Customer Reviews

Mamma Mia! The Movie Soundtrack

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First off, I am 16 years old and before seeing the movie Mamma Mia, was not familiar with any of ABBA's songs except for Mamma Mia and Dancing Queen. I loved everything about the film from start to finish: the cast, setting, plot, and, of course, the catchy songs that can make 40 year old men want to sing along! I immediately went home and bought the whole CD, listening to it repeatedly. I adore each and every song, and the whole CD deserves to be purchased, not just certain songs. Amanda Seyfried, who is virtually unknown except for Mean Girls, has a simply beautiful voice. Although in interviews she said that she does not plan on pursuing a career in singing, I believe that she would be very successful if she did. I loved every single song she sang on the album, and am stunned that "The Name of the Game" was omitted from the movie. Meryl Streep proved that she can really do anything. Her voice is amazing. Anyone who says otherwise is just wrong. She brings so much emotion to the piece "The Winner Takes it All." It's simply breathtaking. Contradicting many other reviews, I thought all three men (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgard) have wonderful voices. People keep saying that Pierce sounds horrible, but I don't know how they are making that assertion. He sings "SOS" and "When All is Said and Done" terrifically, in my opinion. Finally, Christine Baranski and Julie Walters harmonized perfectly with Meryl Streep in songs like "Super Trouper" and "Dancing Queen." Christine Baranski nails "Does Your Mother Know" and Julie Walters hits home with "Take a Chance on Me."
My Favorite songs from the album:
Honey, Honey
Mamma Mia
Dancing Queen
The Name of the Game
Slipping Through my Fingers (although not mentioned by many other reviewers, this has to be in my top 3 favorites. The song is really sad and moving, especially in the film--and the segment where Meryl and Amanda harmonize is outstanding)
Does Your Mother Know
SOS (LOVE IT)
The Winner Takes it All
I Have a Dream
Thank You for the Music (perfect completion to the album)

I saw the movie the day it opened. The cast had so much fun with the music. If you like Abba it's icing on the cake.

Best cuts:
'Mama Mia'--Meryl reverts to a giggly hormonal teenager.

'Does You Mother Know'--Christine Baranski makes it a delightful middled-aged woman's anthem.

'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (a man after midnight)--Amanda Seyfried's sweet voice gives it a naughty little twist. May just become the coming year's signature bachelorette party song.

Downsides:

'Waterloo' isn't included and should have been.

Poor Pierce Bronsan can't sing.

Despite being a long-time Abba fan, I loved the less than professional singing of some of the actors in the movie...yes, even Pierce Brosnan. The 'feeling' they put into the lyrics made them more meaningful.

My only disappointment was finding the singing on the CD was not quite like the movie, almost as if they electronically improved their voices...particularly in the case of Streep...and a lot of the quirkiness they added in inflection and tone in the movie was missing on the CD.

Was dragged to the cinema by my wife, thought this was just a soppy woman`s film. I was wrong, I really enjoyed it and some of the musical scenes were a joy, kept catching my self foot tapping on the floor. I thought ALL the cast sang well, the dance sequences were excellent. I have never seen a cinema audience so reluctant to leave after the film was finished. The encore at the end was great fun.
Now in the process of downloading the soundtrack - even if it is missing a couple of songs.

Thi reminded me of a couple of the old "There is no Business Like Show Business Era.

Brian Valente

I saw the movie on opening night and I still am enjoying it with the soundtrack!!!!! Awesome music. One of the funnest, funniest and joyous times I've had in a looooooooooooooog time. The music just keeps the joy alive and fresh. If you are feeling down or just want some good clean fun - this movie and music is for you!

We were kind of hijacked into seeing this film by friends who saw it opening night. We were up for an adventure, so what the hey? We ended up happy because this was a truly "feel good" movie. If you haven't seen the movie, the soundtrack may seem weak in the male vocal department; you'll probably be happier with the greatest hits of ABBA or the original broadway soundtrack. But after seeing the movie, this soundtrack brings back all the good feelings you had walking out of the theatre. My husband and I were not particularly ABBA fans then or now, but we really liked this flick, and he TOLD me to find the soundtrack! (Caution: your experience may vary)

Don't be fooled by the critics. They are the realists who have no imagination. This is entertaining the way that other sleeper "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" was, and critics didn't think much of that flick either.

If you want to download the best, most differing from the original ABBA version, get "The Winner Takes it All." Talk about putting emotion in the lyrics! That Streep can act!

OK, so Pierce Brosnan doesn't have a great voice but I admire him for putting himself out there for a couple songs and he did a decent job. Far better than I could have done :) I like the CD because it has most of the songs from the movie and it captures the happy, intoxicating sheer joy of the film. It makes me feel good when listening to it.

At my sister's suggestion I bought the Best of Abba album first and I did enjoy that. Their voices are better, but it just didn't capture the spontaneity of the movie. I've been playing this music all day. My favorite tracks are: Honey Honey and I Have a Dream, sung by Amanda Seyfried, Mamma Mia and Dancing Queen by Meryl Streep and Take a Chance on Me with Julie Walters.

It's an album that'll make you want to get up and dance!

Wow. I'm really in awe over how much I LOVE this CD. As pathetic as it is, I'm 26 years old and I had never listened to an ABBA song before two weeks ago. I had heard "Dancing Queen" on a number of movies, but I had no idea who sang it. While at the movie theatre for a different movie, I saw the trailer for Mamma Mia and fell in love with the title song and the look of the movie. I went to see it a few days later. I LOVE the music. LOVE IT. And, I loved the movie. I did a lot of reading up on ABBA. It is so amazing that all the songs that are in Mamma Mia were NOT written together. And, yet, Mamma Mia was created and it all goes together so well. I bought the movie soundtrack and also came across the theatre version. They both are amazing. I JUST LOVE IT! I would suggest this CD to anyone. I listen to it almost always. I'm sure I'll get sick of it... but for right now... I think it's just AMAZING!

I love ABBA, and I loved the musical STAGE rendition of 'Mama Mia', so I was excited with the film.

Unfortunately, while the movie itself was decent, the vocals in this film did not live up to my hopes. The songs feel lifeless and forced, so unlike the original ABBA recordings, especially when it comes Pierce Brosnan. He sounds like he's in pain while singing, and, frankly, a poor choice for a musical role. Some songs aren't too bad, but overall, it's pretty lackluster. If you like ABBA, I'd recommend buying their Gold: Greatest Hits album instead of this CD.

I suppose the first thing to say is that yes, I'm a pretty big ABBA fan - I grew up listening to them, and know at least the songs from their GOLD album word for word. And no, this album isn't ABBA, but it's still a lot of fun.

The real singing talent in the Mamma Mia! cast belongs to Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, and Meryl Streep. Amanda Seyfried does an excellent job on songs like "I Have A Dream" and "Honey, Honey" (as well as "The Name of the Game," though it was cut from the film), though I felt her version of "Thank You For the Music" from the end credits of the film is a bit bare without the harmony and lush music of the ABBA version.

Christine Baranski sizzles on "Does Your Mother Know," and provides nice harmony with Meryl Streep and Julie Walters on other songs, such as "Super Trouper" and "Dancing Queen." Meryl Streep is a decent singer in her own right, and does very well on "Mamma Mia," but her real knockout number is "The Winner Takes It All," which, after 3 viewings, remains my favorite number from the film. Streep's vocals are incredible here; what she lacks in talent she makes up for with raw emotion. Streep also does well on "Slipping Through My Fingers," a song I wasn't previously familiar with, but loved. While ABBA's vocals are superior, of course, I preferred the simple, wistful arrangement from the film to their version.

None of the three men are outstanding singers; Colin Firth's voice is too thin and high, and Stellan Skarsgard is merely passable. Pierce Brosnan, though he's taken a lot of criticism, isn't THAT bad. He struggles on "SOS" and "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do," but comes through reasonably well on "Our Last Summer" and is really pretty good on "When All Is Said & Done." I really enjoyed "When All Is Said And Done," and also preferred the film arrangement and lyrics to the original; I never cared much for ABBA's version, but the film version is my second-favorite track. I find Brosnan's voice improves a bit once you get accustomed to it, anyway.

All in all, it's not ABBA, but it's a fun use of ABBA's songs--I was amazed how well they fit the songs into the plot. There's a mix of talent, but overall it's enjoyable. The biggest drawback to this album is some missing material. "Chiquitita" and "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" are seen in the film, though only in part. Still, "Chiquitita" featured enough in the film that I feel it warranted a soundtrack spot, especially since "The Name of the Game," which DID get a soundtrack spot, isn't in the film at all. Also, "Waterloo," which is performed during the (hilarious) credits in its entirety, is inexplicably absent. It's one of my favorite ABBA songs and the film version was good, so I'm disappointed to see it missing. My four star rating is entirely due to this, not to the quality of the music.

Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the movie and any ABBA fans, as long as you're not the type to criticize every little deviation from the original.