By Karyn Bowman

I get! I finally get it!

I finally understand why people have flocked to Mamma Mia! last summer and why it is a very popular rental now.

Critics gave it a bad rating and many people avoided it. But what those men did not realize is this movie is all about fun. And I find it from two different perspectives.

The first is from older women, such as myself, who are remembering their younger days when they may have been wild and care-free. While part of us are glad those days are over, what has not been lost, just buried beneath job and child-raising responsibilities, is the spirit of our once-young selves.

I first watched this movie during a quilting time. Needless to say, not a lot of quilting was done that day. I laughed, I cried, I sang along. Even though I knew that Meryl Streep was too old for the part, she sure could have passed for 40. Pierce Bronson’s singing may have not been the best. But I appreciated a man – who waited for years to be Bond, finally became Bond, and then was kicked out of the part – willing to try something way out of left field.

For those of us who are no longer thin and young, it is refreshing – perhaps reassuring – to see people our age singing and dancing even though they have never done it before. It reminds us old fogies that we, too, can break out of our usual patterns.

The other perspective is that of the young girl who is getting married. She has worked hard to find out who her father might be and has narrowed it down to three men. But beyond that is her desire of doing what is right for her mother and what is right for herself. Will she stay on the island or go away to see the world?

Finally, it is in the party atmosphere of the movie with the wedding. It is joyful in young love that is so certain. It is the stress of making the day happen. It is the happiness of resolved issues and love renewed. Frankly, I am still amazed that Christine Baranski can move as well as she does, knowing she is closing in on 60 as well.

If anything, this is a girlfriend movie. Let the guys have their games and fun. Collect your best friends, park yourselves in front of the wide screen and getting ready to cry, to laugh, to sing along.

Karyn Bowman is also known as Mom Goes to the Movies and wrote for The Daily Journal as their movie reviewer for nearly eight years. She lives in Kankakee County with her husband and four children.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 5th, 2009 at 3:38 pm and is filed under Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.