By Delaney Morrin – Staff Reporter

“Mamma Mia!” has been a classic for over a decade. The hit movie was released on July 18, 2008. “Mamma Mia!” is considered a Jukebox Musical Movie, featuring songs from the band ABBA. Before it was a movie, the Jukebox Musical version of “Mamma Mia!” premiered in London’s West End on April 6, 1999, and eventually opened on Broadway on October 18, 2001. A sequel to the movie was released on July 20, 2018, almost exactly 10 years after the original movie was released.

The movie kicks off with one of the main characters, Sophie, who is played by Amanda Seyfried, sending invitations to her wedding to three men. One of those three men is her father, but Sophie doesn’t know, and neither does her mom, Donna, who is played by Meryl Streep. Throughout the movie, Sophie is accompanied by her bridesmaids, Ali and Lisa, who are played by Ashley Lilley and Rachel McDowall, while Donna is accompanied by her friends, Tanya and Rosie, who are played by Christine Baranski and Julie Walters. Donna and her friends have an all-female band, Donna and the Dynamos. Sophie, Ali, and Lisa are best friends just like Donna, Tanya, and Rosie.

When the three men, Sam, Bill, and Harry, who are played by Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, and Stellan Skarsgård, arrive at the island, Sophie attempts to hide them from Donna until she spots them in the hotel she owns. She begins by singing “Mamma Mia!” about the three dads and how she’s missed them for years. Donna finally meets them when she accidentally falls into the room where the three dads are staying. Donna is mortified and decides to tell them to leave and to go back on Bill’s boat. This moment perfectly captures the stress and shock that Donna felt in the moment.

The three dads attempt to leave the island, just like Donna asked, until Sophie finds their boat in the water. Sophie swims to the boat and convinces them not to leave. The three dads tell Sophie about their lives and experiences with her mom by singing “Our Last Summer.” After convincing the dads to stay on the island, Sophie’s fiance, Sky, played by Dominic Cooper, finds out that Sophie invited the dads and feels betrayed. He questions her reason for the wedding by questioning “Is that what this whole big white wedding is about? You finding your dad?” Sky is losing his trust for Sophie and decides to let her figure her family problems out on her own. 

At Sophie’s bachelorette party, Donna and the Dynamos crash the party and perform as a surprise for Sophie. They play “Super Trouper” which lifts up Sophie’s mood during the party. During her performance, Donna spots the three men watching from behind the audience. Donna wasn’t expecting to see them, since she thought they left on Bill’s boat. She is very upset about the situation, which makes Sophie confess to her mom that she invited them. That night, Sophie has separate conversations with her potential dads, and they all express that they are willing to be her father and walk her down the aisle tomorrow. Sophie is even more unsure which one is her dad after their conversations. 

The day of the wedding, Sophie talks to her mom to end the tension. Sophie asks her mom to give her away instead of the dads, which brings Sophie and Donna much closer after the events that took place days before. Donna helps Sophie get ready for the wedding by singing “Slipping Through My Fingers.”, which creates a perfectly emotional and nostalgic scene, which leads us to Sophie and Sky’s wedding. 

Overall, “Mamma Mia!” is a fun, heartfelt classic that is perfect for any movie night with family or friends.