Review of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) by Jerry H — 26 Jul 2018

I have always been a fan of ABBA and their music so it pleased me that their comeback had arrived. I first saw the Broadway production of Mamma Mia! and though I loved the music, the giddiness and high school drama class style of acting of the actors left me wondering, "What in the world was the play about?" After seeing the original "Mamma Mia!" in the theater, I understood what the story was about.

I absolutely loved the first film; both music and acting despite the flamboyancy (but remembering that ABBA was just that). This second film, "Here We Go Again" was a delight as it explained what was happening in the first film and I felt pleased with it.

The music was great, the acting a little high schoolgirlish (especially from the younger renditions of the Christine Baranski and Julie Walters characters), and the crowd numbers were feel good moments.

I was pleased until the end of the film. Cher ruined it for me. You could tell that her demands for being in the film were met; lens filters, perfect hair and makeup, filmed with perfect lighting and from the right angles, and the sound adjusted so her voice was louder than Andy Garcia's (Fernando) in their duet.

The entire sequence with Cher was like taking the film "On Golden Pond" and inserting a Lady Gaga video at the end of it. Cher was not necessary for the film and if they really did find the necessity for a grandmother role, Shirley Maclaine would have been more fitting as she can sing and actually looks older than Meryl Streep.

Overall, the film was great and once again I can celebrate ABBA and their music without feeling like I'm the oldest person in the room.