Written By Kevin Aquino
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is exactly what you’d expect from a comedy starring Will Ferrell, but that isn’t a bad thing. The David Dobkin-directed film runs about two hours and while maybe a tad long, is incredibly enjoyable throughout. Will Ferrell (Step Brothers) and Rachel McAdams (Date Night) play childhood friends from Husavik, Iceland and make up the duo, Fire Saga, looking to accomplish Lars’ (Ferrell) dream of winning the annual international singing competition, Eurovision.
At its core, the film is an underdog story with Fire Saga serving as the laughingstock of Iceland before being thrown into the Eurovision contest regardless. Sigrit (McAdams) is caught up in Lars’ larger-than-life dreams and antics, making each Fire Saga performance the proverbial car crash that you can’t look away from. Much to the dismay of his father — played by Pierce Brosnan (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) — the middle-aged Lars continues to chase his childhood dream despite being kicked out of the house and told to grow up while his parents go out to live at sea (Step Brothers reference, anyone?).
Ferrell and McAdams are fantastic together. They are all in from the start. Their first appearance in the film shows them in Viking costumes, singing in the arctic and the ridiculousness just amps up from there. They are joined by a supporting cast that includes Dan Stevens (Legion), past Eurovision contestants and winners, and American artist Demi Lovato (Camp Rock). As a movie surrounded by a singing contest, it features its fair share of great songs and covers, but some forgettable tracks as well.
In the end, Eurovision is more comedy than musical. As mentioned earlier, Eurovision has Ferrell’s fingerprints all over it, seeing as he was a co-writer alongside Andrew Steele as well as a producer on the film. In other words, if you’re a fan of his brand of comedy, you should enjoy yourself. That being said, McAdams stands right with Ferrell in terms of wackiness — her character is a devout follower of Icelandic elves — and her performance has to be applauded as well.
If you’ve ever wanted to hear Will Ferrell sing “Happy” by Pharrell Williams in an Icelandic accent, Eurovision is the perfect movie for you. The film is going to give Ferrell fans familiar hits with his previous work, great characters and a good amount of laughs throughout. It’s over-the-top, it’s funny and most of all, it’s fun. While there are bigger things going on in the world that require our attention and energy, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is a well-needed opportunity to unwind and escape if you need it.
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