I think sleeping on this film (and reading the other reviews in this thread) has allowed me to appreciate it a lot more for what it is. I still enjoyed it beforehand but I feel that because I was expecting something completely different (a romance/chick-flick type of film) it was a bit strange to watch. I never would have guessed it to be so hard-hitting, but I do love deep and meaningful films the best so I loved it in that regard.
The cast was great. I agree with whoever said that Toni Collette is the only viable actress to portray Muriel. She was perfect for the part and emobied the character so well that you forget she's a fairly well-known actress outside of her role. I also loved the actress who played Rhonda. They made such a good double act. Everyone did so well in making the story so convincing and moving.
The story itself was emotional. I agreed with Ruby to begin with in the respect that I found Muriel to be quite selfish when it came to taking the money her Mother gave her, and I didn't like the scene where she finally got married but didn't even notice her Mother whilst walking out the church. That was especially sad considering her Mother's fate at the end of the film. Hearing everybody's explanation has made me realise that her reaction to it all was actually quite natural, since Muriel was never really respected (especially by her Father) by most people so why would she respect them. She finally had the opportunity to prove herself, and it was the correct decision because she would never have met Rhonda and probably would've came back and took the grief of her father if she hadn't (imo).
Muriel's transformation was one I relate with to; coming from a small town and having bigger hopes and dreams that are maybe out of my league but wanting to pursue them regardless, and I think everyone has had an identity crissi similar to Muriel once in their life (It's Mariel not Muriel, so simple yet effective). On an unrelated note, I found the sex scene absolutely hilarious and it was one of my favourite parts of the film. Her Sister was also an excellent part of the story. I loved her saying "you're terrible, Muriel." and have kept saying it again and again this morning
I did feel that the pace of the film was a little haphazard and it felt like random things were happening at random times (meeting with her Dad although she never wanted to, getting married to the South African swimmer who didn't like her but then suddenly did?). It was quite confusing at times, and why did her relationship with that other guy randomly stop and come to no real conclusion? However, I do feel that this film would be even better on a re-watch, and I think that's why so many people in this thread adore this film because it's one that you can watch over and over again and come to value it more and more.
The best part of the film for me was the general ABBA theme. I adored listening to the songs (I'm a big fan!) and how they applied to Muriel's life. The scene with Muriel and Rhonda was excellent, and I love that it ended with them two driving away from Porpoise Spit with Dancing Queen playing in the background. It was very poetic.
I'm stucking between giving this film a very high 6 or a low 7, but I think I'm going to give it a 7/10 because it is a very well-respected film and there were fantastic moments throughout with lovely message.
Threaded Mode