Julie Walters, Meryl Streep and Christine Baranski in "Mamma Mia"
courtesy of Universal Home Entertainment
“Mamma Meryl”

Anyone who loves musicals knows the stage success of “Mamma Mia!” has been phenomenal. Audiences have cheered it around the globe. The simple story of a young girl trying to find out who her father is, set against a backdrop of one great Abba tune after another, has charmed audiences over and over again. So it was naturally assumed the Hollywood movie version would be just as charming, wrong! Hollywood managed to miscast the film and take it from “Mamma Mia!” to “Grandma Mia!” in a way only they could do.

Now Meryl Streep is one of the world’s great actresses. She has the awards to prove it. She can go from highly dramatic (“Sophie’s Choice”) to moderately funny (“The Devil Wears Prada”), and she never met an accent she couldn’t conquer. But time marches on and Streep is now fifty-nine years old. That isn’t ancient but it is too old to play the part of a woman who had triple love affairs in her early twenties and now has a twenty year old daughter.

Donna, the main focus of “Mamma Mia!”, is supposed to be in her early forties. Streep plays her with gusto and enthusiasm but no way is she a woman in her forties. This miscasting throws the movie off.

Then there is Pierce Brosnan. He plays Sam, one of the possible fathers of Donna’s daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried). Brosnan has charmed us all as James Bond and in other roles. But in none of those other roles has he been forced to sing. When he bursts into song in “Mamma Mia!” dogs began to howl. It is that painful.

But he is not alone in the bad singer department. Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard also sound a little tone deaf. In movies like “Chicago” and “Moulin Rouge” the enjoyment came from discovering some Hollywood stars actually do have professional sounding voices. That is not the case here. We have actors who can act but not sing – so why put them in a musical!

Christine Baranski and Julie Walters star as Donna’s two best friends and sometimes backup singers. Baranski looks like a stick, an old Botoxed stick; and Walters – well I never could get a handle on who or what she was supposed to be. 

The one person who is right for her role is Seyfried. She not only looks like she could be Streep’s daughter (or maybe granddaughter), she also sings like an angel. Sophie is the emotional center of the film and Seyfried’s performance is right on target.

Aside from Seyfried, the glue that holds the movie together is the Abba songs. They are so buoyant and energizing that you find yourself living from one song to the next. Luckily there are a lot of them in the movie and they keep you humming along. 

On the down side, the vision of Streep and Brosnan performing in spandex will haunt my dreams for days to come. Mamma Mia! That was a sight.

Before I say anything else let me state that I am a fan of the “Mummy” movies. I like the adventure, comedy and romance that seem to go along with a “Mummy” title. So I went into “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” expecting to like it and I did. Was it a classic movie? No way! But was it a fun moviegoing experience? You bet!

In this second sequel Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) and his wife Evie, (Maria Bello replacing Rachel Weisz) are retired from their derring do days. They are living in a stately mansion in Britain and are trying to keep tabs on their son Alex (Luke Ford). He keeps dropping out of college and going on jaunts like those which enthralled his father.

In one such adventure Alex discovers the tomb of the “dragon emperor.” His father, mother and his Uncle Jonathan (John Hannah) meet up with him and are around when the Emperor (Jet Li) comes back to life after being dead for centuries. 

Now the entire O’Connell family has the task of keeping the Emperor and his troops from becoming immortal. They are aided in this quest by a mother daughter team (Michelle Yeoh and Isabella Leong) who have their own reasons for fighting the Emperor.

The action is constant in this movie and the comedy is still there to smooth the edges of the violence. Fraser has never been the typical hero. He comes across a little too dumb to be smart, but he is fun just the same.

Bello has a dark wig and longer teeth in an effort to make her look a little like the British Evie. It doesn’t succeed but she is still energetic and throws herself into the fray. She has more chemistry with Fraser than Weisz had, but both Bello and Fraser look years too young to be the parent of Ford. That age gaffe is a little disconcerting but the movie is all comic book style anyway so what different does a little miscasting make.

Jet Li is the perfect villain as always. He has that creepy, evil sneer down to perfection. The special effects folks have given him a lot of toys to play with and he does so with enthusiasm.

“The Mummy” is lightweight entertainment, as lacking in content as cotton candy is in health value. Still every now and then it is just fun to relax and watch a mindless adventure that entertains.

A few months ago the Disney Channel premiered a new Cheetah Girls musical. Now it is out on DVD and is titled “The Cheetah Girls: One World: Extended Music Edition.” Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan and Kiely Williams are the girls of the group and they each are very talented young women.

This adventure takes place in Mumbai and has a Bollywood touch to it. The girls sing, dance and act, plus there is a little romance going on in the story. And because it is all about girl power there3 are some fabulous clothes.

So get ready for fun as the Cheetah Girls return in “The Cheetah Girls: One World: Extended Music Edition” on DVD.

Also available this week on DVD is “The Little Mermaid II: Return To the Sea Edition.” This is a fun film for the family with music, humor and heart abounding. Ariel is one of Disney’s most popular characters and having another adventure with her is just what your child wants to see.

There are also extras such as games on the DVD plus a deleted song. So get this DVD and let the magic begin!

Finally there is a comedy drama on DVD titled “The Elder Son.” It stars Shane West of “E.R.” fame. Co-starring with him in this tale of mistaken identity is Leelee Sobieski and Rade Serbedzija. The basic story has West’s character claiming to be the lost son of Serbedzija’s character.

Is he or isn’t he? That is the question. And finding out the truth is half the fun. West, Sobieski and Serbedzija are joined by Ed Begley, Jr and Regina Hall in the film.
 

 

 

 

 

©2008 Jackie K. Cooper

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