Criticism sort of flies in the face in a movie like this. Let me just say a few brief points:

1. You have to like ABBA music to really even entertain watching this. I do, but even still, the film occasionally teeters on being a little too stuffed with songs.

2. Meryl Streep is fantastic, as she always is. She can also sing very well and pulls off some amazing dance moves for a woman her age.

3. The other women are all talented too--Julie Walters, as usual, steals scenes, as does Christine Baranski. Amanda Seyfried is sort of bland, but looks nice and sings well.

4. The men don't come off quite as well, mainly because none of them can sing. Stellan Skarsgaard tries to play his role like a character actor and comes off as a little forgettable. Colin Firth does his usual effortless charm but basically is forced to look silly near the end. Pierce Brosnan has the most difficult role--not the acting, which is pretty basic, but he gets the lion's share of the male songs...and he can't sing. I mean, he's not awful but he's not good either. That said, all three men are having fun and most of Brosnan's numbers are kind of ridiculous anyway (I do dislike though that he gets my favorite ABBA song, "S.O.S.").

5. Best Numbers: Honey, Honey; Mamma Mia; Dancing Queen (this basically brings down the house--if you don't like this, you won't really like anything in the movie); Take a Chance on Me. The Winner Takes it All is beautifully sung by Streep, I must add too.

Some numbers don't work as well, like Money Money Money or Does Your Mother Know. Others survive purely on camp value, like Lay All Your Love on Me. I was angry that The Name of the Game was omitted from the film.

6. Stay through the credits, at least until the Waterloo number because that's the biggest laugh of the movie.

7. Like a lot of filmed musicals, there's occasional spurts where "live energy" might have put a number over better and one is less tolerant of certain conventions on film than on stage (like filler numbers designed to give the leads a break).

The problem with both the film and the stage show is that music seems really shoehorned in to what is a pretty flimsy plot. It's a problem with a lot of these so-called "jukebox musicals".
I agree with pretty much everything you said Mike but I would add that for me the only song that seemed to come as a natural part of the story was "Slipping Through My Fingers"- probably one of the most obscure Abba songs around (certainly compared to the other songs in the show). It was also cute to see Benny and Bjorn make cameos in the movie as well....
I have a feeling it will be one of those films like "Sound Of Music", "Grease" and "Hairspray" that will live on in a singalong format at the cinemas....

I love ABBA, and I regret never seeing them live. They never toured the U.S., which was a fairly weak market for them anyway.
By dumb luck, I caught most of ABBA-The Movie a while back on an obscure cable channel. What a joy it was hearing those songs again, and seeing them performed live (well, sort-of.)
"Does Your Mother Know," IIRC, was the flip side of the "Dancing Queen" single. And, as much of an ABBA fan I am, I never heard of "Slipping Through My Fingers." (From what I've checked out on All Music, the song was not on any of their album releases, but is available on several of the recent compliation discs.)
I should check out Mamma Mia! when it hits the cable channels. The sheer camp value of this flick seems enormous.

>"Does Your Mother Know," IIRC, was the flip side of the "Dancing >Queen" single.

Actually, its "That's Me".

And, as much of an ABBA fan I am, I never heard of "Slipping Through My Fingers." (From what I've checked out on All Music, the song was not on any of their album releases, but is available on several of the recent compliation discs.)

It's on the B-side of The Visitors. Sadly, my copy has a scratch through that side, but I think through only the first song. . .

[RANT type="old-geezer"]
Careful, TWS, the young whippersnappers today have no clue what a B-side is. Them there CD thingies don't have B-sides.
[/RANT]

Here's a not-so-great opinion of this flick, courtesy of Jordon over at "The Agony Booth".

I should check out "Mamma Mia!" when it hits the cable channels. The sheer camp value of this flick seems enormous.
Well, I did, and it was. The film's really not that bad. In fact, it's entertaining enough, if you're in the right frame of mind. As for Pierce Brosnan, saying he can't sing is an understatement. Christine Baranski really camps it up. Then again, she's pretty campy in anything she's in.
I'm confused about the era the pic takes place in. Is it named? I thought it was a contemporary piece, but now I assume it takes place sometime in the late 1980's, as Sophie is 20, and when we see old shots of Donna with her men, they're all dressed like 1960's hippies. (Brosnan's get-up is the most outrageous, with hair down his back, and a thick Fu-Manchu mustache.)

The stage version opened in 1999, It's a while since I've seen it, but I'm sure Sophie mentions her Mum's old diary she's looking at is from 1979.

I should also add that the weekend I saw this movie represents some sort of odd achievement in filmgoing as I saw this the day after seeing The Dark Knight.

Has anyone seen the 2018 sequel
"Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again"

Weirdly enough “here we go again” is what we say when you post stuff like that….

ZING!