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Monday, July 28, 2008

Mama Mia

I have a secret that not many people know. When I was a student at BYU-Hawaii my Australian friends introduced me to something they liked to call, "ABBA Parties!" I had never even heard of the musical group ABBA from the late 1970's and so I had no idea what my friends were even talking about. So one day when one of us was especially down my friend wiped out a hairbrush and began to play, "Dancing Queen" while jumping from the bed and "singing" into her brush microphone. The music was upbeat, fun and catchy. We all began dancing and laughing as everyone else but me began singing along. From that moment on I was hooked. I immediately ordered a best of ABBA CD and from that day on I began to listen to ABBA and enjoy my own ABBA Parties. My roommates and I strung up Christmas lights for mood lightening and we would blast ABBA Gold out into the night as one of us was particularly stressed or depressed about something. Bill was then introduced to ABBA Parties early on in our marriage and Liam has grown up with ABBA and he loves to groove with his mom as I sing along and clean the house.
When I saw Mama Mia the Movie advertised I instantly went giddy and knew that I would have to check this movie out! So last week Grammy and Papa watched Liam so that Bill and I could go to Mama Mia.
OK so I haven't been able to think about anything but this movie since I saw it and Bill and I have been having non-stop ABBA Parties ever since! If you need a pick me up, a fun evening with the one you love, a fun evening with your girlfriends, or whatever GO see this movie. OK so there is some off color humor that some may find offensive but the overall movie is a must see. My most favorite part is when Donna-Meryl Streep is running through the streets of her Greek Island home singing, "Dancing Queen" and the women and girls of the village toss aside their chores and join her. Very heart warming and touching. The way the music is worked in is amazing and I haven't laughed that hard in a movie in a very long time. Their was a group of like 8 women who were there together and they were hooting and hollering so much Bill and I couldn't help but laugh as well. I highly recommend this movie and more importantly my husband enjoyed this movie and we are looking forward to seeing it again! So two thumbs way up for this movie!

8 comments:

Alexa said...

My friend went and saw the Broadway production of Mama Mia in Utah last summer... and loved it.... if I hear of it going to Utah again, I'll let you know. I grew up on ABBA and know all the words.... me and my girlfriends are going to see the movie too.... can't wait!

Lyn said...

I love ABBA! Can't wait to see the movie. Sam and I were thinking of going while she was here but didn't get around to it:(

Courtney said...

ABBA has always been road trip music for my family, so I too grew up with them. My mom saw the live musical of Mama Mia a few years ago and she came home and said she was so sorry she didn't take me. I would have loved it. So, I feel like I need to see the movie, but I am a big time live musical fan and am afraid that I should wait for the musical to come back to Utah. Your critique gave me more of a want to see it though, so we will see which half of me wins this battle.

I always laugh about being an ABBA fan, shouldn't we be embarrassed?

Jeannette said...

Jim and I saw the Broadway production a couple of years ago and it was great. Everyone was standing dancing and singing along. Our kids knew the songs also. We had their "tape" back in the eighties..... OLD!!!! we had to see the movie. Not as good but fun all the same. Just so happened that Xela, Mandy and their book group saw it in Dallas at the same time that we were watching it in GJ. Mandy assured Xela that my girlfriends from Honduras and I, are not quiet as wild as those three but to watch out when we get together, LOL!!! Any way, the music makes for a fun time and always good when you need a lift. Glad you got to see it.

Xela said...

I did see it the weekend it came out and I LOVED it! It was so much fun! I LOVE ABBA, and going with a huge bunch of girls was a blast, we laughed so hard and we really wanted to get up and dance. I would love to go to the broadway production of it.

Unknown said...

Moana it seems like you guys have been doing so many fun things together this summer! You are so creative with activities. Sorry I haven't gotten back to you on WW's stuff yet, our summer has just been one crazy incident after another. It's on the top of my to-do-list, though. We are really going to miss you guys in our ward but are glad you'll be able to participate in a family ward now--you've earned it. And your camping trip looks like so much fun! We love camping too and I can't believe that we don't go more often because we live so close to Logan canyon. You'll have to tell me more about this campsite. Loved the ABBA party idea!

Anonymous said...

That was a fun movie, I loved it. I love ABBA I need to find my cd. Just something that makes you feel good and like dancing!!

venuscameback said...

We enjoyed Mamma Mia! very much. we took my Mom to see it at the cinema as a birthday treat and she loved it.

Apparently she's not well-known in the US but Julie Walters is practically a British national treasure - an excellent actress, a funny woman and real down to Earth. So her comic turns had my Mom & I guffawing, because it was Julie Walters doing those things. So those scenes may not have the same comic value for US audiences.

I really enjoyed the gender swap for the vocalists on tracks such as Does Your Mother Know? but my favourite musical number was Meryl Streep's perfect, emotional cliff-top performance of The Winner Takes It All, folowed by the ensemble comedy of Dancing Queen.