Mama Mia/ ABBA- fun, but still no excuse for bad singing

Closet ABBA fans will unite for the release of Phyllida Lloyd’s Mama Mia, and won’t be disappointed by the casting of Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried as the mother/daughter duo. The classic Broadway musical, set on a Greek island during the 1970’s is quickly transformed on screen as a present-day vintage tribute to glam rock.

As the film progresses, the characters crank up the glam at regular intervals until the wardrobe morphs from vacation seersucker to items from an attic raid. Amanda Seyfried is not just a pretty face, and gets to show off her vocal talent as an innocent bride-to-be, opposite her “aunt” Tanya played by the cougar-esque Christine Baranski. Donna and Sophie’s plots are paralleled, both flanked by identical supporting friends, until Donna/Meryl overshadows Sophie/Seyfried.

Streep proves once again that she is capable of anything- acting, singing, dancing, and leading a multi-generational female entourage with youthful leaps.

The same cannot be said for Pierce Brosnan’s vocal performance. It is lyrically evident that his character struggles with emotional pain, but it appears that singing is physically painful for Brosnan as well. It seems singing actually hurts him as much as it hurts the audience to listen. Given two solos, Brosnan was miscast for this role- and the costume glam getup doesn’t help him at all.

If Lloyd was looking for an all-star cast, or just someone to equalize Streep’s onscreen presence by sheer middle-age eye candy, perhaps she has learned her lesson and will hold future auditions according to musical aptitude.