Mamma Mia!, round 1.

For the Guardian, Gwladys Fouché reports on last night's premiere of Mamma Mia! in London: "Hundreds of fans laid all their love on the movie's stars - including Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan and Stellan Skarsgård - as they walked the azur blue carpet, a reference to the movie's mediterranean setting. Leicester Square was further adorned with lemon trees, boungainvillea climbing over trellis arches and an orthodox-style church to recall Mamma Mia!'s Greek island setting, while the crowd waved Swedish flags and Abba songs were played on and on and on."

"They'll probably revoke my membership of the Straight Men's Sneering Association for this, but Mamma Mia! is actually rather wonderful," writes Hugo Rifkind in the London Times, which offers video from the premiere. "It is sharp, hilarious and so beautifully shot that you can almost smell the Ambre Solaire."

Updated through 7/5.

"No matter how many blockbusters there are, Universal Pictures' screen version of the global hit stage musical Mamma Mia! is the most fun to be had at the movies this or any other recent summer," announces Ray Bennett in the Hollywood Reporter. "It's a delightful piece of filmmaking with a marvelous cast topped by Meryl Streep in one of her smartest and most entertaining performances ever."

Not so fast, counters Mike Goodridge in Screen Daily, labeling the film "merely a passably entertaining frippery... Indeed, it's a case of Thank You For The Music, as the infectious, decades-old ABBA songs on which the film is anchored are the only thing keeping it afloat."

"The plot, a neat mix of fairy tale and post-summer-of-love parable, is tailor-made for the screen, but [director Phyllida] Lloyd appears intimidated by her task," adds Charlotte O'Sullivan in the Evening Standard. "Streep looks especially uncomfortable, obviously having been told to act Big.... But then comes the moment where all the jarring elements gel."

"This season, gender specific films are the new black," blogs Lisa Marks.

Nigel Farndale talks with Brosnan for the Telegraph.

Update: "Watching Mamma Mia! is like attending a raucous family gathering around the karaoke machine," blogs Ben Child. "The guests squabble and hug and briefly bare their souls before lumbering up to the microphone when their big moment arrives. But here's the thing. It is this very quality - this game, amateur-night abandon - that eventually won me over." A nice quote from Dennis Potter follows.

Update, 7/2: Stuart Jeffries talks with Streep for the Guardian, where David Thomson riffs on her.

Updates, 7/4: Hugo Rifkind talks with Julie Waters for the London Times.

John Hiscock talks with Streep for the Telegraph.

Updates, 7/5: For the New York Times, Sylviane Gold meets writer Catherine Johnson, director Phyllida Lloyd and co-producer Judy Craymer.

"The four members of pop group Abba have attended the Swedish premiere of Mamma Mia!, the film which features 22 of their songs." The BBC has video.

Posted by dwhudson at July 1, 2008 5:24 AM