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Rated PG 13 for comments about the uncomment able
Reviewed by Karl Scott

Cheeta the Chimp is still alive and kicking.  Born in Liberia on April 9th 1932 he made his film debut with Johnny Weissmuller in the first talking version of Tarzan the Ape Man the same year and retired from films after completing Doctor Doolittle in 1967.  At only 4 feet tall he has accomplished a lot.  He is currently the oldest living chimp (see the Guinness Book of Records) and has an autobiography planned called, what else, “Me Cheeta” with help from his current keeper Dan Westfall.  

 

Cheeta is forced to celebrate his many birthdays with sugar free cake and diet soda as he is diabetic.  His film career includes at least 8 well known films.  

 

Phyllida Lloyd is the creative power behind the stage play and musical Mama Mia.  She is also the Director of the film version.  Other than Mama Mia she has only one other film credit as Director.  She could have used some help from Cheeta.  So could one other person in the cast.  

 

Mama Mia is really for fans of the play/musical and the songs of ABBA.  The stage play is very Spartan in its setting and sets.  There are not many people in the story.  The relationships are well defined and the songs although not written for the play are well integrated and fun.  

 

The movie, on the other hand, seems to be an attempt to put the play on film and make it bigger.  Big beautiful scenery.  Lots and lots of people in the cast.  Big name stars.  The elements that make the stage version work are all swept aside for the big and the beautiful.

 

There are no real singers: just actors and actresses who can sing, or at least try to.  Much of the beautiful Greek Island scenery just gets in the way of the story.  The relationships are so ill defined that when things begin to occur at the end you will ask your self “where is this coming from” unless you have seen the play.  

 

The two biggest and best known ABBA songs occur in the first 35 minutes leaving a lot less to deal with musically in the remaining hour and a half.  Meryl Streep,  Pierce Brosnan, Colin Furth and Christine Baranski provide the star power.  Nobody really provides any movie magic.  

 

Somebody must have choreographed this stuff but did so mainly by telling everybody go out on the pier, jump around and leap in the water.  Notice the dance scenes are done with really short takes and lots of edits.  No one is forced to actually dance.  It is as if instead of reaching for something great they settled for the competent at best and moved on.

 

Like the stage play there is a big disco encore in the end and the Streep character actually asks the audience if we want to see another number.  No we don’t but they do one anyway. They all where outlandish 70’s disco outfits and even the guys, including Pierce Brosnan put one on.  This guy was James Bond for gosh sakes.  James Bond.  

 

What is going on here?  In Palm Springs Cheeta lives on.  Besides the proposed autobiography he does abstract paintings which are sold for charity and may record his own CD of pop songs.  He certainly couldn’t sound any worse than Pierce B.  Maybe that is Cheeta lip syncing for Pierce on the Mama Mia soundtrack.  Nobody would know the difference.  
 
Rated 2.1 out of 4 reasons to check out Cheeta (acting under the name Bonzo) in “Bedtime for Bonzo” instead of Mama Mia.  Lots less pretentious.