Woah! What have we here?
We have the 20-year-old daughter of an inn keeper on a tiny Greek island who is about to be married and wants her dad to give her away. Except she doesn't know who her dad is (nor, probably, does mom). So, behind her mom's back, she sends invitations to three men who shared her mom's life in the bad old disco days. All three show up…
Based on the famous Abba songs (and the hit stage show they inspired), the story line of this film is as tenuous as a bra strap and as simple as one, two, three.
Make that three times three. You have the bride-to-be, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), and her two girl friends; mom Donna (Streep) and her two pals Tanya (Christine Baransky) and Rosie (Julie Walters) -- they used to be collectively known as Donna and the Dynamites --; and the potential dads: Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Harry (Colin Firth) and Bill (Stellan Skarsgard).
There you have it, in a capsule. But then Abba's songs come in to bring whichever emotion that storyline requires at any given point.
Meryl Streep gives it her all – emotionally, musically and physically -- with a bravura performance that doesn't overshadow anybody else's, and her gleeful wickedness is more than matched by that of Christine Baransky and Julie Walters. These ladies don't give a damn if, as the parts require, they appear slightly overweight, downright plump or liposucked to the bone. (The men aren't too shabby either, if a tad more unsure vocally.) I defy you to resist when Donna, Tanya and Rosie, with shameless oomph and élan, don their rhinestoned platform pumps, sequined bell bottom pants and mile-long false eyelashes and get it on with Super Trouper. (The soundtrack also includes Mamma Mia, The Winner Takes It All, Dancing Queen and a delightfully agile rendition of Money Money Money.
Call it Grease for the fiftysomething, if you will. This joyous romp could have been hugely embarrassing, it is brilliantly fun -- and it had part of the Karlovy Vary Fest crowd virtually dancing in the ailes.
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
BEST DIRECTOR AWARD
BEST ACTRESS AWARD
BEST ACTOR AWARD
SPECIAL MENTION
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM (over 30 minutes long)
SPECIAL MENTION
SPECIAL MENTION
FESTIVAL PRESIDENT'S AWARD
THE TOWN OF KARLOVY VARY AWARD
PRÁVO AUDIENCE AWARD
AWARD OF INTERNATIONAL FILM CRITICS (FIPRESCI)
THE ECUMENICAL JURY AWARD
THE DON QUIJOTE PRIZE (FICC – International Federation of Film Societies)
NETPAC AWARD (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema
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