ulysses and mamma mia! the movie

What do Ulysses and Mamma Mia! have in common?

1) Found plot. Both build a flimsy plot around found objects. In Ulysses, Joyce builds Bloom's day around episodes from the Odyssey. Mamma Mia! builds the movie's plot around a bunch of Abba songs.

2) Expatriates. Bloom is a jewish guy who lives in Dublin. The Meryl Streep character is an American who lives in Greece.

3) Popular culture/pastiche. Joyce uses low brow styles (Nausicaa). Mamma Mia! uses Abba songs.

4) Odd casting. Bloom as Ulysses and Stephen as Telemachos. Pierce Brosnan as an Abba-song-singing lover???

5) Sense of place. Dublin. Filmed on location on a Greek island.

6) Gushing finale. Molly's sololoque. Fountain of Aphrodite

7) Sense of humor.

8) Exuberance.

9) Kitch.