I think the best musicals are either the ones that are outrageously camp and gloriously over-the-top like ‘Moulin Rouge’. Or those like ‘The Sound of Music’ where you have a great drama and characters who burst into song as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. (Gene Kelly performing ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ is another example.)

This I think failed because the performances were so exaggerated. It was like the director told the cast: “Act hysterically!!!!!!” [Note my hysterical use of punctuation to make the point.]

And I totally agree with Mariken’s Ritalin comment!

But perhaps that all makes sense when Phyllida Lloyd is more of a theater director than a film director.

I also agree with Mariken in that the whole thing looked like it was “filmed in a studio (a cheap studio at that)”. Probably all the budget went on paying Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth. Shame as they could have done with spending it on a decent choreographer and voice coach – especially for Pierce Brosnan! Terrible! Not to mention his cardboard acting in this one. A certain fall from glory from his Bond heyday.

I think the casting director assumed everyone would want the “classically handsome” (someone else’s words, not mine) Pierce Brosnan as the ‘main guy’, but actually Colin Firth would have been FAR more believable in that role and had more chemistry with Meryl Street. The ‘daughter’ would also have been far more suitable in some role as an American cheerleader. And don’t even start me on Christine Baranski (Tanya). What were they thinking? I would have liked to have seen more of Julia Walters too. She seemed to get quite a few dud lines.

What I DID like, however, was… the ‘Dancing Queen’ scene. That was fun; I would have killed to have been an extra.

And, actually, I thought Meryl Streep had a great voice and pretty much carried the movie (I never once thought she was too old for her role). I thought her best moment was actually during ‘The Winner Takes It All’ and when her acting had calmed down during the wedding scene.

And I loved the cameo appearances by ‘Benny’.

I wouldn’t say it was worth seeing but I wouldn’t say it was not worth seeing it… It was so-so. I think the greatest tragedy is that it could have been sooooo much better with just a few tweaks here and there.