MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

HottWwjdIam There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Ginger Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

videorama-759-859391 Looking back on this movie, for me it is a nostalgia piece. With the exception of Abba of course playing themselves (hey, you wouldn't want them any other way) it's male lead, a failed actor, who's not very favorable at the moment of course, plays a haggard and inept reporter traveling across cities, trying to score an interview with Abba to little avail. Being an Adelaideian, you see little of our small city in the film (be thankful for what you do see) but it brings back memories. I was six when Abba was the thing. They were so big, only one can imagine, how big they would be today. There's hardly a song of theirs I hated, and they wrote a hell of a lot of songs, more than the number of Elvis movies. Hughes galavanting around, always coming up against Abba's bodyguard (Tom Oliver, our shining star in this) is fun to watch, and we share many interviews with Abba fans, we realize this is more than a movie. People were so different then to now. Hey, it might not of been the best movie ever made, but it's the history that makes it as is our famous foursome who are genuine. They don't act. What I liked too, was Hughes fantasizing over our famous female duo, where may'be he has finally scored that interview. That's the burning question, "Will Hughesee ever get that big interview?". It what makes the finale quite gripping if you can believe that. For Abba fans, definitely, or others who like to to stroll down that nostalgic lane.

Chase_Witherspoon Freelance journalist (Hughes) is on the trail of super group ABBA to capture a scoop after a series of mishaps causes him to miss the arranged press interview leaving him without the crucial audio his boss believes he has secured. The film then revolves around his city hopping antics as he documents the events through interviews with fans, coming ever closer to the elusive interview with the group themselves.Not an especially gripping yarn, Hughes however appears realistic as the intrepid disc jockey who'll stop at nothing to cobble together a documentary about the superstars. Along the way we're treated to actual concert footage and substantial song performances which should please fans. Local viewers might be attracted to the location work and nostalgia of late 70's Australian capital cities and fashion.I caught this movie late one night on the ABC network and though not a fan, decided to watch for a minute or two just to appreciate the history - an hour and a half later I was surprisingly entertained. Despite the somewhat inane title, it's not a docu-drama or concert vignette, but a reasonable plot with an engaging central character and fluent narrative.

CromeRose I grew up in Australia and was 16 at the time of ABBA's 1977 concert tour Downunder. I lived in Melbourne and went to all three performances (1 on the Saturday night and 2 on Sunday) and I remember seeing the film cameramen on stage during the show and wishing they would get the heck out of the way, especially when they blocked my view of Agnetha (which was unfortunately already bad enough due to the fact that I was so far back in the crowd that I had to use binoculars!). Watching this movie again after so many years sent my mind spinning back to my 16th year and flooded me with wonderful memories and an extremely intense feeling of nostalgia and longing to be back there again at that time; and it's great to know that when they perform Fernando in the movie, I'm somewhere out in that crowd at Melbourne's "Sidney Myer Music Bowl" (which is named after a guy called Sidney Myer, not the city of Sidney). Being a big ABBA fan and an even bigger Agnetha fan, it's great to see the appreciation of ABBA: The Movie and of my girl Anna, who at 57 years of age now is still the most beautiful woman who ever lived. On the Monday after the concerts, I learned that ABBA would spend one more day in Melbourne so I (naturally) skipped school and went to the city to try and get Agnetha's autograph. ABBA had the whole 5th floor of The Old Melbourne Hotel, and during my efforts to infiltrate that fortress, I met an old lady who was staying on the 4th floor who asked me what was going on. When I explained my love for Agnetha to her, she took sympathy on me and told me to go down to the lobby and wait for my chance. She said if any hotel staff bothered me I could tell them I was her grandson and staying with her (God Bless her!!). When I stepped off the elevator into the lobby, the staff must've automatically assumed I was a guest because no one bothered me. After about 30 minutes, the crowds outside began screaming wildly as ABBA returned from a day trip they'd taken and entered the lobby. And there she was, the blonde angel named Agnetha - right in front of me! It took all my strength and nerve just to stand up and approach her, but when I did, she smiled and took the proffered pen and paper and signed her name with a flourish! I've still got it in my files at home in Melbourne, but unlike my love for her, it's kind of faded these days. ABBA: The Movie was originally intended to be a documentary (despite Benny's apprehensions about it due to an earlier, similar type of documentary he'd been involved in during his Hep Star days (a film that apparently was disastrous, at least in his eyes)), but as momentum built during pre-production for both the film and the Australian concert tour, Lasse Halstrom decided it would be better to add the subplot of the D.J. trying to get an interview with them. It's a thin plot to say the least, but it does add humor to the movie and is a great window into Australia of 1977. They don't even have money like that anymore down there - nowadays it's made of some sort of futuristic, flexible plastic material that just WILL NOT stay in your pockets (as I learned on my last visit from Los Angeles). Anyway, ABBA: The Movie is a wonderful film for anyone who is a fan of the group or of that style of 70s music in general.

Jim Colyer ABBA: The Movie was a big success around the world but barely made a ripple in the U.S. It was 12 years before I saw it. It is about a deejay named Ashley who follows ABBA around on their Australian tour in hopes of getting an interview. They lead him to Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne. Along the way, he tapes comments from fans. Mixed in with the plot are scenes from the concerts. Frida struts boldly in hot pants, prowling the stage like a female Elvis. Agnetha teases the crowd with her bottom during "Money Money Money." The group provides a cross section of what had been done up to that time: "Waterloo," "The Name of the Game" and "Ring Ring." The ladies make a real entrance for "Dancing Queen," ABBA's only number 1 record in the U.S. ABBA is a feminist group. The women are the stars. The men maintain a low profile. Benny Andersson later told of how The Movie started out as just their desire to have a personal record of their time in Australia and grew until it became a feature length film. The Movie was directed by Lasse Hallstrom, the same guy who directed ABBA's videos. They finish with their signature tune, "Thank You for the Music." I am an ABBA fan and wrote a book about the Fab Four from Sweden.