Mamma Mia! the movie musical- Page 2

[Pippin]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 11:15am

Mister matt, you are a voice of reason, and you have won me over with you argument. Tom Hanks knows what he is doing, and for the general public, I don't think anything that has both ABBA's name and Tom Hanks' attached to it can fail.

and I love his producing company, playtone. "that thing you do" is one of my guilty pleasures.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 11:24am

Why are people so upset about this? Just because it isn't Sondheim? This is a fun, silly little show that has made an enormous amount of money for Broadway and musical theatre all over the world - it will make a fun, silly little movie musical, and guess what? The movie musical genre in the 20s and 30s was built on silly, fun little musicals.

With the right cast and creative team this could work just fine. Indeed, wouldn't it be the ultimate irony, if a movie of MAMMA MIA! ended up being a better movie musical tban RENT or PHANTOM?

[jimnysf]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 11:37am

Wasn't this already a movie once before it was a musical? The "plot" is similar to the 1968 film "Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell". That one takes place in Italy and involves 3 men who may or may not be....(don't want to put in a plot spoiler but those who have seen it know the rest).
Buona Sera

[James885]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 11:40am

I have to agree wiht Mister Matt and Michael Bennett. I think this movie has the potential to make a lot of money. Like people have already said, the music of ABBA is known all over the world, and is recognizable to people. I highly doubt that it will be a big Oscar-winning sensation like Chicago, but with the right creative team and the right cast, not to mention Tom Hanks' name, I believe it could work.

I think people might be drawn to the movie because like the show itself, it's just fun and it doesn't take itself seriously. They know they're not trying to break artistic barriers or move mountains, it's just pure-and-simple entertainment.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 12:00pm

The film will probably make a billion dollars worldwide from theatrical ticket, DVD, and CD soundtrack sales.

Musical theatre may have come from tying together music into thin plots, but we have come a long way from that. Why go backwards?

The show is not good, but fun. And fun LIVE. I can't see it being as fun on a screen. If they can make it fun - good for them. If people enjoy it, great.

And I don't think Playtone was LOOKING for a musical to adapt. Yes, I, too, would rather see SWEENEY TODD as a film musical. But Playtone found a film with ABBA music that has already made $1.6 billion. It's not about adapting a musical to the big screen. It's about them delivering a movie that appeals to everyone and will make them money. They don't care about art. We do.

Chillax, people. There's still the HAIRSPRAY musical (which I think will only be one or two stepping stones up from the MAMMA MIA movie...we'll see...), and HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO - DREAMGIRLS!! Not to mention, yes, CONTACT and SWEENEY TODD and the several Disney animated and non-animated musicals and ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and several other films.

http://www.moviemusicals.net/status.html

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 12:28pm

"Musical theatre may have come from tying together music into thin plots, but we have come a long way from that. Why go backwards?"

I wouldn't say we've come a long way from that, but rather, that the art form of musical theatre has evolved much in the same way that every art form evolves. Just because painting moved from Impressionism to, say, Cubism doesn't mean that Impressionism should no longer be continued. It's not moving backwards, but continuing a style of musical theatre that has long been successful.

"They don't care about art. We do."

Producing an entertaining film with mass appeal does not mean they don't care about art. It has nothing to do with whether they care about art or not. I care a great deal about art AND I want to see Mamma Mia. It is possible to care about and enjoy both, but when it comes to coughing up the money to produce a multi-million dollar film, it's not so easy to potentially throw it away strictly for the sake of something as subjective as "art" (though there are loyal patrons who do exactly that). And like it or not, Mamma Mia does have artistic elements, i.e. everything from the book (which was inspired by Bueona Sera, Mrs. Campbell, but is not really an adaption) to the staging to the design was created specifically for the show. So while you personally may not consider it "art", I'm sure the creative team behind the show may disagree.

[xM3L24x]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 12:35pm

I'm kinda looking forward to the movie version. I've never really wanted to see it on broadway so this will give me a chance to see what it's about. I agree that there are SO many other shows that should be made on film, but who knows? It could turn out really well.

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 12:35pm

Frankly, think about all the excellent middle-aged hollywood women who could really make this show fun.

[Calvin]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 12:40pm

Bette Midler as Rosie.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 12:43pm

And Christine Baranski as Tanya.

[Calvin]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 12:45pm

Heh. I was going to say Joanna Lumley.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 12:46pm

Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton could reunite for this film. They all sing so they could pull it off.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 1:33pm

This is one of the worst ideas I've heard in a while. And I've heard a lot of bad ideas lately.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 1:36pm

OK. I clicked this thinking it was the Leah Hocking thread...and I saw your post, Em.

I almost spit at you.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 1:37pm

Nope, that's a fine idea. :)

[Over the Moon]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 1:39pm

wow i think if they were to do this it would be GREAT!

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 2:24pm

This is totally off their "Big Fat Greek Wedding" franchise crapola (Surprised that hasn't been workshopped!) This thing will sell big on airplanes and cable. Nothing people love more than whiny ethnic wedding stories.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 2:56pm

"Nothing people love more than whiny ethnic wedding stories."

I'm assuming you've never seen the show. The characters are not Greek, nor is the story, nor the music, nor is there any reference to Greek family, heritage or customs. It is set on a Greek island, but that's it. Your post makes no sense.

[ihearttheatre]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 3:07pm

This is such a terrible idea.

[Piazzaslight]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 3:17pm

Now, people, calm down. Personally, I was surprised that they would make it into a movie. I mean, the show is fun onstage, but not on a movie screen. It's just a fun show that anyone (almost) can have a pretty damn fun time at.

Now, some Hollyood producers may only be doing this to make money - Maybe that's not the case. Maybe they also want to revive this dying art little by little by way of another thriving art form. It's all connections. Just think this movie as an experiment, to see if anyone who's not normally into theatre could get into it. It's already working by way of PHANTOM and RENT, so why not this?

That's all I have to say.

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 4/19/06 at 3:29pm

I was thinking awhile ago about musicals that wouldn't work as movies, Mamma Mia was one of them...
Updated On: 4/19/06 at 03:29 PM

[Roscoe]

Posted: 4/23/06 at 9:11am

So Tom Hanks is bringing Mamma Mia! to the screen, a musical about a woman with three (potential) husbands.

He is also Executive Producer of HBO's Big Love, a series about a man with three wives.

Is Mr. Hanks trying to tell us something?

[Grommetik]

Posted: 4/23/06 at 11:51am

"Mamma Mia! -- the tunertuner that made theater snobs cringe but that worldwide auds embraced..."

What an offensive article. I am not a theatre snob. I just like things that are good.