Mamma Mia! (2008)

 

Mamma Mia! - 2008

Coming up next we have 2008's hit movie musical "Mamma Mia!", the story of a girl who is trying to find out who her father is by inviting three possibilities to her wedding.  Her mother is in for a surprise as she doesn't know the three could-be dads are invited.  Mamma Mia!

The film's cast includes Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgaard, Dominic Cooper, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, and Ashley Lilley.

Sophie is getting married.  She wants her father to be there.  The trouble is: she doesn't know who he is.  More trouble abounds: there are three possibilities.  So, without her mother's knowledge, she mails each of the men an invitation.

The first possibility is Bill, a Swedish adventurer/explorer with many books to his credit.

Also in the running is Sam, an American architect, who has never gotten over his love for Sophie's mother, Donna.

And then there's Harry, a British businessman who has only ever loved one woman: Donna.  So, with their invitations in hand, all three men head to a remote island in Greece (where Donna and Sophie live) to attend the wedding.

Donna is busy with wedding preparations, and she is thrilled to be supported by her best friends, Tanya and Rosie.  In previous years, the trio formed a singing group called Donna and the Dynamos.

Donna runs a little inn on the island, and she is constantly beset by things going wrong.  She dreams of "Money, Money, Money".

And when Donna finds out that her three past boyfriends are on the island, "Mamma Mia!"

Of course, their unexpected arrival makes Donna a bit nervous, as she has some unresolved feelings for a least one of them.

Donna takes time to hang out with her girlfriends, decompress, and just be the "Dancing Queen".

With all of this going on, Sophie spends time with Sky to make sure their wedding plans aren't being derailed.  The two duet with "Lay All Your Love On Me".

The night before the wedding, Donna, Tanya, and Rosie bring back Donna and the Dynamos and present "Super Trouper" to Sophie as a wedding gift.

The day of the wedding dawns.  However, Sophie isn't the bride.  It's Donna.  I'll let you watch the movie to find out which of the three gents she gets married to.

Cast rundown:

   Meryl Streep..................................Donna Sheridan

   Amanda Seyfried............................Sophie Sheridan

   Pierce Brosnan...............................Sam Carmichael

   Colin Firth......................................Harry Bright

   Stellan Skarsgaard..........................Bill Anderson

   Dominic Cooper...............................Sky

   Christine Baranski...........................Tanya

   Julie Walters...................................Rosie Mulligan

   Ashley Lilley....................................Ali

   Juan Pablo Di Pace...........................Petros

And that's it for Mamma Mia!.  There are so many more great songs that were in the film that I didn't include here.  Most of the outdoor scenes were filmed on the Greek islands of Skopelos.  However, Donna's inn was built on a soundstage in London, and most of the film was shot there.  This movie became one of the highest grossing films of 2008, and spawned a sequel, "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again", in 2018.

As always, if you wish to leave a comment, please remember our posting rules.

The Odd Couple II (1998)

The Odd Couple II - 1998

Coming up next is 1998's "The Odd Couple II", the sequel to the smash hit "The Odd Couple", which sees Felix Unger and Oscar Madison back up to their old hijinks and getting on each other's nerves.  This time they are headed to the wedding of their children.

The film's cast includes Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Richard Riehle, Jonathan Silverman, Lisa Waltz, Mary Beth Peil, Christine Baranski, Jean Smart, Jay O. Sanders, Rex Linn, Barnard Hughes, Ellen Greer, Doris Belack, Alice Ghostley, Florence Stanley, Estelle Harris, and Earl Boen.

Mess-cat Oscar Madison gets a call from his son informing him that he's getting married.  When Oscar asks who the bride is, he gets the shock of his life.

The bride is the daughter of neat-freak and hypochondriac Felix Unger, a former roommate of Oscar's.  Both are happy for their children, but they're not exactly pleased to be in-laws.

On the flight to California, Felix has trouble when other passengers start putting on perfume and cologne.  His "allergies" kick into high gear.  And he makes a general nuisance of himself with the flight attendant.

When Felix and Oscar see each other for the first time in years at the airport, they rush towards each other.  Felix trips over someone's suitcase and ends up landing right on top of Oscar.

Things don't get off to a start.  Felix ends up in a wheelchair and Oscar steals a bucket from the rental car agency so that Felix can ice his ankle.  In the process, Oscar leaves Felix's suitcase behind.

Felix's constant nitpicking and jibber-jabber cause Oscar to get fed up.  He quickly pulls the car off of the freeway, nearly causing a multi-car collision!

While taking a "shortcut" through the desert, they get stranded when Oscar forgets to use the brakes and the car careens off a cliff and explodes.

They must now trudge along on foot.  They get frustrated when they miss the few cars that pass through the area.

While waiting for a car to help them, Felix and Oscar get crop-dusted.  "We look like a couple of Pillsbury Dough Boys," says Felix.  "We should get out of the sun before we start to rise," quips Oscar.

The bad luck keeps on coming when the guys get arrested for accidentally smuggling illegal aliens.

Things start to look up when they get a hotel room for the night.  At dinner in a local bar, they meet a couple of ladies who are very enthusiastic about dancing with him.  "You know, I went to high school with a boy like you," says one of them to Felix.  "Who was he, the principal?" he asks.

The next morning, the guys hitch a ride with an old-timer who barely puts his foot on the gas pedal.  As luck would have it, the old guy dies at the wheel, and Felix and Oscar are stranded once again.

Exhausted, the two men get tickets for a bus that will take them to their destination.

But, their unlucky streak keeps on coming.  A hold-up causes them to once again take a detour in their journey.

They eventually do make it to the wedding, and both Felix and Oscar are able to wish their children well.

A little while later, Oscar gets a knock on his door and is surprised to see Felix standing there.  He needs a place to stay and moves right on in.  Oscar can only put his head in his hands as Felix gets right back to his old tricks and starts ordering Oscar's disorderly life.

Cast rundown:

   Jack Lemmon..............................Felix Unger

   Walter Matthau............................Oscar Madison

   Richard Riehle.............................Chief Of Police

   Jonathan Silverman......................Brucey Madison

   Lisa Waltz....................................Anna Unger

   Mary Beth Peil..............................Felice Adams

   Christine Baranski........................Thelma

   Jean Smart..................................Holly

   Jay O. Sanders.............................Leroy

   Rex Linn......................................JayJay

   Barnard Hughes...........................Beaumont

   Ellen Greer..................................Frances Melnick

   Doris Belack................................Blanche Povitch

   Alice Ghostley..............................Esther

   Florence Stanley...........................Hattie

   Estelle Harris...............................Flirting Woman

   Earl Boen....................................Fred

And that's it for The Odd Couple II.  This was the final film collaboration of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, who had made ten films together.  At the time of its release, this film held the record for the longest gap between the original movie and a sequel in which the original actors reprised their roles.

As always, if you wish to leave a comment, please remember our posting rules.