Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again - 3 smiles

I liked the original Mamma Mia, I like ABBA and I liked this sequel although it's really an unnecessary sequel. Most of ABBA's A-list songs were used in the first movie so the majority of "Here We Go Again's" soundtrack is comprised of songs from two categories: B-list tunes that will be familiar to only die-hard ABBA fans and repeats of songs from Mamma Mia. And there are more of the latter than the former, which is a good thing. Also included are two hits that didn't make it into the first film: "Waterloo" and "Fernando." Most of the cast has returned with one notable exception: Meryl Streep. While Streep has a cameo at the end of the movie, her character Donna is dead when the movie begins and only appears in flashbacks, where she's played by another actress (Lily James). This results in a bittersweet tone that brings surprising emotion to the whole production.

Because there's not much story in the present, much of the two-hour running time tells the tale of how Donna became pregnant with Sophie. These extended flashbacks take us 25 years into the past and introduces a new group of actors playing younger versions of the familiar characters. In the present, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is preparing to re-open the Greek island restaurant founded by her mother, who died a year ago. She is joined in this by her mother's lover, Sam (Pierce Brosnan), who has lived on the island since reuniting with his lost love in the first film. Also on hand is Fernando (Andy Garcia), hired to manage the restaurant. Missing in action are Sophie's two other fathers, Harry (Colin Firth) and Bill (Skellan Skarsgard); her husband, Sky (Dominic Cooper) and her grandmother, Ruby (Cher). Making the trip for the festivities are Donna's best pals, Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie (Julie Walters). Meanwhile, in the past we see how a younger Donna leaves Tanya (Jessica Keenan Wynn) and Rosie (Alexa Davies) behind and heads out to see the world, ending up in Greece. Along the way, she has a brief tryst with Harry (Hugh Skinner) before embarking on a wild affair with Sam (Jeremy Irvine). After that ends poorly, she has a fling with Bill (Josh Dylan). The filmmakers do an excellent job of casting the younger versions of familiar characters and Lily James is effective as a young Donna. Cher's version of "Fernando" is top notch. If you enjoyed the first, you'll like the sequel.