Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) is a musical romantic comedy film written as a follow up to the 2008 film Mamma Mia! Of course, I have seen Mamma Mia! five times. The film is called Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again not Mamma Mia here we go once. The sequel (which is also a prequel) features extra subplots, additional romance entanglements, and a prodigious cast. As the film goes back and forth in time to show how relationships forged in the past resonate in the present, the cinematography blends nostalgia and fairy-tale idealism astonishingly, dressing it up in Greek shades of white and blue and vivid 70’s style. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again follows Donna (portrayed by Meryl Streep) on her post graduation adventures, experiencing the debaucherous fun she had with the three possible dads of her daughter, Sophie. Meanwhile, in the present Sophie is striving to fulfill her mother’s vision with the newly renovated Hotel Bella Donna, while wrestling with the prospect of history repeating itself. Sophie discovers herself to be pregnant and realizes she is more like her mother than she ever realized. Her worries give her a new insight into how her mother must have felt at her age.
One paragraph into this blog and just by typing the title thrice, I’ve extended my personal allotment of exclamation points. The soundtrack, wardrobe, and choreography in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is absolutely breathtaking. The film is tailored around the music of the ABBA in the 1970’s. The closing musical number featuring the characters’ past selves dancing alongside their present-day counterparts defies time and space in a way that suggests that our lived reality is not nearly as linear as we think it is. The soundtrack makes me feel inspired to drop everything, throw on overalls, and dance my way through Europe. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again will forever remain an international treasure in my heart.
Adventures In The Life Of Mary M. 