Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

My expectations were low, I love Will Ferrel but his movies are often shallow and stupid and rarely touches you. This one is not deep and smart, that is not what I'm saying! But it is well made and has a lot of heart in it that balances the shallow and stupid quite good. Add on top of that the end performance by Rachel McAdams, the sweetest actress in all of Hollywood, and you suddenly find yourself cheering for a fictional Icelandic band in a fictional Eurovision contest in this feel good movie of crazy corona summer of 2020. Well done! Well done indeed!

If you are a fan of song contests and emotional success stories which might evoke your inner feelings, then you will be well entertained with this film. If you are a fan of Eurovision you will like this even more! And if you are a fan of Will Ferrell, then don't miss this! He depicts a funny Icelandic musician who is willing to give anything to win the Eurovision Song Contest, He has some great scenes together with the female lead Rachel McAdams, (also an Icelandic musician in the film), who is giving an amazingly heartfelt and sweet performance. The music in the film is great and the performances of various artists are rather notable and give that special Eurovision vibe. Also the production of this film is supported officially by EBU (European broadcast union) so the realism in the competition rules, style and overall look in the film is great. Not to mention the beautiful Icelandic scenery and some funny stereotypical comments from Europeans about other Europeans, and mentions to countries such as Greece, Russia, Sweden etc. All together, creates a kind-of magical sweet success story about true love, about following your passion and about being proud of what you do. 9/10 this was a very fun film!

I will disclose this. I am not a Eurovision fan. I think it is a pretty lame exhibition of crummy pop music masquerading as something legitimate. Now of course, I am a moody nihilist from the US and find this kind of music benign and boring, but how does this thing exist? With that in mind, I kinda liked this movie.

It's stupid, it's over the top and it's like a hyper realized world like Blades of Glory or Zoolander. What makes this funny is how blurred is the reality versus the parody? I'm gonna go on a limb and say not a whole lot.

The story begins with the haphazard group Fire Saga, a neo-techno disco group desperately trying to make the Eurovision contest. Well at least one of them is, for it's quite obvious that Lars Ericksson is hung up on the contest while Sigrit is hung up on Lars (which is a huge reach...who would not desire Rachel McAdams!!). Lars is something of a loser, and the way he dresses and carries himself absolutely clashes with the small fishing village he lives in. But by a weird series of events, Fire Saga actually makes the Eurovision finals!!

The story pretty much follows any rom com ever made once they make it to Scotland. Lars makes bad arbitrary decisions, Sigrit is being chased by another man (or is she?), Lars makes a huge mistake, comes back, proves his love for Sigrit and after all is said and done, is content with his life.

There is nothing really special in the second half of the film, but the Fire Saga songs are pretty darn awesome (even if they are parodic). I mean, they trot out all these other past real life Eurovision competitors and you realize their music is equally ridiculous and benign...so is this a true representation?

I will say this, the song at the end is a real banger. I would venture to say if pop music had that kind of heart, I might listen more often. But of course, real pop music is far too easily digestible to be that moving.

Yea, I have taken a lot of pot shots at the movie, but I gave it a seven because of the college students. I hate Arizona State, and the portrayal of ASU male students was pretty darn spot on. And of course, they had to have a self hating Arizona student with them. All of the insults Will Ferrell hurled at them had me rolling in the aisles. Anyway, bravo film, bravo.

As a European living in America I don't understand why people are surprised that the US made a movie about Eurovision. The US makes movies primarily for an american audience. Of course they'll make this. They have the money, the skills, and the experience to pull this off and THEY SURE DID!! This movie had it all. The songs were actually SO GOOD! The singing was amazing. The story was obviously nothing original. But it's like eating your favorite ice cream. You've had it a million times and it still tastes great!

And to all the 1 star reviewers - you must seek help immediately because you clearly need a reality check. Do you check into an Economy Inn and expect the Ritz Carlton too?? What is wrong with you?! The movie is entertaining, quite funny, very light, and just overall fun. If you expected some life changing, never-seen-before comedy, then you are crazy.

This is one of Will Ferrell's best movies and is that Rachel McAdams' voice?! She's amazing! This movie is maybe not as over the top as some of Will's other movies, so if that's what you were looking for I guess you might be disappointed .Personally, we really enjoyed it! It was witty, endearing and just all around feel good.