Mamma Mia!

Recently, I had the opportunity to view the movie Mamma Mia! Whereas, there is a LOT that I did not like about the movie....it was crass and crude in many spots and.... (Plot spoiler alert) for Colin Firth's character to end up paired up with a young man seemed unlikely. Silly me..I had hoped his character would end up with Ms. Streep's character in the end. His relationship with the young man seemed to come out of nowhere, as though they realized "Oops, we had better throw a gay character in there to draw in that audience as well."....Also the marriage that didn't happen and the one that did, seemed all too rushed, like they needed a "big" ending to the movie and so decided to throw the characters together in sort of a jumble. Well... I could go on, but my point today isn't to criticize the movie, it is to tell what I liked about it.

There were a couple of things I REALLY did like about the movie. HOWEVER, I wouldn't say these points would necessarily make it worth watching..... I was indeed part of a captive audience, being a passenger on a Concord Trailways bus and had no choice but to watch in between reading and napping. ~smile

The first thing I really liked about this movie was that even though, Meryl Streep was nearly 60 when she made this film, her character is vital, vibrant and beautiful!  Of course, Ms. Streep IS beautiful, so it is no stretch for her, but the point I'm trying to make is that too often in movies male characters are portrayed as attractive and virile until they are indeed quite elderly (and often paired with a female lead who is 30+ years their junior) and older female characters tend to be either drab and frumpy or else, masculine and bossy.  I really enjoyed the fact that Ms. Streep's character was feminine, cheerful, and youthful. I loved her outfits and long hair! Her character seemed REAL. But for the bad points previously mentioned in the paragraphs above, there would be much in her character worth emulating for women today.

The second point I enjoyed about the film was the joyful, free-spirited factor. People running and skipping around while singing in public. You just have to love a musical for that kind of freedom it gives adults. The uninhibited childlike feeling of wanting to sing at the top of our lungs and dance around freely regardless of who is watching....... ahhh...... that would be great.