“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” splits its story between two timelines: 1979, when Donna Sheridan first meets the men who could be her daughter Sophie’s father, and the present day, where Sophie prepares to reopen her mother’s hotel. The film wants to be a sequel and a prequel at once, and it mostly succeeds at neither. It is a warm, frequently funny musical that struggles to hold together a sprawling cast and two parallel narratives.
The premise is simple. In 1979, Donna graduates from Oxford and sets off for the Greek island of Kalokairi, where she meets three men: Sam, Harry, and Bill. Each could be the father of her unborn child. Fifty years later, Sophie, now grown, is running the Hotel Bella Donna in honor of her recently deceased mother. She learns the truth about her father through a series of flashbacks that mirror the events of the earlier timeline.
Trailer, via Universal Pictures.
The Two Timelines
The film’s biggest strength is its casting. Amanda Seyfried returns as Sophie, and Lily James joins as young Donna, giving the story a through-line between generations. Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård play Sam, Harry, and Bill, respectively, while Dominic Cooper appears as Sky, Sophie’s husband. Christine Baranski and Julie Walters return as Tanya and Rosie, and Cher joins as Ruby Sheridan, Donna’s mother, in her first film role since 2010.
The dual timelines are the film’s central idea, and they work best when they mirror each other directly. A storm in the present triggers a flashback to a similar storm in 1979, where Donna saves a trapped horse alongside Sam. These moments land well because they show the film’s hand, not hide it.
| Timeline | Focus | Key Characters |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Donna’s youth | Lily James as young Donna, Jeremy Irvine as young Sam, Hugh Skinner as young Harry |
| Present Day | Sophie’s reunion | Amanda Seyfried as Sophie, Pierce Brosnan as Sam, Colin Firth as Harry |
The Musical Numbers
The film leans heavily on ABBA’s catalog, and most of the songs work. The music carries the emotional weight of the story, and the performers deliver. The film’s weakest moments come when it stretches the music across scenes that feel thin, like a dance sequence that doesn’t quite earn its place.
Plot Problems
The film suffers from structural issues. The 1979 storyline, which should carry weight as Donna’s coming-of-age journey, gets lost in favor of Sophie’s present-day plot. Sophie’s marriage troubles and her husband’s job offer in New York feel tacked on rather than integral to the story. The film also rushes its romantic resolutions, particularly Donna’s relationship with Harry, which ends abruptly without much payoff.
Cher’s Turn
Cher’s performance as Ruby Sheridan is a highlight. She brings warmth and humor to a character who could easily have felt like a cameo, and her scenes with Andy García, who plays Fernando, add a layer of history to the story. The film’s writers built the role around her, and it shows.
The Ensemble
The sheer number of actors is a mixed blessing. With Brosnan, Firth, Skarsgård, Baranski, and Seyfried all carrying major arcs, the film sometimes loses focus. Some characters, like Josh Dylan’s young Bill and Naoko Mori’s Yumiko, feel like filler. The Greek customs officer, played by Omid Djalili, adds a dash of comedy but little substance.
Final Word
“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” is a pleasant, if uneven, addition to the franchise. It has a strong cast, a handful of excellent musical numbers, and a clever structure that pays off in its best scenes. But the plot drags in places, and the dual-timeline trick doesn’t always land. It is a film that knows how to entertain but struggles to say anything new about its characters.
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