It may be a decade late, but Here We Go Again is a nearly perfect companion piece to the magnificent film adaptation of Mamma Mia! Everyone comes back for round two, which feels like a hardcore labor of love for everyone involved. And while it's nowhere near as infectiously joyful as the first film, this sequel has a passionate heart to share with people who felt a sequel was unnecessary, irrelevant, and potentially disastrous.
The story is simple enough. Five years after the first film, Donna has died and Sophie is grandly reopening the hotel on Kalokairi. Her anxiety peaks as her relationship with Sky is on the rocks and two of her dads may not make it to the party. Her efforts to reopen the hotel are presented in episodes that flash back and forth to 25 years prior, as young Donna made her way to the island in search of life and love. Sophie learns to increasingly appreciate her mother's strength, perseverance, and passion, even while recognizing that she is not her mother.
The film this time around is, of course, more somber, as the melancholy awareness of Meryl Streep's absence is keenly felt in the film. But Lily James makes a fabulous turn as young Donna, singing and dancing her way into the movie in a big way. Thematically, this film is more concerned with motherhood and sisterhood and womanly independence than the first, which revolved largely around men and female identity as it relates to men. Sophie constantly compares herself to her mother, wondering if she can "do this" and how she's upholding a legacy. But, as the ensemble cast helps her learn, Sophie is woman enough to succeed on her own.
The smattering of old songs helps keep the new ones (some I was woefully ignorant of) upbeat and joyous, as the film tends to delve into the thicker thickets of emotional resonance than the first film. And while, as a romantic comedy, Mamma Mia will never really succeed beyond representing older people finding love, as a movie musical, Here We Go Again is a rapturous exercise in how fabulous a sequel can be when executed properly.
When Cher shows up, the movie brings the house down. When Meryl shows up...well, let's just say I'm still not recovered from that.
IMDb: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
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