Click here to read my review of the first "Mamma Mia".
Unlike most sequels, "Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again" is surprisingly better than its predecessor (and I loved its predecessor). It has the same great dancing and catchy music from Abba, but it also has a deeper plot and the addition of one of my favorite actresses - Lily James. I think she can be given any script and nail it. I first got to know her in Downton Abby where, like in "Here We Go Again", she played a young woman with a carefree spirit. In this movie, she portrays Donna (the mother who was played by Meryl Streep in the first "Mamma Mia") in her younger days.
From the beginning of the movie we learn that Donna passed away one year ago. Just like we never find out who Sophie's father really is, we never learn Donna's cause of death. The specific cause of death is irrelevant to the plot. Sophie is preparing to reopen Donna's hotel in Greece. One potential dad is already there, but the other two are not (yet). Their entrance is epic, but I'll get to that later.
The movie is a combination of present day and flashbacks to when Donna had flings with the three men who are potentially Sophie's father. This gives meaning to the relationships she had with them. The transitions between present and past flow seamlessly, sometimes even running parallel to each other (for example, when Sophie is pregnant her mom is shown pregnant with Sophie.) It further emphasized the connection they had. All of the characters that were so loved in the first one are again present in "Here We Go Again". They even found a way to include Meryl Streep even though her character was deceased before the second movie even begun.
Something else "Here We Go Again" got right that many movies don't is disability representation. There is one flashback scene where young Donna is dancing with many others, including a wheelchair dancer played by real-life wheelchair user Amy Trigg. She is briefly the center of attention while she's dancing, but the story does not revolve around her. She blends in with the crowd and dances with everyone else. She just happens to be a wheelchair user. THIS is what disability representation should look like in Hollywood. I did not know there was a wheelchair dancer in this movie, so it was a pleasant surprise.
I touched earlier on the epic arrival of the other two dads (along with Sophie's significant other and shiploads of other people). As soon as Sophie sees them coming, the song "Dancing Queen" cranks up and everyone on the ships and on land start singing and dancing their hearts out. One person commented to me about this scene that they just look like everyday people having a good time. Yes! That's what it's supposed to look like and that's what I love about it (although the scene is an important turning point in the movie, too). I have watched that scene alone over and over again many times. It fills me with joy every time I watch it.
Cher plays Sophie's grandmother in "Here We Go Again". Her pending arrival is hinted at earlier in the movie and it's another joyful moment when she arrives. She was perfect for this role. She only sang one song in this movie and that was just right as the plot did not center around her.
The scene at the end when Sophie presented her baby to everyone and saw her mother's spirit was touching and it was a brilliant way to conclude the story. What I noticed was that Sophie's baby is surrounded by love, even from Donna. It filled me with hope.
That scene wasn't the end, though. There was an encore singing and dancing scene. Anyone who has seen it knows this is mostly what "Mamma Mia" is known for. - the infectious singing and dancing. So it was fitting for this to be the very last moments in the movie even though it wasn't part of the plot.
I can see myself watching both "Mamma Mia" movies summer after summer. Sometimes you just need to know that although things won't always be easy, it will all turn out okay as long as there is love in your life, no matter what kind of love that is or who it comes from.💝
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