Abba in Greece is back! Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! is here to wisk you away to those beautiful isles, make love with beautiful men, and sing and dance to your hearts content. Plus it adds in Cher, who actually turns back time so Meryl Streep becomes Lily James.
Ok that’s not what happens, not like that matters. Here We Go Again’s got a prequel and sequel rolled into the same movie. Half of the movie is about Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) reopening her mom’s hotel with the help of her 3 dads (Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, Colin Firth) and her mom’s 2 best friends (Christine Baranski, Julie Walters) as well as hopefully her husband Sky (Dominic Cooper). The second half tells the story of how young Donna (Lily James) originally founded the hotel and slept with Sophie’s 3 fathers. Cher and Andy Garcia are also in this movie; I’m pretty sure Andy Garcia got cast so he can play a character with the name of a famous Abba song and Cher could sing the song, which…sure, why not?
Yes, more Meryl Streep is usually a good thing, but her extended presence in the first Mamma Mia gives the movie more gravitas than the movie really needs. The stakes are SO low that its a waste of Streep’s talent, and clearly just an excuse for her to be on vacation and let loose. Here We Go Again’s 2 plots actually fit the spirit of the story better: there’s lots of city and island hopping, carefree living, and more screentime for funny people. Christine Baranski and Julie Walters were the best part of the first film, and they get more screen time here, including 2 younger imitators (Alexa Davies is young Walters and the very good Jessica Keenan Wynn is young Baranski). They’re on point with all their one liners and lift up the movie when it hits a lull.
As far as the rest of the cast, the newcomers shine the brightest. Lily James was very hit or miss for me in her previous films, but after watching Here We Go Again, I finally see the ‘it’ factor casting directors must see in her. James, with her golden wavy locks, is beautiful, funny, and just simply delightful, pretty much carrying the prequel plot by herself. It’s easy to see why the 3 men fall for her. Cher is Cher, just in Greece. Sure, she’s supposed to be more conservative based on the first film, but whatever, they got Cher, and she nails the songs and one liners the movie gives her. It’s perfect for Mamma Mia. The returning cast mostly plays second fiddle to Amanda Seyfried in the sequel plot. She’s cute, and that’s about it. None of the rest of the cast really leave an impression except for Stellan Skarsgard (he gets to wear a fatsuit) and Colin Firth(never not funny when he’s awkward around a confident person). Finally, you get the perfect amount of Meryl Streep right when you’re wondering where she is.
Based on the groups of women sitting around me, feels like Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again perfectly lands for the target audience. It’s sumptuous to look at, fun to sing along, and laugh with/at Christine Baranski. If they ever do a third one, it should be about her and Julie Walters and their lives when not around Donna and her family.