Mamma Mia!

A Greek island, a bride-to-be, one slightly mad mother, three potential fathers, and ABBA songs. The theatrical musical Mamma Mia! has been seen by over 30 million people in eight language versions - and its creators ultimately decided to make it into a full-length film starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan.

Young Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) lives with her somewhat eccentric mother Donna (Meryl Streep) on the island of Kalokairi, where they run a small family hotel together. Sophie is getting married and faces one problem: who will walk her down the aisle. Her mother's diary reveals that around the time of Sophie's conception, Donna was involved with three different men. Sophie invites all three to the wedding - and they come: a carefree businessman Sam (Pierce Brosnan), a uptight banker Harry (Colin Firth), and an unconventional adventurer Bill (Stellan Skarsgård). Twenty-four hours until the ceremony.

The plot moves forward through ABBA hits sung by the film's stars. The idea for a musical built around the band's songs came from producer Judy Craymer - it took her over a decade to secure permission to use them. The condition was that the musical would have nothing to do with the band itself, only use their songs. Filming the movie proved easier, especially once ABBA members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus became co-producers. Co-producer Tom Hanks summed it up this way: "Like me, you'll want to get up and start singing within ten minutes. It's very contagious."