Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga has been co-written by Eurovision fan Will Ferrell. The film sees Ferrell and Rachel McAdams play Icelandic singers Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir, AKA Fire Saga.
With an abundance of inappropriate jokes and a flitting Icelandic accent, the humor comes from the eccentricities of Will Ferrell. But in 2020, is there really any charm to be unearthed from the bumbling man-child he constantly portrays?
Needless to say, the film plays out to be more of a miss than a hit. All it does is extend an already inflated two-hour runtime. It keeps the handful of its viewers waiting for more Eurovision moments.
1. Quick Review
A young boy is entranced by ABBA’s performance of Waterloo in the real-life 1974 Eurovision contest. His dream is to perform on the Eurovision stage. His father doesn’t approve.
Fast forward to the present day; the man still harbors this dream. He is supported by his best friend and musical partner. They take their band, Fire Saga, to the Eurovision stage after a series of events.
Lazy clichés and tired tropes are abound throughout the film. The depiction of Icelanders and their culture as an unsophisticated bunch of day drinking and uncivilized innocents is offensive and down-right ignorant.
2. Is it worth watching?
The script is extremely predictable, accents slip in and out, and Ferrell’s Lars is not loveable enough to save the picture. The film’s thinned premise also clings to outdated gender dynamics and tired formula.
It’s easy to guess where the story is headed at any given point through the plot. Most of the jokes, from a script co-written by Andrew Steele, invite sighs rather than laughs.
With few exceptions, however, the satire is too blunted to say anything substantive about Eurovision. In reality, it is an event watched by millions across the globe each year, with artists who dream of winning the prize.
The whole film is inescapably ambivalent to its own premise and can’t hope to sustain two full hours. It’s not strong enough to support these characters, nor important enough to reflect what the Eurovision Song Contest means to them.
I. Plot
In the first moments of the film, a young boy watches ABBA’s performance in the 1974 Eurovision contest. The adults around him laugh at his enthusiasm. He assures himself that one day, he’ll be performing on the same stage.
In the present day, Lars (played by Will Ferrell) still dreams of competing. His father, Erick (played by Pierce Brosnan), disapproves. However, Lars is backed by his childhood best friend and musical partner, Sigrit (played by Rachel McAdams).
Fire Saga, their band, usually just perform in Erick’s garage and sometimes at the local pub. However, a sudden chance in a turn of events gives them a chance to fulfill their Eurovision dream.
II. Music & Visuals
The songs throughout the film, both Fire Saga’s, and every other competitor’s are legitimately catchy. This is surprising for any film that isn’t a strict musical but less so given that they’re written by the likes of Savan Kotecha.
The music director of this film is Atli Örvarsson, an Icelandic film score composer. Along with Volcano Man, Fire Saga have an infectious pop track with Double Trouble. It also has a soaring ballad called My Hometown.
Given abundant resources, director David Dobkin and cinematographer Danny Cohen shoot beautiful sequences across the shores of Europe. The camera and crew follow Ferrell and McAdams throughout the film as they stumble across the continent.
From the craggy coastal climes of Iceland’s Húsavík to the cobbled streets of Edinburgh, Scotland, the visuals are stunning. The world of ginormous productions and glamorous mansion parties that the two are pushed into is picturesquely shot.
3. Final Thoughts
Perhaps the most underwritten character should’ve at least been given a personality. McAdams is encumbered with a needless romantic subplot with a lifelong crush on Lars. However, Lars never really proves himself to be worth it, and the subplot falls flat.
Why must Sigrit’s ambitions and desires be tied to those of an egocentric man? This makes the plot conceited, masked under the guise of a dual-focus musical romance. It serves solely to one protagonist: the stubbornly idiotic man.
Eurovision Song Contest: Story of Fire Saga leaves you wanting more for Sigrit. She comes across as a character who deserves to dream bigger than the screenplay allows her to. It’s an insult to female artists everywhere, not to mention thankless work on McAdams’ part
The film feels like a crossover between the Pitch Perfect franchise and Shah Rukh Khan’s Bollywood film Happy New Year that nobody asked for.
4. Grade
Story: C
Cinematography/Animation: A
Acting: C
Music: A+
Direction: B
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