Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (2018)

[Hanahope]

I didn't see another thread about this, so starting it up for us ABBA lovers.  Yeah, the original was a bit cheesy, but I still love it.  The music just makes it worthwhile and most the singing was pretty good. 

Please don't let Pierce Brosnan sing in this sequel/prequel.  

I'm curious to see exactly how they dress the younger men.  In the original, Donna's flashbacks had them all with long hair, two fairly hippi-ish and one head banger.

[Browncoat]

I love the original too, and will likely see this one just for kicks.  I admit, though, that I have low expectations for it.

[JessePinkman]

Is Meryl Streep actually in this? All of the trailers only have clips of her in the movie. I mean, is Donna dead?

[Hanahope]

37 minutes ago, JessePinkman said:

Is Meryl Streep actually in this? All of the trailers only have clips of her in the movie. I mean, is Donna dead?

It sounds like it because the trailers have Sophie talking about how she can’t go through  “it” (presumably pregnancy/child raising) alone.  Which begs the question of who got her pregnant and where’s he at?

[Bill1978]

I thought her boyfriend from the first movie is the father. I can't remember if they got married in the original or not.

[Browncoat]

They didn’t.  They sailed away, while Donna and Pierce Brosnan got married instead.

[afterbite]

I can't wait for this movie to come out so that I can stop seeing the trailer for it when I go to other movies. Every single time...

[JessePinkman]

11 hours ago, Hanahope said:

It sounds like it because the trailers have Sophie talking about how she can’t go through  “it” (presumably pregnancy/child raising) alone.  Which begs the question of who got her pregnant and where’s he at?

Yeah, that is what it sounds like. He's in the movie btw, Dominic Cooper has popped up in the trailers next to Amanda Seyfried.

[Hanahope]

20 minutes ago, JessePinkman said:

Yeah, that is what it sounds like. He's in the movie btw, Dominic Cooper has popped up in the trailers next to Amanda Seyfried.

So if he's in the picture, then one would think that Sophie's situation is unlike her mother's.  But regardless of the set up, I'm all for more ABBA songs.  

[chitowngirl]

Perhaps she means she can’t go through this without her mother, as her mother did without her mother. Who, I believe, is played by Cher.

[Bruinsfan]

On 5/29/2018 at 2:44 PM, Hanahope said:

Please don't let Pierce Brosnan sing in this sequel/prequel.

Surely the UN must have passed a resolution outlawing that?

 

On 5/30/2018 at 9:42 AM, Hanahope said:

But regardless of the set up, I'm all for more ABBA songs.  

Are there any big ones left besides "Fernando"? They used up pretty much the group's entire Greatest Hits catalog in the first one.

[Bill1978]

That's my concern for the movie. That all the big numbers are gone. Maybe they found a way to insert Waterloo into this plot so it can be an actual number and not a bonus performance like the original movie.  Or insert The Name of the Game which was a deleted scene from the first one.

Just checked the list of song's from the first movie and apart from Fernando. There is still Ring Ring, Rock Me, Knowing Me Knowing You (which I thought was in the first movie), Summer Night City, One of Us and The Day That You Came that were decent size hits throughout most of the world that haven't been used. And the trailer indicates they are recycling some songs.

 

From the Wiki Page here is a list of songs apparently mentioned in various places as being in the movie. Ill put it in spoilers for those who want to be totally unspoiled

 

Spoiler

The following ABBA songs have been confirmed to appear in the film, either by Benny Andersson per his interview on BBC Radio 5 Live,[1] or they appeared in the trailers:[2]

"Waterloo" from Waterloo (1974) - appeared in Grammys TV spot, final trailer, and officially released by Universal Pictures

"Mamma Mia" from ABBA (1975) - appeared in trailers and Grammys TV spot

"When I Kissed the Teacher" from Arrival (1976) - confirmed by Benny Andersson and officially released by Universal Pictures

"Dancing Queen" from Arrival (1976) - appeared in first trailer, final trailer and confirmed by Benny Andersson

"Thank You for the Music" from ABBA: The Album (1977) - confirmed by Benny Andersson

"I Wonder (Departure)" from ABBA: The Album (1977) - confirmed by Benny Andersson

"Angeleyes" from Voulez-Vous (1979) - confirmed by Benny Andersson, appeared in international trailer

"I Have a Dream" from Voulez-Vous (1979) - appeared in first trailer and confirmed by Benny Andersson

"Kisses of Fire" from Voulez-Vous (1979) - confirmed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus in an interview with Aftonbladet [3]

"Fernando" non-album single (1976) - appeared in Grammys TV spot and final trailer

The following songs have been mentioned:

"I’ve Been Waiting For You" from ABBA (1975) - Mentioned by Julie Walters in an interview for the Liverpool Echo

"Knowing Me, Knowing You" from Arrival (1976) - Mentioned by Pierce Brosnan and Judy Craymer in unrelated Instagram posts

"Happy Hawaii/Why Did It Have to Be Me?" from Arrival (1976) - Mentioned on an ABBAtalk Facebook post

"The Name Of The Game" from ABBA: The Album (1977) - Mentioned by Lily James and Benny Andersson in unrelated interviews

"As Good As New" from Voulez-Vous (1979) - Mentioned by guitarist Janne Schaffer on an Aftonbladet podcast

"If It Wasn't for the Nights" from Voulez-Vous (1979) - Mentioned by guitarist Janne Schaffer on an Aftonbladet podcast

"Super Trouper" from Super Trouper (1980) - Mentioned by Cher in an interview

"On and On and On" from Super Trouper (1980) - Mentioned by guitarist Janne Schaffer on an Aftonbladet podcast

"Head over Heels" from The Visitors (1981) Mentioned by Lily James in a interview

"One of Us" from The Visitors (1981) - Mentioned by Cher in a tweet

"Like an Angel Passing Through My Room" from The Visitors (1981) - Mentioned by Dominic Cooper

"Summer Night City" non-album single (1978) - Mentioned by Judy Craymer

"The Way Old Friends Do" from Super Trouper (1980)

Edited June 2, 2018 by Bill1978

[Madding crowd]

Are we supposed to believe Cher is Meryl Streep’s mother? Cher is 72 and Streep is 68!

[methodwriter85]

11 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

Are we supposed to believe Cher is Meryl Streep’s mother? Cher is 72 and Streep is 68!

Just tell yourself that Cher is playing a decade older and Streep is playing a decade younger and then it makes sense.

One of the trailers had 1979 written during a flashback, which makes sense. I always theorized that the first Mama Mia is set in 1999-2000. It didn't make sense otherwise to talk about the 70's like they were 20 years ago.

[Browncoat]

On 5/29/2018 at 3:44 PM, Hanahope said:

I'm curious to see exactly how they dress the younger men.  In the original, Donna's flashbacks had them all with long hair, two fairly hippi-ish and one head banger.

I watched the original on USA yesterday, and they had TONS of ads for the new movie, including shots of the guys as Donna originally meets them.  Unfortunately, one of those ads was right after Donna sees them in her goat shed and remembers them as they looked 20 years prior -- the guys in the new one look absolutely nothing like Donna's flashback.  Disappointing, really.

[rmontro]

I don't know anything about this movie, but I just wanted to say that I think that "Mama Mia: Here We Go Again" is a great title for a sequel.

[HunterHunted]

On 6/2/2018 at 12:33 PM, Madding crowd said:

Are we supposed to believe Cher is Meryl Streep’s mother? Cher is 72 and Streep is 68!

On 6/2/2018 at 11:39 PM, methodwriter85 said:

Just tell yourself that Cher is playing a decade older and Streep is playing a decade younger and then it makes sense.

 

I think there is also supposed to be a joke in there about how Cher's character is into plastic surgery and beauty treatments, which is why she's so well preserved.

[SmithW6079]

On 6/2/2018 at 1:33 PM, Madding crowd said:

Are we supposed to believe Cher is Meryl Streep’s mother? Cher is 72 and Streep is 68!

 It's a conceit of movies; that's why it's called acting. I have no problems with it.

[ZuluQueenOfDwarves]

I have a harder time buying Cher as a mother who would disown her pregnant daughter and leave her to raise the baby alone. 

[EyewatchTV211]

On 6/1/2018 at 1:36 PM, Bruinsfan said:

Surely the UN must have passed a resolution outlawing that?

Tragically, they did not. I just read today about how Pierce Brosnan sings in the new one.

[MelinaBallerina]

So, why did they

Spoiler

kill off Donna?  Did Streep not want to do a whole movie?

[Anela]

I didn't like the original, and now that I've read that spoiler, I won't be seeing this one. 

[Browncoat]

Just got back, and meh.  Not nearly as much fun as the original.  I did like the casting of the original Donna and the Dynamos, though I have a hard time believing all of those three women kept the same hairstyles since 1979.  Especially the Christine Baranski character -- she seems very fashion-forward.  The casting of the boys was okay, but they were absolutely NOTHING like Donna remembered in her flashback from the original.  It seems a bit like they retconned the "..." part, too, at least with the timing.  But it also seemed like they left out a scene with Harry on the island.  Or I napped, perhaps.  And somehow, I expected more of a pre-Greece Donna and the Dynamos career.  Apparently that mostly took place during their University years.  I don't know -- it just seems like if you have the bones of a backstory in place, you'd stick with that and not change it.

Cher was unnecessary.  And there was no sign of that hot guy Colin Firth was with at the end of the first one, either.  In fact, he was all alone at the end of this one, which just didn't seem fair, since everyone else had someone.  Well, I guess except Pierce Brosnan, because at the beginning of the now part, Donna's been dead for a year. 

I take it back -- Cher was necessary to get in the song "Fernando". 

It wasn't all bad.  There were some fun bits.  The post-credit scene was good.  Pierce Brosnan sort of sings, but it was okay.  Some of the Young Donna parts were quite good (mostly when she was with the young Dynamos).  Some of the "now" parts were good -- when Harry and Bill arrive to the island to the tune of "Dancing Queen" was quite good.  I'm not sad I saw it, and I don't want my two hours back, but I'm not sure I'll watch again when it eventually comes to TV. 

[Shannon L.]

I heard that it was better than the original, which I didn't care for, and I do like ABBA, so I thought I'd give this one a shot.  "Meh" is about right.  I know the story was supposed to be about Donna and her daughter, but I still felt like the dropped the story lines with the men when they were young too quickly.  I'd like to have known a little bit more about what happened between then and now.  Of course, I only saw the original once and that was when it was in the theaters, so it's possible it was explained then and I simply don't remember.

I pretty much agree with most of  @Browncoat 's post.  There was some fun stuff and the cast was great.  I do appreciate seeing them having fun with their roles and I did like the Dancing Queen scene.  However, I've always loved Cher and still do, so I was happy to see her, but I do understand why some people don't like her. 

[Silver Raven]

Sure a lot of black people on that Greek island.

I appreciated the no-explanation-given dance with the woman in the wheelchair.

[Browncoat]

Don’t get me wrong, @Shannon L., I like Cher, there just didn’t seem to be much point to her role.  Was she going to help with finances?  Was she going to be more of a hands-on great-gandma?  

And speaking of finances, what happened to the woman Sophie was named after?  The one Donna took care of and who left all her money to Donna?  Are we meant to believe that the woman who ran the taverna and owned the farm was that woman?

[Shannon L.]

12 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Don’t get me wrong, @Shannon L., I like Cher, there just didn’t seem to be much point to her role.  Was she going to help with finances?  Was she going to be more of a hands-on great-gandma?  

And speaking of finances, what happened to the woman Sophie was named after?  The one Donna took care of and who left all her money to Donna?  Are we meant to believe that the woman who ran the taverna and owned the farm was that woman?

Yeah, you have a point about Cher's character.  I just get such a kick out of her that I didn't really care.  I wish the director/editors had watched the angles and close ups they did on her face because when they pulled back a little, she looked fabulous.  There was one angle and (too close) distance, though, that allowed us to easily see the work that she'd had done and it wasn't quite as flattering. 

I guess it's possible that Sophie had a little savings that she gave Donna.  It's not like the villa was in that great a shape.  It was definitely more livable, but still falling apart around her.

I decided to watch the first one again last night because I didn't know if I didn't care for it because of the story itself or because I'd forgotten a lot from the first movie.  It was a little of both.  A couple of things became more clear and other things were simply the story itself.  Also, I was reminded of just how much I didn't like the first one, so I now agree that this one was better-- but only slightly-- and that's mostly because the vocals were better. 

Edited July 22, 2018 by Shannon L.

[ancslove]

14 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

I know the story was supposed to be about Donna and her daughter, but I still felt like the dropped the story lines with the men when they were young too quickly.  I'd like to have known a little bit more about what happened between then and now. 

I don't think there was any more that happened between then and now.  It was a week-long (if that) triple fling, and the guys never saw Donna again until they came for Sophie's wedding.  Once Donna was alone on the island, that was that.  I was disappointed that Harry's story from "Honey, Honey" got retconned, and that he never made it to the island.  I wanted to see him buy her the guitar in Paris, and then go with her to Greece, not just follow unsuccessfully.  And given the timing in this movie, it seems very generous that Donna would even consider him a possible father of Sophie, and that twenty years later, Harry would remember Donna fondly and show up for her daughter's wedding.  

I'm not sure if the woman who owned the farmhouse was Sophia.  It would make sense, but I never heard her name.  Have to check IMDB.  

[Shannon L.]

6 hours ago, ancslove said:

I don't think there was any more that happened between then and now.  It was a week-long (if that) triple fling, and the guys never saw Donna again until they came for Sophie's wedding.  Once Donna was alone on the island, that was that.  I was disappointed that Harry's story from "Honey, Honey" got retconned, and that he never made it to the island.  I wanted to see him buy her the guitar in Paris, and then go with her to Greece, not just follow unsuccessfully.  And given the timing in this movie, it seems very generous that Donna would even consider him a possible father of Sophie, and that twenty years later, Harry would remember Donna fondly and show up for her daughter's wedding.  

I'm not sure if the woman who owned the farmhouse was Sophia.  It would make sense, but I never heard her name.  Have to check IMDB.  

We were posting a the same time, so you probably didn't see that I'd responded again with the fact that I watched the first one last night to refresh my memory.  Now I understand why the three men weren't given a little more story line. It was Harry's story that bothered me the most.  I also found myself thinking that he should have gone with her to Greece, but then the introduction of Bill would have had to have been changed a bit.  And yeah, I found myself wondering why he was considered a possibility as Sophie's father. 

Edited July 22, 2018 by Shannon L.

[jmcd44]

I just saw it. My expectations were low & I loved the first one. I recognize this was not a good movie but I will watch it every time it comes on tv & I will probably cry every time. Also-it is worth seeing just for Christine Baranski & the girl who played a younger her. And I think Pierce only had one solo that was a few lines long (SOS I think?) but I was too busy crying to critique him. (I am the type of person who only cries at movies & tv shows-not real life)

[VCRTracking]

[methodwriter85]

I was really bothered by the fact that Sophie's only 25, which means that only 5 years passed between the original movie and this one. I'm okay with the fact that Sophie was born in 1980-ish because the first movie was really, really careful not to make anything dated. It just feels like way too much had gone on since the last movie for it to have only been 5 years, and it's depressing to think that Donna and Sam only got 4 years together.

I guess they didn't want Amanda to play her own age so she could be a young first-time mother like Donna was? It did explain how the Swede is apparently still in his fifties, if we're only in about 2005. I was thinking that Sophie was in her mid/late 30's and "present-day" was somewhat close to our time, but I guess not.

I don't think they necessarily retconned out Harry's story, because the post-credits scene seems to suggest that Harry does make it to the island. But whatever.

I did think this felt very Grease 2 at times, but man, did Lily James really bring a lot to the table. I thought she was fantastic.

Edited July 23, 2018 by methodwriter85

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Amanda Seyfried And Lily James  discuss Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (the interview begins at the 10 minute mark):

[Steph J]

On 7/21/2018 at 6:33 PM, Browncoat said:

And speaking of finances, what happened to the woman Sophie was named after?  The one Donna took care of and who left all her money to Donna?  Are we meant to believe that the woman who ran the taverna and owned the farm was that woman?

I thought the woman Sophie was named after and who Donna took care of was Bill's aunt who lived on the island? It's been a long time since I saw the first film, though, so I may be completely wrong about that.

Of course I also thought that the reason Donna and her mother were estranged was because her mother was conservative and didn't approve of her having an out of wedlock baby, and that Donna was supposed to be 18/19 when she had Sophie (I swear, when the first movie came out, I remember there being a lot of talk about having to suspend disbelief due to the age discrepancy between Streep and the character). Clearly I don't remember the non-musical parts of the first movie very well.

[chitowngirl]

There is a lot of retconning in Mamma Mia 2. :)

[chitowngirl]

On 7/21/2018 at 9:33 PM, Browncoat said:

And speaking of finances, what happened to the woman Sophie was named after?  The one Donna took care of and who left all her money to Donna?  Are we meant to believe that the woman who ran the taverna and owned the farm was that woman?

Yes, that was Sofia. In the scene where young Rosie is talking to Tanya about how Bill is her love at first sight guy, you can see the woman in the tavern giving Bill a hug and warm greeting, so she knows him and the credits list her as Sofia.

A question about Sam-Did he abandon his other family? We know he’s divorced and he said in the first movie he has 2 grown sons. But those sons weren’t any older than their late teens because Sophie was 20. So he just goes to Greece, marries someone he hasn’t seen in 20 years and leaves his sons? I know that’s way too much thought for a light popcorn movie!

Edited July 31, 2018 by chitowngirl

[backgroundnoise]

On ‎7‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 5:42 PM, chitowngirl said:

Yes, that was Sofia. In the scene where young Rosie is talking to Tanya about how Bill is her love at first sight guy, you can see the woman in the tavern giving Bill a hug and warm greeting, so she knows him and the credits list her as Sofia.

I know it's silly to nit-pick logic in a movie like this, but I will anyway.  You'd think if Sofia was Bill's aunt, she might have mentioned something to him about that girl he went out on his boat with had a baby 8 months or so after he left.

And the time line doesn't add up.  Donna was 22 in 1979, so she was born in 1957.  But Grandma had an affair in 1959 with Fernando?  With a two-year old at home?

Anyway, I really liked this movie.  I thought it had a much more interesting story than the first one, and better songs.  The original is on Netflix and I just rewatched it, and Donna seems so stressed in that, nothing like the carefree young woman in part 2.

Edited August 5, 2018 by backgroundnoise

[tribeca]

It’s just so easy to be carefree in your twenties.  

   I absolutely love the first Momma Mia.   It’s almost embarrassing how much I have watched that movie.    I wish I was as free as those women.   Also found the men’s friendship sweet.   

     Went to see part two yesterday.  The theatre was half full.   When the movie started it was just so bad.   The graduation  was just bizarre.   The first few songs and Fernando felt like songs they just wanted to fit in any way possible weather it made sense or not.   Cher who I love part was just squeezed in so Cher could be in the movie.  

The movie picked up some where in the middle.   Young Donna was very likable and I could see how the there man would remember her fondly after all those years.   

    My favorite part was when the boats arrived to the island to the song dancing queen.  

I don’t think I will watch this one again.  Ok maybe if it’s on tv one night.  Original momma Mia I will watch anytime.   

[Bruinsfan]

On 7/31/2018 at 2:32 PM, backgroundnoise said:

And the time line doesn't add up.  Donna was 22 in 1979, so she was born in 1957.  But Grandma had an affair in 1959 with Fernando?  With a two-year old at home?

That I could see based on her characterization. I was just scratching my head about how old Fernando was supposed to be in 1959. Is he supposed to be Ruby's age and just really well-preserved, or did she have an affair with a teenager?

[VCRTracking]

I'm just realized recently the movie is like Godfather Part II with the parallel parent and child storylines. Then I found this article and why Donna was killed off :
 

Quote

 

So, why, why is Donna Sheridan dead? Blame Richard Curtis, his daughter Scarlett, and The Godfather Part II. One day, out of the blue, Parker, who wrote the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movies, got an email from Curtis, the man behind Notting Hill and Love Actually, that read, “Random question: do you like ABBA?” “I thought he was going to invite me to dinner with Benny Andersson, since he knows everybody,” Parker said. Instead, Curtis, who had been talking with the Mamma Mia! producers, wrote back, “Chance of you writing a sequel?”

Amazing. That would be a hoot, Parker thought. But he didn’t have any ideas. Curtis did, though — or, rather, his daughter did. “When the call from the producers came to him he was driving along with his daughter Scarlett and he wondered aloud what the story could be,” Parker said, and Scarlett suggested the story “should be Godfather II” — as in a sequel that’s really a prequel. Curtis passed that idea along to Parker, who got excited about the idea of exploring the backstory hinted at in Catherine Johnson’s plot of the original. Why not go deeper into Donna’s diary?

To make it work, however, he knew Donna had to die. “I think it’s the most meaningful and emotional and impactful way to tell that story and this was my suggestion,” he said of his pitch to both producer Judy Craymer and what Parker said everyone calls the “legacy cast” of the original movie. “Obviously it was greatly discussed with everyone and Meryl was thrilled and delighted with it.” (In the end, the plots of Here We Go Again and The Godfather II really do parallel each other well: Lily James is Robert De Niro, the young version of the last film’s patriarch/matriarch. Amanda Seyfried is Al Pacino, shoring up the family business in the present — in this case, that business is a hotel in Greece, not the mob.)

 

Edited August 8, 2018 by VCRTracking

[roughing it]

YMMV, but I really liked the movie.  I was entertained throughout and teared up during the church scene.  I liked Lily James and felt she had such optimism and energy as young Donna.  I love Meryl Streep, but I felt she was miscast in the original.  I felt that Meryl was working very hard to "sell" Donna, whereas in almost all of her other roles that I've seen, I never see "Meryl", only the character she's playing. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Jessica Keenan Wynn disusses Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

[vavera4ka]

On ‎8‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 4:24 PM, roughing it said:

YMMV, but I really liked the movie.  I was entertained throughout and teared up during the church scene.  I liked Lily James and felt she had such optimism and energy as young Donna.  I love Meryl Streep, but I felt she was miscast in the original.  I felt that Meryl was working very hard to "sell" Donna, whereas in almost all of her other roles that I've seen, I never see "Meryl", only the character she's playing. 

I agree, as much as I love Meryl, and as great as she was in the first, I still wasn't 100% sold on her being Donna. I LOVED Lilly James! Actually all the younger-selves were great. Some good young actor blood. I felt like this one was more heart-felt. I bawled at the church scene. Still not crazy about Amanda Seyfried. She was the weakest link for me in the first one, but her limited role in this one might have contributed to me liking prequel/sequel so much.

Cher wasn't really necessary for the story, but her "mic drop" of a performance was worth it. The whole movie cast was singing... I was thinking, nice... you can sing, kudos. And then THE PRO shows up.

PS. wasn't one of 2500 Skarsgard kids available for the role of young Bill? lol (though I thought Josh Dylan did  superb job, not complaining, just curious lol)

[Silver Raven]

I do have to call shenanigans on the Cher character being this international superstar, considering in the original, Donna's mother wrote her out of her life for being a single mother.

[VCRTracking]

Sophie sang "The Name of the Game" in the first one but it was cut so I'm glad they used it in the new one, sung by Lily James. I always liked the song because it's the only one where the female singers Angetha and Frida alternate lead vocal.

[JustaPerson]

I saw this on DVD and thought it was pretty fun! I mean, not a masterpiece but still fun. The younger actors were all good, Lily James especially. I too wondered why they didn't get one of Stellan Skarsgard's kids to play him since they all seem to be in the biz. But Josh Dylan actually really resembled SS. I might have thought he was related to him! The plot was a lot of fluff but that was okay. The Sam and Donna confrontation when she finds out he's engaged to someone else was surprisingly emotional. I'll chalk that up to the actors. But Meryl swooped in at the end to make me cry with My Love, My Life.

I read a comment that made a fun point that I hadn't noticed: Sam is the only one that Donna sang a song to, instead of him singing one to her (with her joining in). Nice way to show Sam was the one she really fell for.

Edited December 25, 2018 by JustaPerson

[methodwriter85]

8 hours ago, JustaPerson said:

I too wondered why they didn't get one of Stellan Skarsgard's kids to play him since they all seem to be in the biz.

The only ones are the right age are Bill Skarsgard, who is seriously busy right now, and Valter Skarsgard, who is 21 which seems to be the age of the characters but he probably would have looked too young against Lily James. I did think Josh Dylan really looked like he could have fit in pretty easily with the Skarsgards.

[Linderhill]

I watched the DVD the day after Xmas and watched most of the extras. In an interview with Cher she said that they gave her a list of actors so she could pick out her own Fernando. When she saw Andy Garcia she stopped reading and picked him without going further. She too was surprised to be playing her friend Meryl's mother.

[Inquisitionist]

It was perfectly fine for watching on a trans-Atlantic flight, but I'm glad I didn't pay for it!  I do agree that Lily James was fabulous.

[Hanahope]

Finally saw this yesterday on DVD.  Overall, it was good, but I still prefer the first movie.  Lily James did an outstanding job and really sold Donna, definitely the best part of the movie, other than Cher's performance/song.  and the finale was fun too, with the whole cast.

The retconing of Harry, though, really took me out of his story.  How hard would it have been to dress him up with a long hair wig and some real heavy metal accoutrements?  Really, all the young men looked like present day young men, as opposed to young men in 1979 or 80.  Sure the women's clothes were appropriate for the time, but the men's sure were not.  

My understanding as to why Donna/Meryl was not much in the movie/had to die was because Meryl didn't really want to do a full movie sequel (as she's never done a sequel before).  It certainly made the movie more emotional, especially the christening scene.

I did lol at the passport control guy still there after 20+ years.

I liked how they incorporated Waterloo and got the cameo of Benny.