The first Mamma Mia! film may seem an unlikely source of Christian morality. A story about a woman having sex with three different men in quick succession, falling pregnant, and not knowing who the father of her child is, doesn’t immediately resound with traditional Christian teaching. Yet, beyond having a string of catchy ABBA songs, I argue that the mass appeal of Mamma Mia! lies in something more powerful. Amidst the frivolity, flared jumpsuits, and disco lights, is a far deeper tale of female empowerment. The film acts as a covert lesson to all about the importance of foregrounding women’s stories – and not just those of young women.
What is the film about?
Mamma Mia! (2008) is a film version of the stage musical. Sophie lives on a fictional Greek island with her mother, Donna. She doesn’t know her father but is determined to invite him to her upcoming wedding. Sophie reads the diary Donna kept during her pregnancy, and it turns out there are three potential ‘Dad’ contenders. Sophie invites all three men to the wedding, believing she will discover her real father. Chaos ensues when Donna (oblivious to Sophie’s invitations) discovers her former flings on the island. Despite Donna’s protests, all three potential dads attend the wedding. At the altar, Sophie reveals she invited them. Everyone agrees they don’t need to know who Sophie’s biological dad is. Ultimately, Sophie doesn’t get married, but Donna marries her former lover, Sam (one of the three potential dads) instead.
“Every morning, I get up and I thank God that I don’t have some middle-aged, menopausal man telling me how to run my life”: a celebration of middle-aged womanhood
Despite my truncated description above, one of the most striking things about Mamma Mia! is its female-heavy cast and that the storyline – whilst ostensibly focusing on figuring out who is Sophie’s ‘real’ dad – is really about powerful women. Let’s face it: Donna is the real lead character and – as a businesswoman and single mother – is a tower of strength. Donna’s plight of being disowned by her Roman Catholic mother (as a young unwed mother-to-be) is only revealed towards the end of the film, in a moment where Sophie realises how resilient and brave her mother has been. Yet despite her experiences and the societal shaming involved, Donna refuses to be sidelined or silenced: “I’ve done a great job with Soph all by myself, and I won’t be muscled out by an ejaculation!” Donna is a tour de force of middle-aged womanhood, and Mamma Mia! celebrates this in a way not often seen in Hollywood cinema.
Although Donna is assertive, it is clear in most of the film that she isn’t that self-accepting. On discovering the three potential dads on the island, Donna claims, “I have brought this all on myself because I was a stupid, reckless little slut!” Her friend Rosie quickly attributes this to “Catholic guilt”, but Donna struggles to see it that way. Her language about herself is punitive and we really see and hear how judgments from Christians has led to self-hatred. It is only later in the film that she can be more compassionate towards herself. In a touching scene, Donna tells Sophie about being cast out by her own mother, telling her daughter, “I wouldn’t have had it any other way: my God, look at what we’ve had!”
Christian reflections on Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! celebrates middle-aged sisterhood in all its glory and joy (as evidenced by the ‘Dancing Queen’ scene), but also its sorrow and messiness. From this musical and the film, Christians are reminded to not silence or shame women, but instead to embrace all women with the life experiences they bring with them. It also highlights the importance of foregrounding older female narratives not always found the New Testament (for example, we hear a lot about the young Virgin Mary before Jesus’ birth and during His childhood, yet much less of her after that). We need to foreground the world-weary Mary Magdalenes and Donna Sheridans of this world (after all, the Risen Christ first appeared to a woman!) – not just the young Virgin Marys or naïve Sophie Sheridans.
Written by Shanika Ranasinghe
Shanika is a recent PhD graduate (Royal Holloway, University of London). Her thesis focused on fans of the pop group ABBA. Shanika is an SCM Member and is Roman Catholic.