by Ruth Floresca

Created on: July 16, 2009

I have loved ABBA songs as a young girl and it was a nice surprise to find out that a movie has been made using some of their songs. Later, I discovered that the movie was actually based on a successful stage musical! Talk about being out of the loop! I wish I could watch the theater version someday though.

We bought our own DVD after I saw the film being played in my sister's van on our way to an amusement park before Christmas last year. I was amused that even my young, two-year-old niece was singing and dancing along with the songs.

The lead roles were chosen well. Amanda Siegfrid was perfect for the role of Sophie. She has a very lovely voice aside from the pretty face that can convey a lot of emotions. On the other hand, Meryl Streep once again shone as the premier actress she is when she played the role of Donna Sheridan, the mom who didn't know who her daughter's dad really was.

The supporting cast was also great. I loved Colin Firth's voice especially during the first part of "Our Last Summer". It was such a nostalgic song. It surprised me as well to hear Pierce Brosnan sing!

I was brought back to my childhood days when I heard "Slipping Through My Fingers" again after so many years. I actually forgot about that Abba song through the passing of the years but it was the one I usually sang when I was young because I so loved the melody and the poignancy of the lyrics. Using that in the wedding preparation scene between mother and daughter was absolutely perfect.

The story is a good mix of drama and comedy. Julie Walters was a real hoot as Rosie. I enjoyed the parts when she suddenly found herself stuck on the stairwell railing and when she plunked down in the sink during a supposedly sad scene.

The transitions from joy to sadness and back again were so subtle but the emotions were effectively shared with the audiences. The Greek setting was divine, especially the stairs climbing up to the chapel. Everything about the movie was wonderful - the costumes, the characters, the dance numbers and the songs.

It is important to note that not all the scenes were shot in Greece. A majority of the footage were done at the studio. But it's hard to tell the difference where the shots on the island ended and the studio shots began. Such was the creativity of the special effects team.

Story wise, it is amazing how the writers were able to create such a good tale out of a collection of ABBA songs. This movie is a good tribute to the song-writing geniuses of Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulveus, two of the original ABBA members, who happened to have a cameo role each in the movie. Including them, albeit briefly, was a nice touch.

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