They cast wasn’t kidding when they sang S.O.S., because if ever there was a case of same old shit, it’s this. Like being forcibly breastfed impalpable cheer for two hours, Mamma Mia! was a colorful travelogue bestrewn with sweeping shots of movie stars vacationing on Universal’s dime and doing calisthenics in the name of creative dance. The inspiration remains the same in MM2; hatch a plotless narrative from the ABBA songbook and hire a Curves instructor who specializes in low-intensity workouts to choreograph. Much of it’s a prequel, detailing how a young Donna’s (Lily James) exploits abroad led up to daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) calling three men her dad. The present day material finds the original cast (plus special guest star Cher as the broken-in albino catchers mitt) doing as little as possible to pick up the biggest paychecks imaginable. Good ole Ol Parker’s biggest challenge as writer/director was counting how many transitional devices fell after rattling the cliche tree. (2018) — Scott Marks
This movie is not currently in theaters.