Sophie discovers that her mother, Donna, kept three exes hidden from her. She secretly invites all three to her wedding, hoping one holds the key to her family history. Set on a colorful Greek island. No, not that island.
Donna adjusts her overalls after another day at the Villa Donna, her local small business. The resort is in excellent condition because Donna is skilled at a wide range of home repairs. She launches into “Money, Money, Money,” a song about the wage gap.
Two of Donna’s exes make small talk about the ferry. “Ahoy there,” calls Karen, Donna’s third ex, from her sailboat. “Need a lift to the island?”
“No, thanks,” says Gloria. ”I brought my own boat.”
“Same,” says Sam. “I also have a boat.”
Sam and Gloria wave goodbye and board their own boats to the island. They all planned their trips several months in advance and all know how to sail.
Donna discovers her exes in the shed where she rears rescue cats. They are all on good terms and make plans to catch up the next day over vegan brunch. Somewhere in the distance, a band plays “Mamma Mia!” “That’s nice,” Donna says.
Elena, a carpenter at the Villa Donna, is awakened by the sound of women singing and pulls on her cargo shorts.“Is that what I think it is?” she asks. She quickly realizes she’s mistaken “Dancing Queen” for Shania Twain’s “C’est la Vie” and goes back to bed.
“Are you kidding me?!” exclaims Sky, Sophie’s fiancée. “You turned my world upside down.” She steps back against a rock and begins to sing:
“I wasn’t jealous before we met. Now everybody I see is a potential threat—”
“Wait!” says Sophie. “That sounds super unhealthy. Let’s talk.”
The girls romp to “Voulez-Vous” at the bachelorette party. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” is never played. Everyone agrees the movie is better off without it.
“Presenting, for one night and one night only, the world’s first girl power band: Donna and the Dynamos!”
The crowd cheers as Donna and her childhood friends Tanya and Rosie emerge in cutoffs and leather jackets. The trio raise their fists and play “Super Trouper,” a protest anthem about the militarization of police on the southern border.
Tanya dances seductively before Jordan, a young bartender at the resort.
“You can’t ignore our chemistry, Tanya,” says a devilish Jordan, who is definitely not the only black character with lines in this movie, because that would be problematic.
“Wait!” Sophie exclaims, bringing her wedding to a screeching halt. “Sky, you’ve convinced me that my need to know my true father is just a reflection of the patriarchy and its inescapable grip on our everyday lives. Plus, the wedding industrial complex is a heteronormative institution that systemically excludes marginalized people. Let’s not get married just yet.”
The crowd cheers. Satisfied, Sky downloads Tinder.