MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN

Lily James     Amanda Seyfried     Meryl Streep     Dominic Cooper     Pierce Brosnan     Stellan Skarsgard

Christine Baranski     Colin Firth     Cher     Julie Walters     Jeremy Irvine     Andy Garcia

     I think the best things about this film are ABBA’s songs from the first Mamma Mia and Meryl Streep’s reprise at the end.  Oh, well, and yes, the local woman telling a young man where to get off after he “did a woman wrong” and then wanted to return to her arms. She is a lovable, wise character who makes you chuckle at her and cheer her on at the same time.  Although Benny Andersson, a member of ABBA, and two colleagues, Anne Dudley and Bjorn Ulvaeus (also involved in the first production), supply most of the music here, it doesn’t have the draw the earlier rendition had.  Part of the responsibility may lie with the director and co-writer, Ol Parker.

     The filmmakers have valiantly tried to recapture the moods, atmosphere, and humor of the first Mamma Mia! (2008) and even 2016's La La Land, but never quite achieve the lyrical magic of those productions.  Instead, I found it to be jarring in its disjointed cuts from one scene to the next without natural transitions; the songs appear to be inserted haphazardly, even though they’re clearly intended to wedge the viewer into an emotion of the moment.  The dialog is unnatural and even vacuous at times, such as, “Nothing is that simple.” “Everything is, when you break it down.”  Everything: really?  People fall in love instantaneously, and sometimes when they break up, the songs reflect a much deeper relationship than could possibly have occurred. 

     The story is a continuation of the first Mamma Mia!  Donna (Streep) has died, and her daughter Sophie (James, Seyfried) wants to refurbish Donna’s villa and stage a party that will honor her mother. She is still grieving her mother’s passing, and invites her three fathers (Brosnan, Skarsgard, Firth) and Donna’s closest friends (Baranski, Walters) to come to the villa on a Greek island for the special occasion.  Sophie is engaged to Sky (Cooper), whose business has stationed him in New York, leading them to the decision to suspend their engagement.  The party is all set up, but in the interim, there will be a storm that damages the villa and other distractions, namely, Sophie’s becoming involved with various suitors ([her engagement to Sky (Cooper) has been suspended.]  Somehow, even though Sophie goes on boat rides and long walks, she still manages to keep the villa intact, perhaps because of the efforts of one of her fathers, Sam (Brosnan).

     At any rate, the party does take place, old acquaintances/loves are renewed, and a surprise guest (Cher) suddenly appears, with a touching rapprochement between her and Fernando (Garcia).  In the end, Donna is duly honored, and everyone present feels gratified.  

This is a musical without the exquisite blending of fantasy, reality, and art that some of its predecessors (e.g., La La Land) have achieved.

Grade:  D+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

MISS YOU ALREADY

Drew Barrymore     Toni Collette     Dominic Cooper     Paddy Considine     Jacqueline Bisset

 Miss You Already, a touching and heartbreaking new release, is exemplary in chronicling the cancer experience with all its ups and downs.  As an interesting twist, writer Morwenna Banks puts it in the context of a friendship between lifelong girlfriends.  Milly (Collette) is diagnosed with breast cancer just when her friend Jess (Drew Barrymore) is trying to get pregnant.  The two have grown up together, sharing all the important “firsts” in their lives.  Both are married now, Jess to Jago (Considine) and Milly to Kit (Cooper), but they remain just as close as ever.

When Milly gets diagnosed, she turns first to Jess, and Jess is prepared to be the best friend possible.  She does as much of the caretaking as Milly’s husband Kit does—not because Kit is avoiding responsibility, but because it seems natural to all of them.  As time goes on, Milly’s treatment is extended and Jess continues to be drawn away from home, Jago begins mildly complaining, but accedes to his wife’s plea for compassion for Milly. 

        

Sometime along the way, Jess does get pregnant, but the couple has additional stress with Jago taking a position at an offshore drilling site so they can afford the fertility treatments and make room for the baby.  That means he will be away from home periodically.

       

Two of the themes of Miss You Already are the kinds of responses patients and their families have to cancer and varying ways of coping with it.  In Milly’s case, she tends toward an “everything will be all right” outlook, so she is unprepared when she gets disappointing news.  Further, she is not one to talk readily about negative things, so initially does what many people are inclined to do; she keeps quiet about it.  Finally, she begins coping by acting out, endangering all her close relationships.

         

In the meantime, Jess is disinclined to share her good news in her own life with Milly out of consideration of what Milly is going through.  They eventually become estranged, and their marriages suffer some of the consequences.

        

The viewer is likely to guess how everything will turn out, but there may be a few surprises along the way. 

       

All four actors, along with Bisset as Milly’s self-absorbed mother, are expert in portraying their characters.  They convince us of their close relationships and their actions and behavior are consistent with the characters’ personality styles.  Catherine Hardwicke’s direction shows good pacing in the action and attention given to significant turns in the plot. 

         

Although I think Miss You Already scores in depicting the experience of cancer, I think it goes too far in implying that there is absolutely nothing worse in the world.  Well, believe me, there are worse things, and it’s a mistake to lead the audience to think everyone else’s lives should stop for the patient with the disease.  Milly seems to have no limits on what she expects of her loved ones just because she has cancer, and until her husband and friend begin to set some limits do we feel that the movie goes forward. 

        

The film also goes too far in clichéd pairings, e.g., birth and death, and the coincidence that the two husbands involved would both be so sweet and understanding of their wives’ actions.  That would be most unusual in real life; many husbands would at least be quicker to set limits, let alone even abdicate their responsibilities.

     

Miss You Already is likely to appeal to those who are curious but haven’t had much experience with cancer or a serious, life-threatening illness.  But I think most people will find it either too realistic or even hyper-real, and be turned off.  It’s greatest strength is watching the talented, skilled actors perform.

A film that immerses the viewer in the cancer experience.

Grade:  C                                        By Donna R. Copeland