The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
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Mamma Mia!
Comedy · Romance · 2008
A spirited young bride-to-be living with her single mother on a small Greek island secretly invites three of her mother's ex-boyfriends in hope of finding her biological father to walk her down the aisle.
Movie details
Mamma Mia!
“A mother. A daughter. Three possible fathers. A trip down the aisle you'll never forget.”
2008 Comedy · Romance 1h 48m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.0 / 10
Community rating
A spirited young bride-to-be living with her single mother on a small Greek island secretly invites three of her mother's ex-boyfriends in hope of finding her biological father to walk her down the aisle.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Mamma Mia!?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
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Five years after meeting her three fathers, Sophie Sheridan prepares to open her mother’s hotel. In 1979, young Donna Sheridan meets the men who each could be Sophie’s biological father.
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After a single, career-minded woman is left on her own to give birth to the child of a married man, she finds a new romantic chance in a cab driver. Meanwhile, the point-of-view of the newborn baby is narrated through voice-over.
Houseboat
Comedy · 1958
An Italian socialite on the run signs on as housekeeper for a widower with three children.
Only the Lonely
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The Back-Up Plan
Comedy · 2010
When Zoe tires of looking for Mr. Right, she decides to have a baby on her own. But on the day she's artificially inseminated, she meets Stan, who seems to be just who she's been searching for all her life. Now, Zoe has to figure out how to make her two life's dreams fit with each other.
Prom
Comedy · 2011
At “Prom,” every couple has a story and no two are exactly alike. As the big dance approaches for Nova Prescott, it’s a battle of wills as she finds herself drawn to the guy who gets in the way of her perfect prom. Fellow seniors Mei and Tyler harbor secrets, while others face all the insecurity and anticipation that surrounds one of high school’s most seminal events.
The Prom
Romance · 2020
After the PTA of a conservative high school in Indiana bans same-sex couples from attending the annual prom, a gang of flamboyant Broadway stars try to boost their image by showing up to support two lesbian students.
Marry Me
Romance · 2022
After finding out about her fiancé's cheating ways, a pop superstar impulsively marries a total stranger. They must soon decide if two people from such different worlds can find true love.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Phyllida Lloyd
Written by
Catherine Johnson
Amanda Seyfried
Sophie Sheridan
Meryl Streep
Donna Sheridan
Pierce Brosnan
Sam Carmichael
Colin Firth
Harry Bright
Stellan Skarsgård
Bill Anderson
Christine Baranski
Tanya Chesham-Leigh
Julie Walters
Rosie Mulligan
Court is in session
Put Mamma Mia! on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.