Mamma Mia is a movie that was promoted with the title Mamma Mia! The Movie. It is a 2008 British/American/Swedish musical comedy that was adapted from a 1999 West End and 2001Broadway musical which had the same name as the movie.

The movie was received well in theaters around the world with the critics proclaiming that the musical comedy film as the best since the Sound of Music.

The storyline

On Kalokairi, a Greek Island lives an independent single mother who runs a small hotel. Her name is Donna played by Meryl Streep and she is about to let go her spirited daughter, Sophie Sheridan, played by Amanda Seyfried whom she raised alone. Donna invites her best friends Rose and Tanya. Rosie is a practical and no-nonsense individual while Tanya is a multi-divorcee who is wealthy. They are all former band mates belonging to Dynamos. When they arrive, Donna shows the villa to her best friends while revealing her surprise about her daughter’s wedding.

Sophie on the other hand sends 3 different wedding invites to three men where one could be her father. One is sent to an Irish American architect named Sam Carmicheal played by Pierce Brosnan and the other is sent to a Swedish adventurer and writer named Bill Anderson played by Stellan Skarsgard. The last invitation is sent to a British Banker called Harry Bright played by Colin Firth. Sophie sends the invites without telling her mother believing that when they come and she spends time with them, she will be able to know who her father is.

When the three men arrive, Sophie smuggles them into the villa, each in his room and begs them not to come out as they will be a wedding a surprise to her mother.

Donna finally finds out about the three gentlemen who are her former lovers and she becomes adamant that they leave the island. Donna confides in her best friends that she doesn’t know who the father of her daughter is among the three men.

Her best friends are able to convince her to dance with other islanders before finally boarding Bill’s yatch and sailing around Kalokairi while telling stories about her as a carefree girl.

Sophie on the other hand confides in her fiancé Sky played by Dominic Cooper about her plan but she loses her nerve and they get to sing to each other the song “Lay all your love on me”.

During her bachelorette party, her mom and her best friends formerly of the band Dynamos perform the song ”Super Trouper”. The party is interrupted by the three men namely Sam, Bill and Harry where Sophie decides to talk to each one of them.

During the conversation, Sophie finds out from Bill that her mother received the startup capital for the hotel from his great aunt Sofia. The bride is able to guess that Bill is her father since she is a namesake to his great aunt. She asks Bill to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day but her happiness is short lived when Sam and Harry both tell her that they are her father and will give her away during the wedding. Since she is unable to tell them the truth, she faints after being overwhelmed by the consequences of her actions.

The next morning, hell breaks loose as Donna and Sophie argue, Sophie and Sky argue, Donna confronts Sam and realize they still love each other. In the end, after making up, Sophie asks her mum to walk her down the aisle but the three men finally say that they will each be a third of Sophie’s dad. Finally, Sophie asks Sky to postpone their wedding and travel the world and Sam proposes to Donna and they get married.

All couples proclaim their love and sing Mamma Mia with Sophie and Sky sailing away while singing “I have a dream.”

The Cast

-Meryl Streep plays Donna Sheridan

-Amanda Seyfried plays Sophie Sheridan

-Pierce Brosnan plays Sam Carmicheal

-Colin Firth plays Harry Bright

-Stellan Skarsgard plays Bill Anderson

-Dominic Cooper plays Sky

-Julie Walters plays Rosie mulligan

-Christine Baranski as Tanya Chesham-Leigh.

Rating

At the time of writing, Mamma Mia received a rating of 6.3 on IMDb from 136, 582 users while at Metacritic, the movie received a rating of 51 based on 37 critics. On Rotten tomatoes, the movie received 54% on the tomatometer from 177 reviews with 96 fresh and 81 rotten.

Mamma Mia and Greek Culture

The movie Mamma Mia was one of the most popular films of the year 2008. People who are fans of the band ABBA no doubt loved the film for its clever use of the songs of the band. People who are fans of Meryl Streep will often watch her in anything, and in this film, she managed to demonstrate that she has vocal talent to complement her acting talent. People who are fans of the stage production that inspired the film in the first place most likely enjoyed the film adaptation.

However, the film was also a big hit among the people who are interested in Greek culture and Greek weddings. These same people probably already got enthusiastic about the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and they are probably waiting in anticipation for the sequel to the film. Mamma Mia isn’t especially faithful to traditional Greek weddings, even though the story is set on an idyllic Greek island. Some of the floral decorations that are used during the wedding in the film and during the reception have a certain Greek flavor to them, but other than that, the Greek aspect of the wedding and the Greek aspect of the film in general is fairly understated. Mamma Mia is a film about love and happiness, and the wedding, the gifts, and the presents involved are not really focal points.

Gifts at Real Greek Weddings

However, people who are interested in Greek weddings and Greek culture should certainly learn about the fundamentals of one of the most important parts of any culture. Weddings are major moments in people’s lives, and the way in which people act out and celebrate weddings says a lot about the culture in question. Lots of Greek people around the world no longer choose to have traditional Greek weddings. However, plenty of them still do, and their wedding traditions may surprise some people.

Some Americans might be surprised to learn that giving money is very popular at traditional Greek weddings (not that traditional gifts are not suitable.). Even at ancient Greek weddings, giving money was hardly uncommon. Greek culture in general tends to value money and financial success, even to a degree that would surprise many Americans. The ABBA song Money, Money, Money was prominently featured in the film Mamma Mia. To the Swedish band ABBA, a song like that has a certain depressed cynicism to it. Many Americans can and did feel the same way. However, it is possible that many Greek viewers reacted to the song very differently, given their culture.

Given food at Greek wedding ceremonies is also very popular. The Greeks are not people who are known for shying away from good food and drink. Mamma Mia does try to capitalize on this aspect of Greek culture, at least to a certain extent. However, the effect is going to be even more pronounced at a good portion of Greek events. Of course, many Americans would probably feel more comfortable giving something like Greek-themed jewelry, which is also popular at Greek weddings, and which has the advantage of outlasting money or food.