Mamma Mia! (2008)
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A bride-to-be invites three potential fathers to her wedding on a Greek island to discover which one is her biological parent.
The story
On the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi, bride-to-be Sophie Sheridan secretly invites three men to her upcoming wedding: Sam Carmichael, Bill Anderson, and Harry Bright. Sophie believes that one of these three men is her biological father, though she does not know which one. She hides the men in her mother Donna's goat house, keeping their presence a secret from her mother. As the wedding approaches, Sophie spends time with each man, hoping to learn the truth about her parentage while navigating the complications of their presence and the shared history between the men and her mother.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
On the Greek island of Kalokairi, Sophie Sheridan invites three men—Sam, Bill, and Harry—to her wedding, secretly believing one is her biological father. She hides them in her mother Donna's goat house. Donna eventually discovers them and is shocked to find her former lovers. Sophie spends time with each man individually; Sam and Harry both believe they are her father, while Bill is unsure. As the wedding nears, tensions rise as Donna and Sam realize they still have feelings for each other. Sophie's fiancé, Sky, is upset by her deception. Ultimately, the three men agree to be 'one-third of a father' for Sophie, and she decides to postpone the wedding to travel the world. In a final twist, Sam proposes to Donna, and she accepts, and they marry on the spot.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 109
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Phyllida Lloyd
- Writers
- Catherine Johnson · writer
- Cast and characters
- Meryl Streep · Donna Sheridan; Pierce Brosnan · Sam Carmichael; Colin Firth · Harry Bright; Stellan Skarsgård · Bill Anderson; Julie Walters · Rosie Mulligan; Dominic Cooper · Sky Rymand; Amanda Seyfried · Sophie Sheridan; Christine Baranski · Tanya Chesham-Leigh
- Genres
- musical; romantic comedy
- Themes
- mother-daughter relationships; identity
- Tone and mood
- camp; fun
- Setting
- The fictional Greek island of Kalokairi.
- Premise and plot tags
- jukebox musical; romance
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1999 musical
- Franchise connections
- Mamma Mia!
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a significant box-office success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 54% · scale: percentage · review count: 186; Metacritic · score: 51 · scale: 100 · review count: 37
- Awards and nominations
- Grammy Award · Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was the highest-grossing live-action musical of all time upon release.; The DVD became the fastest-selling DVD of all time in the UK in 2008.; Tom Hanks auditioned for a role but was rejected because his singing was 'too bad'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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