mamma mia 2 movie review

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

If you loved the first “Mamma Mia!” movie back in 2008, well, “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” offers even more—and even less.

The sequel (which is also a prequel) features a bigger cast, a longer running time, extra subplots and additional romantic entanglements. But it’s emptier than its predecessor and has even lower stakes. It’s less entertaining, and for all its frantic energy, it manages to go absolutely nowhere.

Once again inspired by the music of ABBA and set on a picturesque Greek island, the second “Mamma Mia!” is the lightest piece of Swedish pastry with the sweetest chunk of baklava on the side. And while that may sound delicious, it’s likely to give you a toothache (as well as a headache).

At one point, during a particularly clunky musical number, I wrote in my notes: “I am so uncomfortable right now.” But while the goofy imperfection of this song-and-dance extravaganza is partially the point—and theoretically, a source of its charm—it also grows repetitive and wearying pretty quickly.

No single moment reaches the infectious joy of Meryl Streep writhing around in a barn in overalls performing the title song in the original film, or the emotional depth of her singing “The Winner Takes It All” to Pierce Brosnan . Along those lines, if you’re looking forward to seeing Streep show off her playful, musical side again, you’re going to be disappointed. Despite her prominent presence in the movie’s marketing materials, she’s barely in it.

That’s because Streep’s free-spirited Donna has died, we learn at the film’s start, but her presence is felt everywhere in weepy ways. Her daughter, Sophie ( Amanda Seyfried ), is re-opening the inn her mom ran—now christened the Hotel Bella Donna—on the same idyllic (and fictional) Greek island of Kalokairi where the first film took place. Writer-director Ol Parker (whose relevant experience includes writing those “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” movies) jumps back and forth in time between Sophie nervously putting the finishing touches on the big party she’s planning and the story of how her mother originally ended up on this remote slab of land in the Aegean Sea—and became pregnant with Sophie in the late 1970s without being entirely sure of who the father was.

Lily James plays young Donna as a firecracker flower child—a friendly mess of wild, blonde curls and high, platform boots. (James’ sunny presence is one of the film’s consistent bright spots.) We meet the younger version of her best friends and jumpsuit-clad backup singers, Tanya ( Jessica Keenan Wynn , doing a dead-on impression of Christine Baranski ) and Rosie ( Alexa Davies , standing in for Julie Walters ). And we see her flirt and fall for the three guys she has giddy flings with the summer after college graduation.

First, there’s the skittish Harry ( Hugh Skinner ), who tries to charm her with his halting French in Paris. Next comes the sexy Swede Bill ( Josh Dylan ), who woos her on the boat that carries her out to the island. Finally, there’s aspiring architect Sam ( Jeremy Irvine ), who’s already vacationing on Kalokairi when she arrives. They will grow up to be Colin Firth , Stellan Skarsgard and Brosnan, respectively, and they will be forced into singing ABBA songs that clearly make them miserable.

Ah yes, the ABBA songs. They provided the confectionery connective tissue for the smash-hit stage musical and the original movie. This time, the ‘70s Swedish supergroup’s tunes that are the most rapturous are also replays from the first go-round: a flotilla of fishermen singing and prancing to “Dancing Queen,” or the splashy finale uniting the whole cast for “Super Trouper.” Much of the soundtrack consists of lesser-known songs, and the uninspired way those numbers are staged and choreographed rarely allows them to soar.

Once again, though, these actors are such pros that they can’t help but make the most of their meager material. Baranski and Walters in particular have crackling chemistry again. The brief moments in which the supremely overqualified Firth, Skarsgard and Brosnan pal around with each other as Sophie’s three dads made me long to see them together in something else. Anything else. A documentary in which they have lunch on the porch under sunny Greek skies, even.

And then Cher shows up. Now, it would seem impossible for this superstar goddess ever to be restrained. But as Sophie’s frequently absent grandmother, Cher seems weirdly reined in. Again, it’s the awkwardness of the choreography: She just sort of stands there, singing “Fernando,” before stiffly walking down a flight of stairs to greet the person to whom she’s singing. (As the hotel’s caretaker, Andy Garcia conveniently plays a character named Fernando, which is an amusing bit.)

But if you’re down for watching A-list stars belt out insanely catchy, 40-year-old pop tunes in a shimmering setting, and you’re willing to throw yourself headlong into the idea of love’s transformative power, and you just need a mindless summer escape of your own, you might just thoroughly enjoy watching “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.” Don’t think, and pass the ouzo.

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series “Ebert Presents At the Movies” opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

• Pierce Brosnan as Sam Carmichael
• Lily James as Young Donna Sheridan
• Dominic Cooper as Sky
• Amanda Seyfried as Sophie Sheridan
• Julie Walters as Rosie Mulligan
• Christine Baranski as Tanya Chesham-Leigh
• Andy García as Fernando
• Cher as Ruby Sheridan
• Stellan Skarsgård as Bill Anderson
• Colin Firth as Harry Bright
• Meryl Streep as Donna Sheridan
• Anne Dudley

Composer (music by)

• Benny Andersson
• Björn Ulvaeus

Writer (based on the original musical by)

• Catherine Johnson

Writer (story by)

• Richard Curtis

Writer (originally conceived by)

• Judy Craymer
• Peter Lambert

Cinematographer

• Robert D. Yeoman

Leave a comment

Now playing.

Close Your Eyes

The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat

The Becomers

Strange Darling

Between the Temples

Blink Twice

Caligula: The Ultimate Cut

Latest articles.

The Ambition of “Star Wars Outlaws” Overwhelms Its Flaws

FX’s “English Teacher” Gets an Incomplete Grade for Now

Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” is Less Cozy, Still Fun

13 Films Illuminate Locarno Film Festival’s Columbia Pictures Retrospective

The best movie reviews, in your inbox.

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

Products are independently selected by our editors. We may earn an affiliate commission from links.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again Is the Only Good Thing This Summer Has Given Us

It’s been a rough summer. The things that we usually look forward to the most about the hottest months have a slightly sickly, dystopian sheen, like something isn’t quite right about this place (Earth) anymore. America’s brightest young things are getting engaged left and right , but are they okay ? Drake delivered his perennial album’s worth of sweating-in-the-club-ready R&B bops, except this year they discuss his secret love child with an adult film actress he claims to have only met a handful of times. Announcers at the World Cup were racist ; a guy on The Bachelorette was racist . Bikinis all have sleeves now . What gives, America?

This is why you must, must go see Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again this weekend. I simply urge you to jump into its cool cerulean waters and indulge in this slightly sloppily prepared, refreshing cinematic Greek salad of equal parts song and dance and irrepressible cheese. It’s the only pure good thing out there right now that knows exactly what the world outside is: filth, so why resemble anything like it?

I could sell you on the cast alone, probably. Mamma Mia ’s reprise sees a full return from the cast of the original musical turned movie, including Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Dominic Cooper, and Meryl Streep , as a ghost (this isn’t a spoiler—it’s not my fault if you haven’t been paying attention to the MM2 discourse ). This time, we have the addition of Lily James, who plays a young Donna in a series of flashbacks that serve as backstory. We learn just how she got herself into the original film’s conundrum, in which her daughter, Sophie, had three possible fathers, and it’s a pretty simple explanation: She had a bunch of one-to-a-few-nights stands, sans diaphragm. Back in the present, Sophie is carrying on her mother’s legacy (again, Streep’s character is dead) by reopening the hotel she first crashed in on her Greek island home as a young pregnant unwed mother—here is where I assert that Mamma Mia is also feminist for this reason. Andy Garcia is the penultimate casting addition, all but extending his role as hot older distinguished gentleman in this summer’s only other good thing, Book Club , to play hot older distinguished hispanic gentleman. There are a few deeper cuts of the ABBA catalog to keep the songs fresh, but all the hits, of course, make their way back.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again ’s fantasy world of bright seaside colors against those quintessential white clay Greek hillside homes, its Anthropologie-inspired interpretation of ’70s clothing, its inconsistent attempts at historical accuracy (none of the suitcases have wheels but the microphones are cordless), its bald-faced shoehorning of ABBA’s confectionary hits into caftan-thin plotlines—the whole experience caresses like a warm breeze, spiked by one meaningless thunderstorm and a few incredible one-liners delivered by Donna’s friend Tanya (the honorable Baranski in the present, Jessica Keenan Wynn in the past). Back in the ’70s, Donna meets her suitors and goes home with them unafraid of the decade’s abundant serial killers; in 2018, a nod to a bunch of listless Greek fishermen sitting around with no money or jobs, which you might call its shoutout to the global recession, is solved by—what else—a bunch of ABBA songs. Everyone has the exact same hairstyle and distinctive personality traits over the span of several decades. At one point, the characters literally find a pearl in an oyster, that’s how good the citizens of Mamma Mia have it. Is it possible to change your country of origin to a movie sequel?

I can’t tell you about the ending of Mamma Mia 2 without actually spoiling it, but I can tell you that we finally do see Cher , as Sophie’s grandma/Donna’s mom, and that she is decked out in silver with platinum hair like a tall chrome Dolly Parton, and that she sings, her beautiful moonlit face wholly unmoving except for her mouth. And that there is a subsequent scene that brought me to tears even as I thought to myself, This is so incredibly absurd . And that the film’s curtain call is one of the finest showstopping musical numbers and general feel-good fan pandering since goddamn Grease . If I sound passionate, it’s because I’m not used to feeling anything anymore. I await Mamma Mia s 3 through 10.

Vogue Daily

By signing up you agree to our User Agreement (including the class action waiver and arbitration provisions ), our Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement and to receive marketing and account-related emails from Vogue. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Find anything you save across the site in your account

Review: “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” Saves the Best for Last

If you fused the virtues of the original “Mamma Mia!” and its new sequel, “ Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again ,” the result would be one good movie. The methodical plotting and programmatic sentiment of the earlier film are balanced by the vigor and charm of its cinematic choreography. “Mamma Mia!” is a musical starring a cast of actors who aren’t primarily singers and dancers, and the movie’s director, Phyllida Lloyd, films their singing and dancing with a lively warmth to match their playful and hearty efforts. The sequences give the impression that she really wants to see what the musical action is like when she films it a certain way, and, at moments (notably, in the finale, centered on Julie Walters), the kinesthetic surprises strike emotions that the comedic action only strains at.

“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” stands the earlier movie on its head (while using only a few of the songs that were prominently featured in it). Dramatically, it is far more elaborate than the original. Donna Sheridan (Meryl Streep), the American woman who stayed on the (fictitious) Greek island of Kalokairi, built a small hotel, and raised her daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), there, has died. A year after her mother’s death, Sophie, who’s about twenty-five, has finished renovating the hotel and is preparing—with the help of Sam (Pierce Brosnan), one of her possible fathers, and the one who married Donna at the end of the earlier film—its grand reopening. She’s hoping for her other two fathers, Bill (Stellan Skarsgård) and Harry (Colin Firth), to show up, awaiting Donna’s friends and musical cohorts, Rosie (Julie Walters) and Tanya (Christine Baranski), and fighting with her husband, Sky (Dominic Cooper), over the next turn in their lives.

Though the main characters of the original all return and their roles are certainly not deepened, “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” is nonetheless a movie of its script, written by Ol Parker (who also directed), Richard Curtis, and Catherine Johnson. Its drama is, in effect, built on mourning, which, far from being merely expressed or enacted, is embodied in an intricate flashback structure that serves a peculiar function. It brings the past to life, not for the movie’s characters or for its dramatic necessities and connections but, rather, directly for viewers. In “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” the recovery of the past outleaps the psychology of the characters and the present-tense action and delivers, directly to viewers, a celebratory commemoration of Donna.

Those flashbacks, set in 1979 and 1980, tell the story of Donna when she graduated from college (Oxford) and headed to Kalokairi by way of Paris. They offer younger versions of Donna, her friends, and her three lovers, and they’re the heart of the movie, owing in large part to the performance of Lily James, as young Donna, who brings a dramatic depth and substance with a seemingly calm effortlessness to a role that’s written as if on postcards. Young Donna is introduced as the valedictorian of her graduating class, and her speech quickly bursts into song, joined by young Tanya (Jessica Keenan Wynn) and young Rosie (Alexa Davies).

Parker, working with the choreographer Anthony Van Laast, offers production numbers that are more fanciful than those of the earlier film but which, with only a few exceptions, are less satisfying, because they are for the most part filmed with the inventiveness and spontaneity of a Super Bowl halftime show. This is all the more surprising inasmuch as the movie’s cinematographer, Robert Yeoman, is among the most original of the time—he has worked on all of Wes Anderson’s live-action features. His contribution to Parker’s dance scenes are most conspicuous in the best of the musical numbers (for “Waterloo”), one that’s set in an absurdly large and sumptuously decorated Parisian restaurant. Donna has a meet-cute with young Harry (Hugh Skinner) in the lobby of a rumpled hotel; soon they’re sharing a meal at which he bursts into romantic song and she joins him, in a series of fantasy moments that are reminiscent of rectilinear Andersonian capers.

There’s a peculiar idea, a curious prefabricated sociology, underpinning the diptych. It’s the story of a strong and independent young woman who follows her heart—and her desires—freely, who successfully realizes her life plan and raises a smart and capable daughter who nonetheless has an altogether more conventional set of dreams and expectations. Without a father figure in her life, Sophie summons the three men who might be her father; all three of them, young dorks who left Donna behind to make their own way through life, become successful on their own terms but remain emotionally unfulfilled. Belatedly, and through the agency of Sophie, they return to Donna and find a ready-made family that they plug themselves into, bringing their bourgeois worldliness and experience to the handmade, sweat-made, more natural and more rugged but provincial beauties that Donna has made (but which aren’t quite enough for Sophie, who hasn’t herself made them but merely been raised in them).

The entire symbolic heft of the series is in the very presence of Streep in the role of Donna. She sings and dances, but she doesn’t even have to; she only has to be there in order to exalt Donna as a self-willed, supremely transformative powerhouse. (Her brief presence in “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” is deftly, movingly threaded into the action.) James has a tough job—to suggest a Streep-like level of composure and purpose along with the inchoate energies and risky uncertainties of youth—which makes her performance all the more impressive.

The new movie’s generational reach, of course, includes Cher this time around, as Ruby, Donna’s mother and Sophie’s grandmother. It’s a brief but lavish role that’s rendered wraith-like in its inadequate scripting, and Cher does as much with it as the text allows. Parker’s direction is no help at all; his sense of sentiment runs far ahead of his sense of glamour and spectacle. The same narrow vision that keeps the dance scenes turgid also keeps Cher from being more than a mere signifier of herself; Parker’s direction doesn’t respond to Cher, it confines her.

Nonetheless, there’s an irrepressible charm to the sight of the gathered performers singing and dancing with a festive vitality. It’s hardly different from a peek at a good party, and it’s got hardly more artistic imagination animating it. “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” however, saves the best for last. It features a touch that’s so exquisite, simple, and obvious—a sort of end-credit sequence that Parker has the good idea to keep in the body of the film—that it would be worse to elide than it is to spoil. Implausibly, fantastically, but delightfully, all of the characters, through the generations, are brought together in one grand revel—young and mature Donna, her friends Rosie and Tanya then and now, the three men and their callow selves—as if dancing with themselves. It’s a concluding touch with all the naïveté of a high-school skit, and it bursts through the programmatic gloss of the story to restore its whimsical amateur inspiration.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

• About Rotten Tomatoes®
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Prime Video
• Most Popular Streaming Movies
• Certified Fresh Movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• 75% Blink Twice Link to Blink Twice
• 97% Strange Darling Link to Strange Darling
• 86% Between the Temples Link to Between the Temples

New TV Tonight

• 96% Only Murders in the Building: Season 4
• -- The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 2
• -- Kaos: Season 1
• -- City of God: The Fight Rages On: Season 1
• -- Here Come the Irish: Season 1
• -- Terminator Zero: Season 1
• -- Horror's Greatest: Season 1
• -- After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• 92% Bad Monkey: Season 1
• 100% Dark Winds: Season 2
• 100% Pachinko: Season 2
• 78% Star Wars: The Acolyte: Season 1
• 33% The Accident: Season 1
• 96% Industry: Season 3
• 86% Average Joe: Season 1
• 33% The Frog: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• 100% Pachinko: Season 2 Link to Pachinko: Season 2
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming

25 Most Popular TV Shows Right Now: What to Watch on Streaming

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

Weekend Box Office: Deadpool & Wolverine Is Back on Top

Movie Re-Release Calendar 2024: Your Guide to Movies Back In Theaters

• Trending on RT
• Re-Release Calendar
• Popular TV Shows
• Renewed and Cancelled TV
• Verified Hot Movies

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again Reviews

Frothy summer fun...

Full Review | Dec 8, 2022

It's silly and at times even ridiculous, but it's delivered in such a genuine manner that you welcome and embrace the silliness of it all.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5 / 5 | Jun 24, 2021

The movie is a significant improvement on its predecessor. Then again, it's difficult to state just how incompetently made the first movie is.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Feb 4, 2021

If you're looking for the perfect summer film, look no further than Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Feb 2, 2021

ABBA. Sequins. Cher. You can't go wrong.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 4, 2020

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again should once again get fans standing in the aisles, dancing and singing along to their favourite hits and having a blast with a charming cast.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 30, 2020

As a prequel dressed as a sequel, it's too much and not enough.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 25, 2020

Utterly ludicrous, joyously fun and has an emotional arc which will stick in the back of your throat. If you are expecting that all glittery, spandex-wearing cast number you will not be disappointed with copious amounts of laughter bringing you to tears.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 22, 2020

The sooner I stop thinking about this movie, the better.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Jul 9, 2020

The plot was just a disaster.

Full Review | May 19, 2020

Better than the first, but not by much.

{The film} serves fans what they want and expect, but also ratchets things up a notch and, consequently, casts a spell all its own. And those end credits are worth the price of admission alone!

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Apr 26, 2020

Bigger, brighter, bonkers-er. In short -- it's exactly what we need right now.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 28, 2020

In Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, things just kind of happen to provide excuses to sing listlessly. These renditions are so flat and lifeless, they make the original versions sound raw and edgy.

Full Review | Jan 17, 2020

Sequels generally are diminishing in returns, but this one seems like such a shadow of the first. Waiting 10 years did it no favors. Most of it feels old, tired, and very "been there, done that."

Full Review | Oct 17, 2019

Whether you're an ABBA fan or not, this is a swirl of fluffy cotton candy that's sometimes a little too sweet, but hard to resist.

Full Review | Aug 13, 2019

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again blends kitsch and nostalgia delightfully, dressing it up in Greek shades of white and blue and vivid '70s style.

Full Review | Jul 29, 2019

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again outshines the original in virtually every department, with better singing, better dancing, and better humor.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 18, 2019

An acceptable musical that would surprise me a lot if it did not please those who enjoyed 'Mamma Mia'. I would advise the others to spend their time watching another movie. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jul 13, 2019

Songs were the strength of Mamma Mia in 2008, they are doubly so now. So take two hours of your life to sing your heart out and watch beautiful people in sunny places. Escape.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 10, 2019

Film Review: ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’

The sequel to 'Mamma Mia!' takes the first film forward — and back — to create another kitsch romance powered by the blissed-out ABBA jukebox.

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

Chief Film Critic

• ‘Blink Twice’ Review: Zoë Kravitz Proves She’s a Total Filmmaker in a #MeToo-Meets-‘Midsommar’ Thriller Starring a Sinister Channing Tatum 1 week ago
• Will the People Who Say They Love Cinema the Most Come Back to the Movies? 1 week ago
• ‘The Deliverance’ Review: Lee Daniels Directs a Demonic-Possession Movie in Which the Real Demons Are Personal (and Flamboyant) 2 weeks ago

“ Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again ,” the perfectly titled sequel to “Mamma Mia!” (it opens 10 years to the week after the first film), kicks off on a bubbly high. It’s 1979, and Donna, the free-spirited expatriate-on-a-Greek-island innkeeper played by Meryl Streep , is now played, at the end of her Oxford undergraduate days, by Lily James , in honey-gold ringlets, with a smile that could light up several city blocks. She comes onstage to deliver a graduation speech, and instead tugs the gown off her shoulders to do an unexpectedly fiery rendition of “When I Kissed the Teacher.”

Ten years ago, in “Mamma Mia!,” most of the actors approached singing ABBA songs as if they’d been given a free pass on karaoke night. Some belted, some crooned, some warbled, and even the great Streep kept  declaiming  the lyrics as if she thought every line of singing was supposed to be a line of acting. Then, of course, there was Pierce Brosnan , who sang “S.O.S.” sounding like a seal with a ping-pong ball stuck in his mouth.

Related Stories

Disney’s Theme Parks Problem Is a Monster of Its Own Making

'Fortnite Festival' Sets Karol G as Headliner for Season 5

Lily James transcends all that sloshed-emoting-at-the wedding tomfoolery. Standing there in her go-go space boots, joined by fellow Donna and the Dynamos members Tanya (Jessica Keenan Wynn) and Rosie (Alexa Davies), she tears into “When I Kissed the Teacher” like a tiger, and though it’s a less-than-great ABBA song, the staging is more dynamic than anything in the first “Mamma Mia!” The number has propulsion and flair, which makes you hope that the film will be a sustained lyrical experience — not just a semi-irresistible pastiche but an honest-to-God musical to remember.

Popular on Variety

True confession: I’m a religious nut about ABBA, one who saw the Broadway production of “Mamma Mia!” three times, but I didn’t love the movie version of “Mamma Mia!” The cheeseball plot, which was like “Gilligan’s Island” recast as a romcom, was never designed to be anything but a delivery system for the incandescence of ABBA’s music. Yet it actually worked less well with major actors — Streep, Brosnan, etc. — demonstrating, in every line, what stick figures they were playing. (Also, the Broadway performers sang a lot better.) The movie was fun, in its way, but it was also an uneasy fusion of rapture and camp that clunked.

But now that there’s a “Mamma Mia!” sequel, it can be said with certainty that the ABBA musical is a form unto itself — a shamelessly innocent (or maybe just shameless) scrapbook pieced together out of the world’s most sublime ear candy, a story that sprawls in four directions at once (each subplot seems crafted by a different cookie cutter), an overdose of clowning by middle-aged actors who’ve been encouraged to take a fearless pride in what raffish physical specimens they’ve become, all held together by the transcendent classiness of Meryl Streep.

Streep is barely in the new movie, since Donna died the year before it starts. Yet she hovers over it in spirit and does eventually show up, at which point you will cry. Donna’s daughter, Sophie, is played once again by Amanda Seyfried , who has grown from an ingénue with goldfish eyes into a beautifully tough and sculpted presence (think vintage Sarah Jessica Parker), and she sings a cross-continental duet with Sky (Dominic Cooper), her true love, after he announces that he’s going to leave her to work in the New York hotel business. As these two croon “One of Us” ( “One of us is lonely…” ), the movie is barely 10 minutes old, and already you can feel your heart breaking. That’s the ABBA effect, but it’s also a testament to how keenly the writer-director, Ol Parker, lays out the song’s wistful rapture.

Sophie, who is honoring her mother by relaunching her inn as the Bella Donna Hotel, can barely make a move without casting a sadly adoring glance back at Donna and all that she represents: the soul of women who are free and strong and passionate, and therefore melting and yearning and gorgeously melancholy. That’s the holy spirit of ABBA, and in “Here We Go Again” that spirit infuses you with a swooning musical high, even if the giddy soap-opera convolutions take up most of the space.

The movie cuts back and forth between Sophie planning her hotel relaunch party — can she weather a heavy rainstorm? will she get back together with Sky? will all three of her dads show up? — and James’ Donna, 40 years before, finding her way to that Greek island and spinning through the trio of romantic entanglements we first heard about in “Mamma Mia!” “Here We Go Again” is another kitsch patchwork; it’s as if you were watching the CliffsNotes to an old studio weeper that happened to be carried along by some of the most luscious pop songs ever recorded. Yet the feeling comes through, especially at the end — a love poem to the primal bond of mothers and daughters.

Each of the actors playing Donna’s young suitors is just callowly sexy enough to be appealing. First she meets Harry (the Colin Firth character), played by Hugh Skinner as the world’s most polite preppie punk, in a Johnny Rotten T-shirt and too-small leather jacket. They do an exuberant duet on “Waterloo,” and then it’s on to her adventure with Bill (the Stellan Skarsgård character), played by Josh Dylan as a hunky blond sailor who agrees to ferry her to the island. The young Pierce Brosnan is played by Jeremy Irvine, who squints with enough purpose to let us know that he’s Donna’s true love.

“Here We Go Again” uses a few of the same songs that “Mamma Mia!” did, such as the title number and a virtual restaging of “Dancing Queen,” with a chorus running through the woods and winding up on that same beach, where they perform what amounts to a slightly less awkward version of a group dance number out of a ’70s TV variety show. Yet since ABBA’s greatest hits were basically strip-mined for the first film, most of the songs here are less high-profile ABBA gems, and that means that the movie conjures a more reflective, downbeat mood.

That’s not a bad thing. Several of the numbers soar, like “Andante, Andante” (which could be the film’s slow-love anthem) or “Angel Eyes,” led by Sophie as a warning against men who are too seductive to be true. One of ABBA’s greatest songs, “The Name of the Game,” was dropped from the first film and appears here, though I wish the movie went with its interlocking emotions more; the number starts off well but turns into a piece of orange-picking slapstick.

And then, of course, there’s the walking pop royalty that is Cher . She shows up near the end, playing Sophie’s grandmother (though she looks more like Lady Gaga’s aunt), and if there’s any single testament here to the “Mamma Mia!” aesthetic, it’s the way that Cher’s performance of “Fernando” is hung on a story hook so contrived that it actually contributes to the song’s passion. The film barely pretends that there’s a reason for it to be there. The reason is: We want to see Cher sing “Fernando.” When she does, my my, how can you resist her?

Reviewed at AMC Empire, New York, July 16, 2018. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 114 MIN.

• Production: A Universal Pictures release, in association with Legendary Pictures/Perfect World Pictures, a Playtone/Littlestar production. Producers: Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman. Executive producers: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks, Richard Curtis, Phyllida Lloyd, Nicky Kentish Barnes.
• Crew: Director, screenplay: Ol Parker. Camera (color, widescreen): Robert Yoeman. Editor: Peter Lambert. Music: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus.  
• With: Amanda Seyfried, Lily James, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Meryl Streep, Cher, Andy Garcia, Alexa Davies, Jessica Keenan Wynn, Josh Dylan, Jeremy Irvine, Hugh Skinner, Dominic Cooper, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski.

More from Variety

Busan Festival Launches Youth Film Section Titled Teen Spirit, Teen Movie

Life After ‘Deadpool’: Summer Movies Resurrection Begs Rethink of Long-Term Box Office Outlook

Busan Film Festival Unveils Selections for IP and Project Markets

Kim Soohyun and Cho Boah Head Cast of ‘Knock-Off,’ Disney Korean Crime Series – Global Bulletin

The Future of FAST: A Special Report on Free Streaming

‘Boyzone,’ Series Charting the Price of Boyband Celebrity, Set at Sky Documentaries – Global Bulletin

More from our brands, it’s really happening: oasis will reunite for a world tour in 2025.

First Drive: This Porsche 911 Restomod Delivers Both Nuance and Thrill on the Road

NBA Media Deal ‘Match’ by WBD Alters Credit Rating Penalties

The Best Loofahs and Body Scrubbers, According to Dermatologists

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Adds Bob Hearts Abishola’s Gina Yashere

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again Review

20 Jul 2018

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

With its all-star cast ( Streep ! Firth ! Brosnan !), relentless kitsch, and all-killer ABBA soundtrack, Mamma Mia! might just be the The Godfather of so-camp-it’s-classic jukebox musicals. Kudos, then, to writer-director Ol Parker ( The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel ) for pitching the cleverly titled sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again as its The Godfather Part II — part sequel reuniting the original cast, part prequel recounting the summer that first brought Meryl Streep’s Donna to Kalokairi, Greece.

In its best moments, Parker recaptures the original’s free-wheeling joy and energy — the young Donna, Rosie and Tanya ( Lily James , Alexa Davies and Jessica Keenan Wynn, all excellent) tearing off their graduation robes to reveal stripy catsuits and feather boas in opening number ‘When I Kissed the Teacher’ is gloriously silly, picking up tonally right where Phyllida Lloyd’s original film left off. James, given the unenviable task of continuing a role originated by Meryl Streep, is full of vitality and convincingly channels her free-spirited hippie vibes. But despite the cast’s energetic efforts, the overlong prequel plot needs tightening — with the first film already recounting the basics of Donna’s string of summer romances you’ll know exactly where it’s going, and luxuriant pacing results in a baggy middle hour.

When the singing and dancing is in full swing, it’s just as infectious as it was a decade ago.

Conversely, the sequel thread spends too long in a low gear before ramping up for its crowdpleasing finale. Unnecessary emotional weight in the story leaves Seyfried’s Sophie — so carefree first time around — stressed, tired and sad for much of the runtime. Thank goodness, then, for Julie Walters and Christine Baranski (the MVP again, as she was last time) as Donna’s best friends, who keep things moving with a steady stream of laughs (Baranski gets the year’s best line of dialogue so far) and the sparkiest musical number in ‘Angel Eyes’. When the plot threatens to veer too far into gloomy territory, Firth and Stellan Skarsgård sail in to the rescue, quite literally bringing the party with them and giving the film a much-needed lift. And speaking of relief, Brosnan isn’t called on to sing much here — either a positive or a negative, depending on your taste for high-enthusiasm, low-competence honking.

Streep’s screentime is disappointingly brief, so there’s the need for a shot of star power. And waiting in the wings is Cher , playing Sophie’s fearsome grandmother in an extended last-reel cameo, although her part is all-too-brief, and her duet with Andy Garcia on the mid-tempo plod of ‘Fernando’ isn’t quite as rousing as it needs to be.

While the plot of Here We Go Again hits some occasional bum notes, another soundtrack of ABBA classics hits almost all the right ones. With most of ABBA Gold used last time, a little silver and bronze padding has slipped through here (‘Andante Andante’, anyone?), but when the singing and dancing is in full swing — a reprise of the first film’s jubilant ‘Dancing Queen’ sequence, an all-cast rendition of ‘Super Trouper’ — it’s just as infectious as it was a decade ago.

The first Mamma Mia! often felt like being trapped on a non-stop rowdy middle-aged all-singing all-dancing holiday (in a good way). Ten years on this second trip feels older and wiser, for better or worse, and despite the odd misstep you’ll still be dancing in the aisles come the end credits. Bring on Mamma Three-a! in 2028.

Related Articles

Movies | 28 02 2021

Movies | 14 12 2018

Movies | 19 08 2018

Movies | 12 08 2018

Movies | 06 08 2018

Movies | 29 07 2018

Movies | 21 07 2018

Movies | 20 07 2018

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)

• User Reviews

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews

• User Ratings
• External Reviews
• Metacritic Reviews
• Full Cast and Crew
• Release Dates
• Official Sites
• Company Credits
• Filming & Production
• Technical Specs
• Plot Summary
• Plot Keywords
• Parents Guide

Did You Know?

• Crazy Credits
• Alternate Versions
• Connections
• Soundtracks

Photo & Video

• Photo Gallery
• Trailers and Videos

Related Items

• External Sites

Related lists from IMDb users

Recently Viewed

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

‘mamma mia here we go again’: film review.

Writer-director Ol Parker and the producers get the whole band back together — and add a few newcomers, including Cher — for another round in this sequel to the smash 2008 hit 'Mamma Mia!'

By Leslie Felperin

Leslie Felperin

Contributing Film Critic

• Share on Facebook
• Share to Flipboard
• Send an Email
• Show additional share options
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Pinterest
• Share on Reddit
• Share on Tumblr
• Share on Whats App
• Print the Article
• Post a Comment

Spawned by a film no one predicted would be as successful as it was, which was adapted from a musical that itself was a huge surprise hit, comes a sequel that is — predictably — made with more money, wit and craft and yet remains faintly disappointing. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again , the follow-up to 2008’s smash jukebox musical Mamma Mia! (it earned over $600 million worldwide), is the cinematic equivalent of a B-side (digital-age readers may need to Google what that means): adequate, blessed with a few good hooks and likely to have its fervent fans. But no one would be paying much attention if the other one hadn’t been such a big deal.

Indeed, the movie’s biggest failing is that so much of its soundtrack, the very engine that propels it, is made up of far too many actual B-sides, or at least lesser-known tunes from the back catalogue of Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, the two Swedish singer-songwriters who made up half of the 1970s pop quartet ABBA.

Release date: Jul 20, 2018

The first film/stage production, an ingenious if silly contraption, consisted of a tacked-together tale (about a young woman, the daughter of a single parent, getting married on a Greek island and inviting the three men who may or may not be her father to the wedding) reverse-engineered around a collection of solid-gold hits, with every single one a toe-tapper. That is, if your toes are triggered to tap by the sound of lush orchestrations, close-harmony singing and deceptively simple but secretly musically sophisticated melodies, further stimulated perhaps by memories of ’70s fashions in all their lurid, glittery glory. “Dancing Queen,” “Super Trouper,” the title track “Mamma Mia” itself — they all fit that bill.  

The pickings are decidedly thinner for Mamma Mia! 2.0 . There’s a reason such tunes as “When I Kissed the Teacher,” “Kisses of Fire” and “My Love, My Life” didn’t become hits on the same scale as the aforementioned tunes. (Hint: They’re kind of crap.) This left the producers and filmmakers behind Here We Go Again with a particularly tricky challenge if they were to fulfill the mandate of all sequels: Offer more of the same but make it a little different.

Given that familiar, sing-along-able songs are so integral to the Mamma Mia brand’s appeal, the solution they’ve elected to use here is a compromise, one that patches together a story out of the leftover tunes but intersperses them with exactly the same colossal hits we already know and love from the first time around. It’s a solution both fantastically audacious and profoundly, bizarrely lazy. Imagine Rodgers and Hammerstein deciding to do a sequel to South Pacific and just recycling “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair,” “Some Enchanted Evening” and “There Is Nothing Like a Dame” because, hey, everyone loves those ones.

With that major caveat out of the way, it’s possible to acknowledge that there are many elements in this assembly that hugely improve on the original. For a start, the script — credited to Ol Parker ( The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel ), who also directs here, derived from a story by Parker, Richard Curtis ( Four Weddings and a Funeral , Notting Hill ) and Catherine Johnson (who wrote the book for the original Mamma Mia! ) — is leagues better than its predecessor. Generously salted with witty one-liners that sound particularly Curtisian with their self-deprecating, oh-so-British cadences, the screenplay also has more emotional depth and complexity. That is especially true because it is structured around the — spoiler alert! — ensemble’s collective grief over the early death of Donna (Meryl Streep), the hotelier from the first film whose dalliance with three men back in the late ’70s led to the birth of her daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), the bride whose wedding is the centerpiece for the first musical.

Adroitly calling back to the first film with lots of reincorporated details (There’s the diary! Check out the dungarees!), Here We Go Again shifts back and forth between two timelines. In the present, Sophie and her stepdad Sam ( Pierce Brosnan ) strain to get Hotel Bella Donna, a redevelopment of Donna’s old farmhouse hotel on a Greek island, ready for a splashy relaunch to which various old friends (everyone of note from the first film) are coming.

Meanwhile, thanks to the magic of visual effects and nifty match cuts, flashbacks reveal what happened all those years ago when newly graduated Donna (played this time by a peppy Lily James) first arrived on the island and had affairs with Sam (played as a young man by Jeremy Irvine), Bill (Josh Dylan, and a returning Stellan Skarsgard in the present) and Harry (Hugh Skinner, scene-stealer from TV comedies The Windsors and Fleabag , and latterly by Colin Firth).

To reveal much more about the plot risks spoiling the fun, but only those who have been living in caves for the last few months will be unaware that Cher features crucially in the story as Donna’s estranged mother. The film takes its sweet time finally getting her onscreen, but her entrance is worth it, a drag-queen-style showstopper that starts from the stilettos and works its way up, designed to get queens of all genders jumping to their feet or bowing down in adoration, according to inclination. For a duet with Andy Garcia (almost inaudible through the swampy arrangement), there are even fireworks — deservedly for a tune that Johnson just understandably couldn’t find a way to work into the first edition but which comes into its own here. It’s basically the movie’s highlight, just as the cleverly jimmied-in production of “Waterloo,” sung with gusto by Skinner and James, is the helium that keeps the midsection aloft.

Parker, a more competent and imaginative director than Mamma Mia! ’s stage-show holdover Phyllida Lloyd, likes to assemble the musical numbers in such a way as to recall the very earliest days of pop videos, with snappy editing or Busby Berkeley-style overhead shots of choreography veering on abstraction. The result is to make this feel much more like a throwback to old-school musicals in all their corny glory. It helps that the cast looks like they’re having a right old hootenanny of a time, practically winking at the audience, in on the joke all the way. And best of all, we don’t have to listen to Brosnan’s atrocious singing too much.

Related Stories

'mamma mia' sequel trailer teases bigger musical spectacle, less meryl streep.

Production: A Universal Pictures presentation in association with Legendary Pictures/Perfect World Pictures of a Playtone/Littlestar production Distributor: Universal Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Andy Garcia, Celia Imrie, Lily James, Alexa Davies, Jessica Keenan Wynn, Dominic Cooper , Julie Walters , Christine Baranski, Hugh Skinner, Pierce Brosnan, Omid Djalili, Josh Dylan, Gerard Monaco, Anna Antoniades, Jeremy Irvine, Panos Mouzourakis, Maria Vacratsis, Naoko Mori, Togo Igawa, Colin Firth, Anastasia Hille, Stellan Skarsgard, Susanne Barklund, Cher, Jonathan Goldsmith, Meryl Streep Director-screenwriter: Ol Parker Story: Richard Curtis, Ol Parker, Catherine Johnson Producers: Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman Executive producers: Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks, Richard Curtis, Phyllida Lloyd, Nicky Kentish Barnes Co-executive producer: Steven Sharshian Director of photography: Robert Yeoman Production designer: Alan MacDonald, John Frankish Costume designer: Michele Clapton Editor: Peter Lambert Music and lyrics: Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus Composter: Anne Dudley Music director: Martin Koch Music supervisor: Becky Bentham Choreographer: Anthony Van Laast Casting: Nina Gold

Rated PG-13, 114 minutes

THR Newsletters

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Wim wenders to be honored with european lifetime achievement award, ‘megalopolis’ star laurence fishburne was busy watching the dnc when trailer drama unfolded, ‘i’ll be right there’ review: edie falco leads a wry comedy as the wise and weary heart of a family, jenna ortega thinks she auditioned for zendaya’s role in ‘dune’: “everything was very secret”, nina west went from ‘drag race’ to a piece of zombie history, child trafficking drama ‘city of dreams’ launches $1m ticket giveaway.

Mamma Mia 2 Review: Tunefully Leaves the Original in the Dust

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat Review: A Talented Cast Overcomes Predictable Melodrama

The best southern gothic fairy tale is streaming free on tubi, audiences still question the ending of jennifer lawrence's passengers.

After ten long years, the musical joy of Mamma Mia! has returned to the big screen with Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again , and all in all, the sequel may actually be better than the original. Though it did not have nearly as much of Meryl Streep, who was the true star of the first movie, it still managed to geniusly hold onto the essence that made the first movie so enjoyable, telling the story of Donna Sheridan in an even more interesting way without even needing her Oscar winning actress there for the duration of the movie.

The biggest factor that made Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again such a fantastic sequel was how it was written. The original Mamma Mia! was originally written for the stage, which frankly took a bit away from the movie's quality. While the movie was still good, many fans still prefered the Broadway version more, simply because it was initially written for Broadway. On the other hand, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was written for the screen, and because of that became much better.

While stage performances are great, they aren't able to portray the little things the way that movies can. The sequel had something that the original Mamma Mia did not: subtly. The subtle manner of storytelling using in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again managed to draw connections between Sophie and Donna from their different time periods without resorting to cliche Broadway techniques. Additionally, the script was able to explore more locations around the world other than just Donna's island, as a movie is allowed to have numerous more sets than a Broadway musical. This space also helped to improve the choreography, turning the performance of "Dancing Queen" into one of the highlights of the movie, with the dancing taking place on the island and on a number of ferries.

Additionally, the Godfather II style of storytelling was rather well done. A number of other movies have attempted to mimic this dual storytelling style in the past, but Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again may be the best movie to replicate it. The first half of the sequel put an emphasis of Donna's story in 1979, and the second half of the movie emphasized the modern day struggle of Sophie. While the connection between the two stories was rather vague towards the beginning, it gradually became more vivid as the movie went on. The conclusion of the modern day story cleverly managed to serve as the perfect conclusion to the 1979 story without even needing to show how the 1979 story actually ended.

The storytelling elements, the fun music and the incredible performances by the entire cast made Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again into a truly fantastic sequel. Whereas the first movie touched the surface of Donna's mysterious past, this sequel further expanded her character, and in doing so, further expanded nearly every other character in this impressive sequel from Universal Pictures . All things considered, if you liked the original Mamma Mia! , you are sure to love Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again .

• Movie and TV Reviews
• mamma mia 2 (2018)
• Mamma Mia (2008)

Review: Does ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’ improve on the original? ABBA-solutely!

• Copy Link URL Copied!

Everything old is shockingly, stirringly new again in “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” the rare sequel so unexpectedly enchanting that it plays less like a rehash than a reclamation. It may take you a moment to understand why, or how, this could be the case. The title alone feels like a winking admission that, as with nearly every Hollywood cash cow that suddenly fancies itself a franchise, we’re basically in store for more of the same.

We are and we aren’t. Make no mistake, the deep blue waters of the Aegean shimmer as beautifully as ever, and the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi has never looked more inviting. The whisper-thin story revisits old characters and familiar circumstances, but with a tremulous new delicacy of feeling. The soundtrack still maintains an infectious stream of ’70s and ’80s Europop, sending the actors into neatly choreographed paroxysms of song and dance, as if — ABBA-cadabra! — they had suddenly been possessed en masse by benign, toe-tapping Scandinavian demons.

A touch of magic might be the only plausible explanation for how 2008’s “Mamma Mia!,” one of the most excruciating live-action movie musicals of the past decade, could have spawned one of the loveliest. Some shrewd decisions behind the camera surely helped, and in front of the camera, too. (We’ll get to Cher in a moment.) The 2008 picture, directed with insistent-bordering-on-fascistic good cheer by Phyllida Lloyd, was a disappointment in every sense but the bottom line. It spun a beloved songbook and an insanely popular stage property into the requisite box-office gold.

Whether similar riches await this sequel, written and directed by Ol Parker (“Imagine Me & You”), seems almost beside the point, and not just because “Money, Money, Money” is one of several classic ABBA chart-toppers not making a return appearance. If anything, “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” is an object lesson in how the best thing you could do artistically might be the worst thing you could do commercially. Not to spoil the first two minutes, but (spoiler alert) who knew that killing off Meryl Streep could be such a grand idea?

You read that right. Donna (Streep), the first movie’s boa-brandishing, overalls-rocking heroine, is as dead as a drachma when the story opens. Her daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), happily if somewhat stressfully married to businessman Sky (Dominic Cooper), has spent months restoring her mom’s old hotel with a lot of help from Sam (Pierce Brosnan), the most present of her three fathers, and a new right-hand man (Andy Garcia, suavity personified). With the grand reopening days away, a tidal wave of journalists, luxury travelers and friendly faces is about to descend on Kalokairi, among them Donna’s fellow Dynamos, Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie (Julie Walters).

Although Walters is appreciably subtler this time around, her Rosie can’t help bursting into tears whenever Donna’s name is mentioned — a genial recurring gag that might leave you wiping your own eyes by the time the inevitable big reunion gets under way. Which is not to suggest that “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” bogs down in funereal gloom or sentimental excess. The emotional reality of Donna’s loss registers in a few fleeting, precisely observed moments, evident in the lost, forlorn look on Sam’s face and also in Sophie’s poignant determination to honor her mother’s memory.

The movie shares her determination. Not advancing the story so much as deepening it, Parker returns us to that golden summer of 1979 when the free-spirited young Donna (a superbly spirited Lily James) sets out on a European tour and has her fateful flings with Future Colin Firth (Hugh Skinner), Future Stellan Skarsgard (Josh Dylan) and Future Pierce Brosnan (Jeremy Irvine). The journey to Greece and single motherhood is an eventful one, paved with idyllic yacht trips, impromptu musical gigs, off-screen sexual interludes and a rousing performance of “Waterloo” in a conveniently history-themed French restaurant.

Parker and his editor, Peter Lambert, keep dissolving between Donna’s past and Sophie’s present, some times more gracefully than others, but always with a striking clarity of purpose. We see young Donna arriving at the dilapidated ruin on Kalokairi at exactly the same time that Sophie is showing off her refurbished hotel, and the whirlwind of cross-cutting that ensues is scarcely just for show: It evokes the bond between mother and daughter with a force that feels both primal and spiritual, suffused with joy as well as loss.

With its relentlessly jumpy chronology, “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” has the structure and rhythm of an accordion, one that just so happens to play nothing but ABBA songs. The first “Mamma Mia!” hogged most of the golden oldies, which suited its over-the-top, me-first extravagance. While Parker and his collaborators are not above reprising a dependable showstopper like “Dancing Queen” or “Super Trouper” (who would be?), they’ve had the much tougher job of raiding the group’s not-inconsiderable back catalog. Their song list may not pack the same crowd-pleasing razzle-dazzle energy as the first film’s, but the B-sides here nicely suit the more melancholy tenor of the story they’re telling.

It’s a marvel what a few committed performers and a skilled director can accomplish. With a palette of pastel blues and some clever use of mirrors, they can turn a song like “One of Us” into a wistful ballad of marital discord. And James, who made a brief, winning singing debut in Disney’s live-action “Cinderella” (2015), shoulders the frontwoman duties here with real verve, whether Donna’s rocking an Oxford graduation ceremony with her playfully transgressive spin on “When I Kissed the Teacher” or auditioning for bar-band duty with the soulfully mellow “Andante, Andante.” (She gets impeccable backup, on and off the stage, from Jessica Keenan Wynn and Alexa Davies as her younger Dynamos.)

And what of Cher? Let’s just say that like any diva worth her salt, she takes her time — first by arriving late into the proceedings and then by drawing out “Fernando,” her indisputable musical highlight, with a deliberation so breathtaking that even the accompanying fireworks seem to be erupting in slo-mo. In these moments, the honey-toned pop artifice of “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” becomes so overwhelming, you forget all qualms, all appeals to reason and logic — which is not to say your inconvenient questions won’t resurface later.

What year is this taking place again? Couldn’t they have given Colin Firth a boyfriend? Why cast Cher as Meryl Streep’s mother? I understand that Cher, not unlike ABBA, transcends such petty concerns as time, space, age and physics, but that’s one mysterious parental back story I’d pay to see. Can we get a third movie out of this? Honey, I’m still free. Take a chance on three.

------------

‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’

Rating: PG-13, for some suggestive material

Running time: 1 hour, 54 minutes

Playing: Opens July 20 in general release

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour »

[email protected]

@JustinCChang

More to Read

Review: L.A.’s Thai cuisine is always evolving. Find the next big leap in Atwater Village

Aug. 15, 2024

Review: Gender-swapped ‘Company’ revival dazzles, capturing the spirit of Sondheim

Aug. 3, 2024

Review: ‘Clue: Live on Stage’ reinvigorates the 1985 movie with mindless fun

Aug. 1, 2024

Only good movies

Get the Indie Focus newsletter, Mark Olsen's weekly guide to the world of cinema.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Justin Chang was a film critic for the Los Angeles Times from 2016 to 2024. He won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in criticism for work published in 2023. Chang is the author of the book “FilmCraft: Editing” and serves as chair of the National Society of Film Critics and secretary of the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Hollywood Inc.

Bronfman drops out of Paramount bidding; Skydance to claim prize

Aug. 26, 2024

Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez star in Netflix’s new ‘Emilia Pérez’ trailer

Michael Madsen’s wife addresses attorney’s allegations regarding recent domestic disturbance

Review: ‘The Killer’ brings a Hong Kong action genius back to the site of his own crimes

Aug. 23, 2024

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Review: ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’ Takes a Detour and Loses Its Kick

By Wesley Morris

• July 18, 2018

So let me get this straight. You want to make a sequel to a very popular movie (based on an even more popular musical ) whose best asset was Meryl Streep, a very famous actor, who after decades of intergalactic acclaim, was unveiled, at last, as a major movie star. And you’re going to make that film — “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” — with every other member of the movie’s original cast, except for her but including poor Pierce Brosnan, whose singing, as a lovelorn widower, remains a dare to file a noise complaint.

And you’re going to keep the musical’s Abba-centric conceit — only you used up all the great Abba songs the first time. So now you’ve got to lean on second- and third-tier stuff like “My Love, My Life,” “I’ve Been Waiting for You” and “Kisses of Fire.” And because you suspect some of us might, not unreasonably, prefer numbers set to “Dancing Queen” and “Waterloo,” and because you’re running embarrassingly low on credible options, you recycle those songs, but with as little movie-musical imagination as you can get away with.

Now you don’t have Ms. Streep as Donna, the American proprietress of a Greek villa, and so because of scheduling, money, perhaps Ms. Streep’s dignity, you’ve killed Donna off. But you still need an element that lends the proceedings a whiff of showbiz. So you import the opposite of Meryl Streep. You import someone with one screen self (and one name!) as opposed to dozens, someone with buoyancy, immortality and a welcome sense of campiness, someone who can sing. You bring in Cher. But you don’t bring her aboard to play Donna’s sister, childhood bestie, long-lost lover or even rival Mediterranean hotelier. You hire Cher (who’s 72 to Ms. Streep’s 69) to play — oh, I can’t. Do I have to?

You hire Cher to play …

Her mother.

It takes about 90 minutes to get here. Because, in part, the movie, which Ol Parker wrote and directed, has to thumb-twiddle with a plot involving the grand reopening of Donna’s villa by her daughter, Sophie, who’s still played with a damsel’s distress by Amanda Seyfried. Oh, the stress. Will any of her three fathers — Stellan Skarsgard, Colin Firth and Mr. Brosnan — show up? Will her boyfriend, Sky (Dominic Cooper), or her mother’s best friends (Julie Walters and Christine Baranski, lascivious as ever)? And what about that catastrophic storm from the first movie? Yes, yes, yes, and yes — but it’s a pitiful cinematic event, especially compared with Hurricane Cher.

When she does arrive, it’s almost ominously — by chopper, the way, in “Zero Dark Thirty,” the SEALs sneak up on Osama bin Laden, or how, on “Game of Thrones,” a dragon might invade Westeros. She’s Ruby, some kind of Vegas-encrusted entertainment legend who arrives in a bleach-blond wig and an outfit made with the pelts of a dozen disco balls. Meryl Streep’s mother? LOL. Lady Gaga’s younger sister? Bingo.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again Reviews Are In, Here's What The Critics Think

After ten years, the gang is finally getting back together for another musical adventure. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is going to debut in theaters this weekend, and reviews for the film have already started to hit the web. In fact, CinemaBlend's own Mike Reyes had a chance to see the movie, and in his review , he noted that it's a film that will appeal to die-hard ABBA fans, and not many other moviegoers. Mike noted:

If you're that big of an ABBA/Mamma Mia! fan, you probably won't be able to resist Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. If you don't fit that description, you might be singing "S.O.S." from your seat the entire time.

Even the most casual fan probably already knows that the Mamma Mia ! world revolves around covers of ABBA. That was the case for the first film back in 2008, and it looks like the Godfather 2 -esque prequel-sequel is no different this time around. It's heavy on music and pageantry, but it's a specific type of pageantry that might not appeal to everyone in the audience

That notion of harmless fun seems echoed by other reviews of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again! Specifically, Richard Roeper of The Chicago Sun-Times similarly pointed out the narrative weaknesses in the film and honed in on its bizarre campiness. Nevertheless, there's apparently a certain lightness to the whole affair that makes it infectious for those who are willing to go on that type of ride. Roeper wrote:

So much head-scratching madness in one corny, old-fashioned musical that hops back and forth between the late 1970s and present day, with only the thinnest of storylines holding it. And yet it's impossible to work up anything approaching major distain.

While Roeper's review of the movie seems mildly forgiving of its shortcomings, others see the lighthearted fun as its biggest strength. With that in mind, Thrillist gave the film a glowing review and even pointed out that it's superior to the movie that preceded it. Thrillist said:

I'm happy to report that Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is utterly delightful, a little deranged, and an actual improvement on its predecessor.

That said, not all reviews of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again have been able to approach the film with the same level of forgiving lightness. In fact, Metro Weekly 's review of the film takes a very critical approach to it, noting just how bizarrely bad it actually is. That review says:

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again aims for the sewage system, where it gleefully cavorts for nearly two stupefying hours.

So overall things seem like a mixed bag. There's apparently an audience for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again 's particular brand of energy. That said, it won't be for everyone, so it seems like it's worth looking at plenty of reviews to get a sense of what you're in for with this one.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again will hit theaters tomorrow, so make sure to keep it here for any and all relevant updates related to the long-awaited sequel ! Beyond that, make sure to head over to our movie premiere guide to keep yourself in-the-loop on all of the films that are set to hit the big screen in 2018!

CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER

Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News

Originally from Connecticut, Conner grew up in San Diego and graduated from Chapman University in 2014. He now lives in Los Angeles working in and around the entertainment industry and can mostly be found binging horror movies and chugging coffee.

How Alien: Romulus Was Influenced By Fan-Favorite Game Isolation

Cynthia Erivo Celebrated The Wizard Of Oz Turning 85 With Cool Side-By-Sides, And I'm Even More Ready For Wicked

How To Watch Only Murders In The Building Season 4 Online From Anywhere

Most Popular

• 2 Selena Gomez, Martin Short And Steve Martin Were Asked About 'Demure' TikTok Trend, And Their Hilarious Reactions Are Exactly What I Expected
• 3 After Watching The Blacklist One Year After The Finale, I Still Have One Big Question About The Show
• 4 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way Season 6 Finally Showed Sean And Joanne Meeting Up, And They May Be My New Favorite Couple
• 5 As Criminal Minds: Evolution Begins Filming Season 3, I'm Flashing Back To What The Showrunner Told Us About Reid And Hotch

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

How to Help Kids Build Character Strengths with Quality Media

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Multicultural Books

YouTube Channels with Diverse Representations

Podcasts with Diverse Characters and Stories

Mamma mia here we go again.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 22 Reviews
• Kids Say 55 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Musical sequel is escapist fun; some innuendo, drinking.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is the sequel to 2008's hugely popular romantic musical Mamma Mia! , featuring more earworm-worthy ABBA songs. This time, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), who's mourning the unexpected death of her mother, Donna (Meryl Streep), reopens a Greek…

Why Age 13+?

A young woman has brief sexual relationships with three different men in the sam

Adult characters drink alcohol (wine, beer, cocktails) and act drunk at dinners,

Occasional mild profanity includes "son of a bitch," "crap," "hell," and "Jesus

Microsoft Surface and ABBA songs (plus the Broadway musical the movie is based o

People fall into the water and must be rescued. A woman goes into labor on her o

Any Positive Content?

Promotes strong friendships, open communication between friends and romantic par

Donna is clever, curious, and kind. She loves her friends and the island and wan

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A young woman has brief sexual relationships with three different men in the same month, but it's not portrayed as lascivious or graphic -- they kiss, dance, and are then shown in bed next to each other. Some kissing and flirting and lots of dancing. Innuendo: "be still my beating vagina," "have him washed and brought to my tent," etc.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Adult characters drink alcohol (wine, beer, cocktails) and act drunk at dinners, parties, and taverns.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Occasional mild profanity includes "son of a bitch," "crap," "hell," and "Jesus Christ" (as an exclamation), as well as some sexual phrases like "be still my beating vagina," "have him washed and brought to my tent," etc.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Microsoft Surface and ABBA songs (plus the Broadway musical the movie is based on).

Violence & Scariness

People fall into the water and must be rescued. A woman goes into labor on her own until an older woman arrives to help her give birth.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Promotes strong friendships, open communication between friends and romantic partners, and following your passions and dreams. Also supports idea that strong parent-child bonds can never be broken, even by death. Themes also include empathy, gratitude.

Positive Role Models

Donna is clever, curious, and kind. She loves her friends and the island and wants to build something beautiful on it. She also loves her baby and will do anything to protect her. Sophie loves her mom and wants to rebuild a hotel in her honor. Sophie's "aunts"/Donna's best friends are encouraging and loving to her and were wonderful friends to Donna.

Parents need to know that Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is the sequel to 2008's hugely popular romantic musical Mamma Mia! , featuring more earworm-worthy ABBA songs. This time, Sophie ( Amanda Seyfried ), who's mourning the unexpected death of her mother, Donna ( Meryl Streep ), reopens a Greek hotel in her mom's honor. The movie also flashes back to a young Donna ( Lily James ) meeting the three men who become Sophie's potential fathers. Like the original, the sequel is frothy fun, with some innuendo and sexual activity (fans already know Donna had three sexual encounters in the same month). But it's mostly limited to kissing, dancing, and flirting. Characters drink in pubs, restaurants, and at parties, sometimes acting drunk. Language is infrequent but includes "son of a bitch," "crap," and "Jesus Christ" (as an exclamation). The movie values strong friendships, open communication, and following your dreams; themes also include empathy and gratitude. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (22)
• Kids say (55)

Based on 22 parent reviews

Upbeat with some high calibre cameos

What's the story.

MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN is set about five years after the events of Mamma Mia! , with Sophie ( Amanda Seyfried ) planning the grand reopening of a bed-and-breakfast in Greece after the death of her mother, Donna ( Meryl Streep ). But the opening is threatened by a thunderstorm as well as Sophie's stress related to her husband, Sky ( Dominic Cooper ), who's considering a lucrative job offer in New York. The movie is both a sequel and a prequel: Half takes place in the present with Sophie, and half is set back in 1979, when a young Donna ( Lily James ) graduates from college, parties with her best friends, Rosie (Alexa Davies) and Tanya (Jessica Keenan), and decides to travel the world. As 20-something Sophie tries to capture her mother's spirit in the hotel, 20-something Donna hooks up with Harry ( Hugh Skinner ), Bill ( Josh Dylan ), and Sam ( Jeremy Irvine ) all in the same month -- explaining why the older versions of themselves ( Colin Firth , Stellan Skarsgard , and Pierce Brosnan , respectively) could all potentially be Sophie's birth father.

Is It Any Good?

It's wholly unnecessary, but this sequel/prequel is frothy fun for those who enjoyed the original's music and upbeat energy. Streep is definitely missed, but she does return for a surprisingly poignant cameo. The flashback story starring James et al. is entertaining enough, and it's a treat to see Christine Baranski and Julie Walters ' odd-couple comedy antics carried through in the earlier timeline with Davies and Keenan. The three lads all believably portray younger iterations of Firth, Skarsgard, and Brosnan, with Davies' Sam, in particular, making it clear which of the men Donna truly considered a potential partner. It should also be noted that the younger actors have considerably better voices than the older dads, although, once again, it's the women who do the heavy lifting.

The movie's ABBA-filled soundtrack includes some repeat titles from the original, like "Mamma Mia," "Knowing Me, Knowing You," "Dancing Queen," and "The Name of the Game"; most of the additional songs are lesser-known B side tunes like "Angel Eyes," "Andante, Andante," and "When I Kissed the Teacher." But there's a fun "Waterloo" number that takes place in a Napoleon-themed French restaurant, as well as a perfectly timed rendition of "Fernando" featuring Cher , who cameos as Sophie's celebrity grandmother. It's not an exaggeration to say you wait most of the movie for Cher to show up, but she's worth it.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the characters in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Which are role models ? Why? What character strengths do they display? Why are empathy and gratitude important to the story?

Do you think the movie's sexual allusions and insinuations are funny? Inappropriate? Why or why not?

What messages does the movie send about relationships and marriage?

Why do you think musicals based on hit songs are popular? Do you need to be familiar with the band or artist's songs to enjoy the movie musical? Do musicals translate well to the big screen? What makes them successful (or not)?

Movie Details

• In theaters : July 20, 2018
• On DVD or streaming : October 23, 2018
• Cast : Lily James , Meryl Streep , Amanda Seyfried
• Director : Ol Parker
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Universal Pictures
• Genre : Musical
• Topics : Friendship , Music and Sing-Along
• Character Strengths : Empathy , Gratitude
• Run time : 114 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : some suggestive material
• Last updated : August 15, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

What to watch next.

Hairspray (2007)

Into the Woods

Musicals for kids, related topics.

• Music and Sing-Along

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Lily James shares secrets from the 'Mamma Mia 2' set

Get ready to have Abba songs stuck in your head. "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" hits theaters nationwide today. Lily James talks about starring in the film and shares surprising secrets from the set.

1. James met with the film’s director to ensure there'd be no slut-shaming

James stars as a young Donna Sheridan, a character last portrayed by Meryl Streep. Sheridan has intimate relationships with several men and is not sure who fathered her daughter. James told ABC News there's no slut-shaming in the film -- instead it celebrates woman.

"When I was going to do this and I spoke to the director, I was like [Sheridan's sexuality] needs to be celebrated. Sexual choice and freedom needs to be something that is never apologized for. And I think that’s a rare story we get now even in modern films where you get to glory in that as a woman,” James said in an appearance this week on “Popcorn with Peter Travers ."

2. James plays a young Meryl Streep, but didn’t spend much time with the Oscar winner

James said didn’t meet Meryl Streep right away. Instead she prepared for her role by watching the original “Mamma Mia” film “millions and trillions of times. I can quote every second of that movie,” she said.

“By the time I met her, we were quite far into filming. And I think she just wanted to let me get on with it and own it,” James said. “When I did finally meet her, I was trying not to cry. And she gave me such a big bear hug. And she was so generous and cool. She let me feel like I was on the right track. In a way, it felt like I had her blessing.”

3. ‘Mamma Mia 2’ was not filmed in Greece

If you loved that beautiful Greece backdrop in the film, take another look. This time the production was actually set and shot in Croatia.

“I know that they had the most marvelous time in Greece the first time around. They were welcomed and loved. And we had the same experience on Vis this time. It was incredible. It was just stunning,” James said. “You’ve got to go there. It’s picture perfect.”

4. James performed those wild dance numbers with a broken toe

You won’t know it when you see her in action, but James was injured on set. Still she pushed forward and completed all of her dance scenes.

“I had a broken toe. I had smashed my toe on a lighting stand because I’m so clumsy. That was quite traumatic,” James, 29, told Peter Travers. “My favorite (scene) was ‘Mama Mia’ though, doing that with the two girls Justin (Keenan Wynn) and Alexa (Davies), the dynamos, there was this feeling of girl power and utter freedom and empowerment and just balls. I was living my best girl band life and it was as good as I thought it would be.”

5. She may have been destined to star in a musical

James believes her childhood may have prepared her for this role and this time in her life. Her parents introduced to the theater at a young age.

“Every year for my birthday, when I was a young girl up to a teenager, we’d get on the train to London. And we’d walk to a theater. I wouldn’t know which one in West End. And we’d suddenly look up and I’d be like ‘ah, I’m seeing “Mamma Mia.” Or I’m seeing “Avenue Q.” or ‘Les Mis’ or whatever it would be. It would be a surprise. And it was my love. It was where I was happiest. I loved the theater. It has been kind of emotional coming back to something that was so important to me as a child.”

"Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" is in theaters everywhere.

Be sure to watch the full interview with Peter Travers and Lily James in the video above.

Up Next in Culture—

Oasis' Noel and Liam Gallagher confirm 2025 reunion tour dates

Clinton Kelly, Stacy London to co-host new show 'Wear Whatever The F You Want'

Mariah Carey shares her mother and sister died on the same day

Bruce Springsteen shuts down retirement talk: 'I ain't going anywhere'

Shop editors picks, sponsored content by taboola.

• Privacy Policy — 
• Your US State Privacy Rights — 
• Children's Online Privacy Policy — 
• Interest-Based Ads — 
• Terms of Use — 
• Do Not Sell My Info — 
• Contact Us — 

© 2024 ABC News

Screen Rant

108 Minutes

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Your Rating

Phyllida Lloyd

Reviews (0)

Have You Watched It?

Be the first to leave a community review!

Meryl Streep

Pierce brosnan, colin firth, stellan skarsgård, julie walters, dominic cooper, seasons (4).

Season 1 (2016)

Season 2 (2018), season 3 (2022), season 4 (2026), users reviews (125).

We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the review below and remember to keep it respectful.

Your comment has not been saved

Latest Stories

I really need mamma mia 3 to bring this character back (it's not meryl streep's), did amanda seyfried & meryl streep actually sing in mamma mia, why meryl streep’s donna was killed off in mamma mia 2, mamma mia 3's meryl streep problem was already solved in here we go again, related titles.

eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

BABY REINDEER

More From Forbes

The reviews for 'mamma mia 2' aren't that much better than for 'mamma mia'.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Christine Baranski, Julie Walters and Amanda Seyfried in 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'

There seems to be a thread developing online concerning the reviews for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again versus the reviews for Mamma Mia! . If you look at the Tomatometer over at Rotten Tomatoes , the sequel has earned a solid 79% fresh grade . Comparatively, the original 2008 smash earned a 54% fresh grade . So is the new movie significantly better than the original? Are there cultural reasons why the sequel is being better-reviewed than the predecessor? Do critics secretly hate Meryl Streep? Or is it really not that simple? Spoiler: It’s really not that simple.

As you know, a “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes merely means that a critic has awarded the film a “fresh” tomato, which generally translates into a score of around 6/10. So if at least 60% of the participating critics choose the “fresh” rating, the film gets a happy red tomato and everyone celebrates. But even 59% of the critics choose “rotten,” the film gets a sad green tomato.

So Mamma Mia received 179 reviews on the website over the last decade (all but six posted in 2008), with 97 of them rating the film “fresh” and 82 rating it “rotten.” Conversely, as of July 20, 2018, at 10:00 am, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again! has earned 100 “fresh” reviews but just 26 “rotten” reviews out of a total of 127 published critiques. So purely judging by that score, Mamma Mia 2 has earned 46% “better” reviews in terms of thumbs up or thumbs down judgments. But the overall critic rating tells a very different story.

Yes, that other number just below the Tomatometer tells a different tale. Since a “fresh” B- review is given the same value as a “fresh” A+ review and a “negative” C+ review is counted the same as a “negative” F review on the Tomatometer, the average critic rating is as important, if not more so, than the straight up fresh/rotten score. Here’s where it gets interesting. In 2008, Mamma Mia! earned a 54% rotten score with an average critic rating of 5.5/10. But over the last week, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again has earned a 79% fresh score with an average rating of… 6.2/10.

When you look at the average critic score, there isn’t much of a discrepancy. This is not the first time that the average critic rating told a different story than the Tomatometer. It applies to Denzel Washington's  The Equalizer 2 as well. Sony's sequel is 47% rotten with a 5.5/10 average critic score while the original was 60% fresh with a 5.7/10 average critic score . What that means is that, on the whole, critics only thought Here We Go Again! was a little bit better than the first Mamma Mia while Equalizer 2 was just a little bit worse than Equalizer . For what it's worth, that's about what I thought too on both counts (Lily James and Amanda Seyfried save the day).

Sure, you can note that the first film has earned nearly double the reviews as the sequel (thus far) and that the shifting critical demographics (more women and minorities compared to 2008 being represented on the Tomatometer) may play a role. Heck, you can argue that the grim real world of 2018 makes a frothy escapist musical like Here We Go Again just that much more appealing this summer. Or, yeah, you can argue that the improved direction and choreography was just enough to push folks from 2.5-stars to 3-stars.

The Tomatometer argues that this sequel is vastly superior (or at least benefiting from greater critical acclaim) compared to its predecessor. But the average critic rating tells a different story, one where this new movie is just a little bit better (or just a little bit better-reviewed) than the first film. Unless you want to argue that critics averaging out to a 6.2 instead of a 5.5 means something more than a margin of error, this may not mean much more than folks being more in the mood for this franchise’s specific pleasures.

Rotten Tomatoes is a valuable critical tool that, when properly understood, can both provide a snapshot of general critical consensus and a one-stop-shop for a wide variety of full-length reviews of almost any movie under the sun. But using the Tomatometer as the be all/end all for film criticism is potentially inaccurate as journalism and not terribly helpful to the consumer. Mamma Mia! was “judged” as “Eh…whatever.” in 2008. And in 2018, Here We Go Again was judged as “Eh, why not?” That’s not a cultural shift, merely a flash in the pan.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Review: MAMMA MIA at Kennedy Center

National Tour at Kennedy Center thru September 1

"People who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like." - Artemus Ward

LATEST NEWS

And so it goes with the national tour of the hugely popular Mamma Mia! currently running in the Opera House at The Kennedy Center through September 1st.

Jukebox musicals generally fall into one of three categories: tribute shows which try to reproduce the music and staging of an iconic musical act as closely as possible ( Rain, the Beatles Tribute, for example), biographical narratives ( Beautiful, the Carole King Musical and Ain't Too Proud being two good examples), and original stories, wherein a traditional musical theatre book attempts to interweave popular music with a fictional story line.

Mamma Mia!, which features the music of the supergroup ABBA, falls into the latter category, and is set on a small Greek island. Single mother Donna Sheridan ( Christine Sherrill ) and her 20-year old daughter Sophie ( Alisa Melendez ) run a small taverna on the island. Coincidentally, it's the same island where Donna had a trio of trysts twenty one years earlier, one of which resulted in Sophie. Sophie finds Donna's diary, which documents each of her flings, and decides to invite all three men to her upcoming wedding, so that she can determine which is her father, and have him walk her down the aisle. Think The Young and the Restless meets Clue and The Parent Trap . (The story relies on relatable themes and a lot of suspension of disbelief to carry the day - it should've been set in Zurich, because the book (which was nominated for a Tony) has more holes in it than a block of Swiss cheese.) Along the way we meet Donna's two best friends (and former partners in a girl group, which nicely sets up several musical numbers), Sophie's two besties, the aforementioned paramours, Sophie's fiance, and various locals and wedding guests. Hijinks ensue, as "Who's your Daddy?" collides with the usual wedding foibles and festivities (including a couple of raucous bachelor and bachelorette parties).

Of course, with a jukebox musical it's really all about the music. The ABBA catalog provides a rich vein of songs, and this cast really delivers on the music and the storytelling, with sterling performances from top to bottom. Highlights of the performance included Donna, Tanya ( Jalynn Steele ) & Rosie ( Carly Sakolove ) belting out Dancing Queen while singing into curling irons and blow dryers, in a scene that is reminiscent of everyone's teenage years, and Sophie and Bill ( Jim Newman ) singing a poignant The Name of the Game . Steele delivers an absolute show stopper with the energetic Does Your Mother Know - it showcases both her tremendous vocal chops and incredible dancing ability. It's definitely the high water mark of the second act.

Unfortunately, press night for Mamma Mia was beset by technical issues, primarily with the sound system. The overture was blaring, and the entracte was so loud that a number of people (including me) were forced to put their fingers in their ears. I'm used to bringing ear protection to a Foo Fighters concert, but not to a musical at KenCen. Vocalists spent the evening struggling to sing over the overamplified orchestra, and both vocals and lines were often muddy and hard to comprehend. It was bad enough that I saw two couples get up and leave during the second act.

Hopefully, those issues will have been addressed as the run continues.

Technical difficulties notwithstanding, it's easy to see why Mamma Mia is so popular, and there's a lot to like about this production. The action moves briskly on a cleverly designed set, the cast is incredibly talented and committed to the material, and the choreography is excellent. It's appropriate for all ages, the themes of the story resonate across generations, and it's impossible not to leave the theatre humming one of ABBA's many hit songs.

Mamma Mia runs through September 1st at The Kennedy Center. Running time is approximately 2:25. For more information on the Kennedy Center, click here .

Washington, DC SHOWS

Recommended For You

We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.

Mamma Mia 3 gets exciting update from star Christine Baranski

Here we go again!

Since the release of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again in 2018, fans have clamoured for a third instalment in the musical series inspired by the iconic works of ABBA.

Baranski, who plays Tanya Chesham-Leigh in the films, has now revealed that she recently caught up with Mamma Mia creator Judy Craymer to discuss the threequel's plot.

"I was in London with Judy Craymer at our favourite watering hole, she is planning Mamma Mia 3 . She gave me the narrative plotline of how it's going to happen. That's all I can say!" she told The Hollywood Reporter .

Related: Stellan Skarsgård loved playing a "bimbo" in Mamma Mia

"But it's not like, 'Oh, I wish it could happen!' Judy Craymer makes things happen. She made number two happen, and it was a phenomenal hit. I wouldn't put it past Judy Craymer to get everybody back together."

Baranski went on to discuss why the musical adaptations are so beloved, saying: "It's just the kind of movie that makes people happy. Mamma Mia made so many millions of people around the world happy.

"Is it a little dumb, a little campy? That's part of its charm. When I'm in Europe, I can't tell you how many little girls want to be photographed with Tanya. It troubles me a little, that Tanya's their favourite character. But, hey, we're always attracted to that kind of snappy, sexy lady."

Related: Best movie box sets to buy in 2024

In October 2023, Craymer confirmed that a third movie definitely "will happen" – it's just a matter of when.

Meryl Streep , who plays Donna Sheridan in the movies, later revealed that she's due to have a discussion about the latest instalment.

"I don't know how they're going to do it. They have an idea. I haven't heard it yet but it's in [my diary] and I'm going to hear about it pretty soon," she said to Deadline , adding: "Of course I want to do it. I think folks love it."

Amanda Seyfried , Pierce Brosnan and Lily James have also shared that they would love to rejoin their cast members for a third outing.

Mamma Mia! is available to stream on Netflix.

August 2024 gift ideas and deals

Glen Powell Twisters T-shirt

Richard Osman: We Solve Murders

PS5 Slim Consoles

Amazon Music Unlimited free trial

Deadpool & Wolverine's 'best friends' necklace

Audible free trial

Apple TV+ 7-day free trial

Sign up for Disney+

Buy Alison Hammond's outfits

The Street of Lies: An Official Coronation Street Interactive Novel

Shop Sky TV, broadband and mobile

Sara is an entertainment journalist who specialises in TV and film. After studying journalism at the University of Roehampton, Sara joined Digital Spy in 2023, writing news (and the occasional feature) on all things entertainment. She has also written for the culture desk at  The Evening Standard . A lover of all things TV and film, Sara can wax lyrical about everything from  Bridgerton  to  The Witcher . She can also recite entire episodes of New Girl ,  Brooklyn Nine-Nine  and  Parks and Recreation . In her spare time, Sara loves to knit, crochet and cross-stitch. Also a musical theatre aficionado, Sara counts Samantha Barks as one of her heroes and is a loyal fan of Jodie Comer.

.css-15yqwdi:before{top:0;width:100%;height:0.25rem;content:'';position:absolute;background-image:linear-gradient(to right,#51B3E0,#51B3E0 2.5rem,#E5ADAE 2.5rem,#E5ADAE 5rem,#E5E54F 5rem,#E5E54F 7.5rem,black 7.5rem,black);} Mamma Mia

Meryl Streep shares exciting Mamma Mia 3 update

Stellan Skarsgård loved playing Mamma Mia "bimbo"

Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream crowns winners

Mamma Mia fans compare reality show to Love Island

Mamma Mia 3 gets another promising update

Meryl Streep teases idea for Mamma Mia 3 return

Mamma Mia: Amanda Seyfried asked about third movie

Mamma Mia 3 will bring back Meryl Streep

Drag Race UK and Glee stars join ITV reality show

Mamma Mia 3 gets a promising update

Pierce Brosnan gives hopeful update on Mamma Mia 3

The Fate of Channing Tatum's Gambit, 'Mamma Mia 3!' May Be Coming Soon, and All the Big Movie News You Missed This Week

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

The popular saying "the third time's the charm" rings true in the film world as well, especially given the third installment updates that came out this week. From viewers getting transported to Greece for yet another sing-along with Mamma Mia 3 to the third movie of a Disney animated franchise getting an official release date, there are lots of upcoming sequels to get excited about. On top of these two announcements, years after Michelle Yeoh was officially cast as part of the Avatar universe, we are finally aware of when exactly she will appear in the upcoming films. In addition, it was also revealed this week what happened to Channing Tatum 's Gambit at the end of Deadpool & Wolverine . To keep you on par with the latest movie news, here is a handy roundup with some major stories worth noting.

Here We Go Again, 'Mamma Mia 3' May Be on the Table

Mamma Mia might've gotten a follow-up in 2018, but musical enthusiasts can't help but want to sing along to more ABBA tunes alongside the beloved main cast. Thanks to Christine Baranski 's (who played Tanya Chesham-Leigh in both films) revelation in a recent interview, it seems like round 3 will likely happen. During her conversation with The Hollywood Reporter about her work in The Gilded Age and Nine Perfect Strangers , the actress shared an update as to the third installment:

"I was in London with [producer] Judy Kramer at our favorite watering hole, she is planning Mamma Mia 3 . She gave me the narrative plotline of how it’s going to happen. That’s all I can say! But, it’s not like, “Oh, I wish it could happen!” Judy Kramer makes things happen. She made number two happen, and it was a phenomenal hit. I wouldn’t put it past Judy Kramer to get everybody back together."

Given that the sequel is still early on in the development process, a release date and returning cast is still under wraps.

Christine Baranski Delivers a Massive 'Mamma Mia 3' Update

Is it time to return to Kalokairi?

'Frozen 3's Will Ring in the Holidays With Fall Release Date

D23 was marked by several announcements of upcoming Disney productions, including Frozen . According to news from the expo, the animation will not only expand to a third installment, but also to a fourth. Following this update, the release date for Frozen 3 was also disclosed, and as one might've assumed, it would come out when the temperature began to drop. Deadline reported that the film will arrive on the big screen during Thanksgiving weekend on November 24, 2027. The plotline for the sequel hasn't been revealed yet, but Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel will be voicing Anna and Elsa again.

‘Frozen 3’ Chills Out With a Big Holiday Release Date

Plus: when will 'Hoppers' hit theaters?

Boy George Is the Next '80s Icon to Get a Biopic Treatment

Britney Spears , Michael Jackson , Bob Dylan , and more are already having their music careers transported to the big screen . The next artist to get a biopic is Boy George , known for being the lead singer of Culture Club . According to news that came out earlier this week, J.C. Lee has been hired to work on a screenplay about the artist's life. TriStar Pictures is developing it, after delivering titles like The Book of Clarence and Thanksgiving . George will be a producer on the project, working side by side with the team bringing his story to the screen. The release window remains a mystery, but the film is set to feature both music from the singer's solo career and from his band.

This ’80s Icon Is Next in Line for His Own Biopic

The script will be written by J.C. Lee.

James Cameron Returns to Director's Chair for More 'Avatar' Sequels

For a while, it was unclear whether James Cameron would go back to directing the Avatar franchise. Rumors were swirling that the Oscar-winning filmmaker would pass on the torch to another director after Avatar 3 (which has been officially entitled Avatar: Fire and Ash ), and only work on the sequels as a producer. On Wednesday, Cameron cleared the air by confirming that he plans to helm the sequels. Here is what he shared with The Hollywood Reporter:

"Sure. Absolutely. I mean, they're going to have to stop me. I got plenty of energy, love doing what I'm doing. Why would I not? And they're written, by the way. I just reread both of them about a month ago. They're cracking stories. They've got to get made. Look, if I get hit by a bus and I'm in an iron lung, somebody else is going to do it."

In addition to this news, the filmmaker also shared the release dates for both Avatar 4 and 5, which are projected to arrive in theaters in 2029 and 2031 respectively. Although it will take a while for the sequels to come out, he also gave an update as to when Michelle Yeoh will be part of the franchise. The actress who rose to prominence with her role in Everything Everywhere All at Once will not be featured in the third installment but will be part of the other films.

James Cameron Reveals When We'll See Michelle Yeoh's Mystery 'Avatar' Character

We still won't be seeing the Oscar-winner for quite a while.

Camila Mendes Joins Nicholas Galitzine in 'Masters of the Universe' Reboot

After Camila Mendes was confirmed to star in the I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot , it was also announced that she will play Teela in Masters of the Universe . The Riverdale alum will play opposite Nicholas Galitzine , who was cast as He-Man back in May . The live-action will be directed by Travis Knight , who previously helmed Bumblebee and Kubo and the Two Strings . Chris Butler is credited as the writer of Masters of the Universe , which will follow He-Man wielding his magic sword to protect a mystical land called Eternia. The film already has a release date in place, premiering worldwide on June 5, 2026.

This 'Riverdale' Star Is Joining the 'Masters of the Universe' Movie

The film will star Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man.

Gambit's Fate After 'Deadpool & Wolverine' May Have Been Revealed

Deadpool & Wolverine has proven to be a lucrative fan service, featuring several unexpected cameos, including that of Gambit (played by Channing Tatum). The last time that viewers saw the character was during a battle against Casandra Nova ( Emma Corrin ), leaving audiences unsure of what happened to him after the conflict. Weeks after the film's release, a post-credit scene revealed the character's fate, showing him walking on a street, implying that he is still alive. In an interview with Collider's own Perri Nemiroff , Tatum shared that he believes Gambit is still in the void, and that maybe there is more happening to him at that moment than what meets the eye. The actor also shared that he isn't sure if he will go back to playing the character again, but is hopeful that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige might reach out to him in the future.

The Fate of Channing Tatum's Gambit in 'Deadpool & Wolverine' May Have Been Revealed

Hold on to your playing cards.

Greta Gerwig Won't Make a 'Barbie' Follow-up Anytime Soon

Don't expect to be pulled into Barbie Land again soon, because Greta Gerwig just made it clear that she isn't itching to do a follow-up to the box office hit just yet. In an interview for 60 minutes, the director expressed her interest in taking on other original ideas, instead of making another film about the Mattel doll. Here is an excerpt of her response to the future of Barbie :

"Why can't it be another big, original, bold idea where we get an amazing filmmaker, a big budget to play with, and the trust of a huge conglomerate behind them to go and really play? I want to do that."

In the meantime, Gerwig is drawing her attention to the adaptation of the Chronicles of Narnia for Netflix. The filmmaker will work on the first two installments of the franchise, which will begin with the first novel from C.S. Lewis ' book series, The Magician's Nephew .

Here’s Why Greta Gerwig Isn’t Itching to Make ‘Barbie 2’ Anytime Soon

'Barbie' grossed over $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office.

• Channing Tatum