The plot of Mamma Mia!, while being a lighthearted comedy, involves several subplots about the eight main characters and attempts to resolve the fate of each: young Sophie, her fiance Sky, her mother Donna with two lady friends (who sang together years ago as Donna and the Dynamos ), plus the three men Donna had been with in midsummer 21 years ago (Sam, Harry and Bill), . Each of them has been concealing secrets from the others, and the frantic pace of wedding preparations will lead to further miscommunications.[5] Unbeknownst to all, no one is who they at first appear to be, and it might require the intervention of the gods for the truth to be revealed. Fortunately, all are about to meet together, on a Greek island dedicated to the ancient goddess Aphrodite.[6]
20-year-old Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried) lives with her mother Donna (Meryl Streep) on the small Greek island Kalkairi ,[5][6] where Donna runs a hotel called Villa Donna. Sophie is planning to marry Sky (Dominic Cooper), and wants her father to be present to "give her away," but does not know who he is,. After reading Donna's diary from 20 years ago, she concludes he is one of three men: Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan), Harry Bright (Colin Firth), or Bill Anderson (Stellan Skarsgård). Without telling her mother and fiancé, Sophie mails invitations to all three ("I Have a Dream"), and hopes to find out which is her father. Sophie tells her two best friends, Ali (Ashley Lilley) and Lisa (Rachel McDowall) about her potential fathers ("Honey, Honey"). All three men come to the island, thinking Donna asked them to come, and Sophie hides them upstairs in the old goat house,[7] getting them to agree not to reveal she wrote to them pretending to be her mother Donna.[5] Other guests have also arrived from the harbor: Donna's longtime friends, single, fun-loving writer Rosie (Julie Walters) and rich three-time divorcée Tanya (Christine Baranski).[5]
While Donna is making repairs to the hotel she cannot afford (Money, Money, Money),[7] there is a tremor and the dolphin mosaic in the courtyard floor splits. Donna hunts flooring supplies in the goat house, hears noises upstairs, and peers inside the trap door and window. Recognizing the men she had dated, Donna panics but tries to take another peek at them(Mamma Mia), but cannot get inside the locked room. Finally, she climbs to the rooftop, and then falls through the top door, opened by a member of the Greek chorus (whom Donna and the other characters apparently cannot see). Donna, unable to handle the memories, asks the three men to leave the island, so they simply stay in the harbor on Bill's boat. Seeing the three men has sent Donna into shock, her two friends, Tanya and Rosie, try to reassure her (Chiquitita). Donna explains the 3 potential fathers are on the island, and comments, "it's like a hideous trick of fate," when some bystanders instantly laughed. Tanya and Rosie ponder the quiet bystanders, and Rosie mutters, "It's very Greek" Tanya and Rosie look at the Greeks then follow Donna into the house (Greek comedy).
However, Donna's depression continues, so Tanya and Rosie remind her of her free-spirited past (Dancing Queen) and Donna rebounds; they all sing together and dance through the streets, joined by many women and girls of the town, dancing down to the harbor pier (Former ABBA member Benny Andersson appears playing the piano in this scene). Sophie visits the three men on Bill's boat and convinces them to stay for her wedding after hearing all three men's memories of Donna (Our Last Summer). When she hears Sky, she jumps into the sea and swims to him on the beach. There, they discuss their meeting and their love for each other (Lay All Your Love On Me), but Sky is ambushed by his buddies for the bachelor party.
That evening, the three women, at a hen party, recreate their old 80's style musical duo, Donna and the dynamos (Super Trouper) to entertain at the bachelorette guests. The three men come to the party, and the crowd separates, singing and dancing (Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!). Sophie talks to Bill, and he realizes he could be her father. She asks him to give her away at the wedding. The masked guys from Sky's bachelor party invade the hen party in a wild dance (Voulez-Vous). In the commotion, the other two men also conclude that they could be the father, and separately, each tells Sophie that he will be the one to give her away at the wedding. Surrounded by her mother, her fiancé, and all three potential fathers, Sophie faints over her dilemma.
To avoid contention between the three men, Sophie instead asks Donna to give her away. Harry, feeling responsible for missing 20 years of Sophie's life, insists that Donna accept a very large monetary gift to cover the "cost of the wedding" (and more). While talking to Sam, Donna, making more repairs, attempts to seal the cracks in the central-courtyard dolphin mosaic, but the caulking nozzle splits, further thwarting her efforts of the day. Donna must rush to other preparations. Sam and Donna have tried to talk to each other, but each have concealed their feelings, love, and each laments their love separately (SOS). Meanwhile, Tanya rejects the playful advances of Pepper and some of Sky's other friends (Does Your Mother Know).
After confessing to Sky that she has invited all three potential fathers, Sky says that he is unsure of what he wants to do about the wedding. Sophie rushes up to Donna and asks her if she will help her prepare for the wedding and she agrees; whilst preparing, they both reminisce about the times before being engaged (Slipping Through My Fingers). Donna, still unaware of Sam's true feelings, and rushing to the hilltop wedding, tells Sam to stop pursuing her because it is too painful when he talks about it (The Winner Takes It All); then Donna runs to the hilltop. Sam is stunned.
During the wedding ceremony, Donna finally mentions the "father" issue, and the secrets begin unraveling: all three potential fathers publicly claim be Sophie's father and agree to happily take a 'third' each, and Harry admits that he is gay. Sophie and Sky decide to postpone the wedding, as Sky wanted all along, and to take a trip around the world together. [6] Sam proposes to Donna, revealing that after falling for her two decades previously, he had to go back to England to break off his engagement. But when he came back to Kalokairi - he found out that she had consoled herself with the other two men. He went home and got married after all. But that was a mistake and he is now divorced. He argues that if they marry right away, the wedding party is not wasted. Donna agrees to marry Sam (I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do). Sam and Donna celebrate with their newfound family and friends (When All Is Said and Done).
During the after-wedding party, Rosie reveals she is strongly attracted to Bill (Take a Chance on Me) he does not reciprocate at first, but eventually gives in. One issue remains to be resolved: as the crowd dances in the courtyard, the central dolphin mosaic breaks open, in a tremor, and a tall spray rains over the party.
Donna concludes it was Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, influencing events all along.[6] The closing scene of the film shows Sophie and Sky sailing to the horizon to begin their life together and see the world ("I Have a Dream").[6]
After the closing scene, there is another of Donna and the Dynamos performing the ABBA song "Dancing Queen" over the credits. Next, the entire cast sings Waterloo the first ABBA hit, together dressed in some of the glittery clothes of the 70s and 80s made trendy largely by the ABBA group themselves. Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus appear in cameo appearances: Andersson depicting a fisherman playing piano during "Dancing Queen", and Ulvaeus and other notable people of the Mamma Mia! production as Greek gods and goddesses in a heavenly setting overlooking the cast's final performance. Finally, Sophie sings Thank You for the Music as the ending credits roll.
Cast
- Meryl Streep as Donna Sheridan, Sophie's mother, owner of the hotel "Villa Donna."[8]
- Amanda Seyfried as Sophie Sheridan, Donna's daughter and Sky's fiancée.[9]
- Julie Walters as Rosie, one of Donna's best friends, an unmarried author who likes to have fun.
- Christine Baranski as Tanya, one of Donna's best friends, a rich three-time divorcée.
- Pierce Brosnan as Sam Carmichael, Sophie's possible dad #1 and an American architect.[10]
- Colin Firth as Harry Bright, Sophie's possible dad #2 and a British banker.
- Stellan Skarsgård as Bill Anderson, Sophie's possible dad #3, a Swedish sailor and travel writer.
- Dominic Cooper as Sky, Sophie's fiancé, designing a website for the hotel.
- Philip Michael as Pepper, Sky's best man who likes Tanya.
- Ashley Lilley as Ali, a close friend of Sophie.
- Rachel McDowall as Lisa, a close friend of Sophie.
- Benny Andersson (cameo) as Piano player during "Dancing Queen"
- Björn Ulvaeus (cameo) as Greek god
- Rita Wilson (cameo) as Greek goddess
- Other production crew members (cameo) as Greek gods and goddesses
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