The Mamma Mia stage production has been dazzling audiences for years, so it seemed like only a matter of time before the Abba inspired musical would make the leap to the big screen. Alas, it has finally arrived, in all it's fluffy, incompetent grandeur. Truth be told I'm not exactly the target audience for this sporadically entertaining film, but I wasn't necessarily the target audience for Hairspray either and I loved that one.

In Mamma Mia, Amanda Seyfried plays Sophie, an adorably sweet young woman on her way to the alter. She spends her pre-nuptual days in the company of her fiercely independent mother Donna (played by Meryl Streep) running a hotel on an island just outside of Greece. As her big day approaches, she wishes nothing more than to discover the identity of her biological father. She gets a clue after coming across her mother's secret-drenched diary. At the risk of upsetting her jovial but feisty mom, Sophie sends wedding invitations to three different men (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgard)all of whom Donna had romantic interludes with during the course of one chaotic summer way back when. When the three men eventually show up at Donna's hotel, the chaos returns.

Based on the joyous laughter and foot stomping at the screening I attended, Mamma Mia is certainly striking a cord with a number of people. I'm not one of them. Before anyone paints me a cynic, you'll kindly note that I "am" a fan of musicals - in my opinion Zanadu is one of our great cinematic treasures - (pause for rim shot and laughter and . . .).

It seems unfair to point out the incompetent and uninspired directorial techniques at the heart of Mamma Mia because those who want to see it, probably won't care. Essentially, the crux of the plot plays like a really lame sitcom, only here, it's accompanied by a slew of lively Abba songs. I actually have a soft spot for Abba. In fact, many of their songs have been used to much stronger effect in far superior movies. Check out the Aussie indie gem Muriel's Wedding.

In Mamma Mia, most of the proceedings feel rushed and many of the more important elements of the plot, such as the so called relationships that form between Sophie and her potential fathers, play more like after thoughts.

What's worse, original stage director Phyllida Lloyd shoots the entire project in a most stilted and uninspired fashion. When you think musical, you think rhythm, and Mamma Mia is sorely lacking in that essential commodity. Sure, it's full of song and dance, but everything just sort of feels cobbled together. Even the gorgeous locales are short changed because Lloyd is insistent on shooting everything so tight. In the final act of the picture, during the big wedding, things open up a bit, but not much.

Of course none of this would matter if the film were livelier. All the elements are there, but it never really gets airbourne. Meryl Streep is terrific and her singing voice is every bit as sharp as her performance, but those who've seen Postcards From the Edge and Prairie Home Companion know that she can more than carry a tune. Amanda Seyfried is also wonderful as the bubbly and infectious Sophie. Julie Walters and Christine Baranski do their best in the token showboating roles, but they're directed in such a labored fashion that it's hard to be engaged by them.

The lead men in Mamma Mia prove to be the most squandered resource of the entire project. Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgard are all terrific performers but having them on screen is not enough. You have to give them something compelling to do. Of the three, Brosnan is the most prominent, but he isn't terribly interesting. Furthermore, his singing voice may destroy everything you hold dear about Abba's music. I'm sure the film makers thought it would be endearing to allow each actor to do their own singing. In the case of Brosnan, they were wrong. God bless him for trying though. Stellan Skarsgard spends most of the film looking confused, and in the final act, he's forced to do a strange and virtually out-of-nowhere duet with a lovesick Julie Walters. Of the three prospective fathers, Colin Firth brings the most personality and one of Mamma Mia' chief demogrpahics will be particularly tickled when they see where he winds up.

In the end, Mamma Mia isn't a total waste. It's clear that the film makers want the songs and the spirited cast to do all the talking. Sometimes it works, most of the time it doesn't. Ultimately, this is a hollow, air light, somewhat forgettable summer movie. Come to think of it, it's a lot like a good portion of Abba's catalogue.