have no one but yourself to blame!
SOPHIE: Yeah, if you hadn’t just dumped my mother and gone off and married somebody else…
SAM: Hey, hey, wait a minute. I had to go home. I was engaged. But I told Lorraine I couldn’t marry her and I came right back!
DONNA: You… you… Why didn’t you call me?
SAM: Because I was crazy enough to think that you would be waiting for me. Only when I arrived, they told me you were off with some other guy. So… Lorraine called me an idiot and married me to prove it.
ROSIE: Typical, isn’t it? You wait 20 years for a dad, and then three come along at once.
Most iconic outfit
There are so many beautiful outfits in this film and Sophie’s wedding dress is stunning, but I think the Waterloo outfits are my favourite. I’ve put the clip below so you can see them in all of their metallic glory.
Final thoughts and fun facts
I can’t even begin to tell you just how nostalgic this film makes me feel and also how many times I’ve seen it. I went to see it in the cinema with my mom and sister and it’s one of my favourite memories.
*Credit to IMDB for the following facts*
Apparently, Pierce Brosnan had no idea what the project was about when he signed on. The producers told him it was being filmed in Greece, and Meryl Streep was starring. Brosnan said he would’ve signed on for anything involving Streep, describing her as “that gorgeous blonde I fancied terribly in Drama School.” Explains why he got the role despite clearly not being able to sing. Sorry Pierce but every time the chorus of SOS starts I burst out laughing.
The “Slipping Through My Fingers” scene includes a short clip of Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried laughing. According to director Phyllida Lloyd, the crew blasted heavy metal music to get the pair to laugh so much.
An undercurrent of this movie is to structure the story as a Greek comedy (like Aristophanes), including patterns of strophe and anti-strophe, a chorus representing the common people, and costumes matched to moods of the characters, including masks and the phallic props typical of Greek comedy.
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