inside the community’s everlasting obsession with Mamma Mia! • Journal • A Magazine • , Life in canada

Smiling, having fun, feeling like a number one

Many of ABBA’s best lyrics are bittersweet, joyous and melancholic. But not Mamma Mia!, one of the most plainly euphoric films we have. And it’s one of your favorite things: the unapologetic, unfettered glee in every moment of the movie.

“Sometimes, life throws a lot at you—too much noise, too many expectations, or just a general feeling of fuuuuck. you throw on this movie!!! Today, I needed to feel like a bad bitch. Not in the loud, chaotic way—but in the soft, powerful, joyful way. MAMMA MIA! WILL ALWAYS DELIVER” —Elisa

“Imagine being so jaded that you watch the ‘Dancing Queen’ sequence and not feel anything besides absolute unfiltered Bliss?? It’s just not possible! It’s just. NOT. Possible! I truly and wholeheartedly believe that accepting the greatness and pure cinematic wonder of Mamma Mia! will set you down a more positive and successful path in life. Honestly, I cannot COUNT the amount of depressive episodes and terrible moments in life this film (and ABBA in general) have gotten me through. Donna and the Dynamos have gotten me through the hardest of times. I’m 1000 percent serious; this is not a joke to me.” —Stevie

“A movie that was filmed in Italy while the whole cast was drunk but takes place in Greece. The actors are speaking English, singing songs from a Swedish band. Ends with them dancing in sparkly outfits. This is cinema at its best.” —Beatriz