Mamma Mia! wins big at awards
Mamma Mia! has been crowned best musical at the National Movie Awards, while its star Meryl Streep was named best actress.
A star-studded audience joined together for the awards at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
Voted for by the public in a huge nationwide poll, the awards recognise and reward the year’s blockbuster movies and the stars who appear in them.
The award saw The Dark Knight triumph in the superhero category.
The latest Batman film beat competition from Iron Man, Hancock and The Incredible Hulk.
Mamma Mia! The Movie was nominated alongside Enchanted and Johnny Depp’s dark musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street.
In the action/adventure section, Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull beat I Am Legend, The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor and Wanted.
Depp was named best male performance for his role in Sweeney Todd, beating Pierce Brosnan for Mamma Mia!
He also triumphed over Christian Bale who was nominated for his role as the caped crusader in The Dark Knight and Will Smith who was up for his roles in I Am Legend as well as the blundering superhero in Hancock.
Depp, in a video acceptance speech, said: “I would like to thank every single one of you, shake you by the hand and take you for breakfast.”
Streep beat rivals Amy Adams for Enchanted, Helena Bonham-Carter for Sweeney Todd and Ellen Page for Juno.
In the family films section, Wall-E, an animation about a robot living in a pollution-riddled Earth, came out on top.
It beat Kung Fu Panda, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and The Golden Compass.
In the comedy section, Juno beat the eagerly-anticipated movie of Sex and the City.
Stars attending the glitzy show, hosted by James Nesbitt, included Samuel L Jackson, Sex and the City’s Chris Noth, Abba’s Bjorn Ulvaeus, Nicole Kidman and Kylie Minogue - who giggled as she introduced footage of Daniel Craig for the new James Bond film Quantum of Solace.
Kidman presented the best musical award and Ulvaeus said: “This is very emotional for me, getting this fantastic prize from an Australian lady here in the UK - the two countries, more than any other countries, which have taken Abba to their hearts.”
Streep, accepting her award, and wearing a black asymmetrical dress, said: “I loved the movie, I’m so glad you did.”
Meanwhile, Indiana Jones star Harrison Ford accepted the award for his film via video link. Sporting a big moustache, Ford said the plot was a “cracking good yarn”.
The award ceremony will be broadcast on ITV1 on Tuesday at 8pm.
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