“Sex and the City” showed that women do go to the movies, but will they turn out for more female-driven fare? And can a singing Meryl Streep be the one who guides the ladies into theaters? She croons ABBA tunes in “Mamma Mia!,” while Scarlett Johansson shows why she’s Woody Allen’s favorite ingénue in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” Johansson's love scene with co-star Penelope Cruz may have men lining up at the theater, too.
“Mamma Mia!”
Starring: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfried, Christine BaranskiDirector: Phyllida LloydStory: Rosie (Seyfried) wants her wedding to be perfect — and she needs her dad to be there. One problem: She has no idea who he is. But looking through her mom’s (Streep) diary lets her narrow the possibilities to three men (Brosnan, Firth, Skarsgard). Unbeknownst to mom, Rosie invites all three in the hopes of finding out the truth. The film is based on the Broadway musical featuring the songs of ABBA. And yes, Streep, Firth and company will be singing them. One to watch? Maybe. Musicals are very hit (“Chicago”) and miss (“The Producers”). Streep can sing (as evidenced by “Postcards From the Edge”), and show creator Judy Craymer told USA Today that Brosnan “does a sexy Springsteen-style thing.” Colin Firth joked to Hollywood Direct that his “singing is probably catastrophic, the dancing is probably a little bit worse than the singing.” Web site: http://www.mammamiamovie.com/ Release date: July 18
