Movie Time: ABBA: The Movie

It's Movie Time!

For yesterday's movie post, we had a Korean pop group take on sinister demons.

For today's movie post, we have a Swedish group taking on rabid Australians.

First released in December 1977 in Australia and Sweden, it's ABBA: The Movie!

While I am a life long fan of ABBA going back to my kid-hood back in the 1970's, I had never seen ABBA: The Movie until earlier this year (2025). 

Much like the platypus which is native to Australia, ABBA: The Movie! is a odd mish mash of a movie as a real world document of the smash Swedish pop quartet on tour in Australia merged with a fictional narrative about a radio DJ tasked with getting an up close and personal interview with ABBA.  

Meet Ashley Wallace, a naïve DJ on Radio 2TW which is a country music station but that doesn't stop his boss from sending Ashley on a quest:  get an in-depth interview ("Not an interview, a dialogue!") with ABBA.

Ashley is extraordinarily bad at his job. 

He has no experience with doing interviews. 

He forgets his press card so he can't get in to the press groups that follow ABBA to every appearance.

He can't get near the group at all. 

He can't even finagle tickets to get into their concerts.

So we follow Ashley as he ineptly pursues his quest as the ABBA tour progresses across Australia.  

The best Ashley can get are interviews with people on the street about why they love ABBA.

These fans are super excited that ABBA is in Australia and are just so giddy that they might just explode.

Articulating WHY they love ABBA so much? It essentially boils down to "WE JUST DO LOVE THEM SO!" 

To be honest, I took would be hard pressed to explain why I am an ABBA fan. 

I just am! Accept it! 

Bow down before the ABBA!

Obey the ABBA! 

Offer praise to the ABBA!

All hail the ABBA!

Concurrent to Ashley's shenanigans, we get clips of ABBA being ferried from one press event to another and looking more than a bit overwhelmed by all this extreme fan attention. 

And we get to see ABBA in concert in various venues throughout Australia.  

The playlist features ABBA's more well known hits:  

• "S.O.S."
• "Money, Money, Money"
• "Waterloo"
• "Mamma Mia"
• "When I Kissed the Teacher"
• "Fernando"
• "Dancing Queen"

There is a deep dive into songs only the most devoted ABBA fan would know.  

• "Tiger". Here's a clip of that song from the film in all it's glam rock glory.

• "Intermezzo No. 1" which is a solo by keyboardist Benny Andersson. 
• "Rock Me", a deep cut with Björn Ulvaeus on lead vocals.  

One song ABBA performed is unique to the movie sound track. "Get on the Carousel" was written as part of ABBA's mini-musical "Girl With the Golden Hair" but was never included on any of their albums.

Back to the silly side quest of radio DJ Ashley Wallace, on the final day of the ABBA tour of Australia, a chance encounter with ABBA in an elevator finally gives him the interview he's being struggling to get this entire movie.  

ABBA: The Movie provides a snap shot of ABBA at the height of their power and fame.  And seeing them in their all their gaudy costumed glory performing live.  

I wish the director had not invested so much time in the side story of Ashley the DJ trying ineptly to score an interview and found some other narrative hook that would've allowed us to spend more time with Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. 

ABBA, dance us off the blog page with "Dancing Queen".