Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Actor Will Ferrell expanded his comedy career following his 7 years on Saturday Night Live and has built a recognized trope for his projects (for better or worse). He would tend to often portray the middle-aged "man child" where he's looked down upon by individuals who have progressed with their lives in a way he hasn't and shenanigans would ensue in his "quest" to prove those naysayers wrong. He was among the first group of comedians involved with those types of films but, unlike the majority of them, he never left those parts behind and made it a defining career identity. Even in the 2010s, his entries have seen him scream wildly, cause widespread destruction and physical harm to those around him due to falling all over the place, and add crude humor often found in Adam Sandler productions. In an ever evolving landscape of cinema, it's easy to recognize the same old shtick from comedians who ignore their own potential for something new and chose to recycle anything for a cheap laugh. This brings us to his latest project that debuted on Netflix, Eurovision Song Content: The Story of Fire Saga. There wasn't much marketing for it but as for the selection of movies to sort through in 2020, it felt right to observe with anything that has the potential for charm and entertainment in a year that has been nothing but harsh and depressing. As with most releases that have been covered this year on this blog, my anticipation levels were neutral due to a need to approach each of them blindly (regardless of my dislike of the aforementioned actor involved). Having suffered from the boredom of Josh Trank's Capone last week, I watched this comedy with the initial hopes to at least cheer me up with the song as well as nice laughs and ended up finishing disappointed by the mixed bag quality it was.

What's it about? The story follows two childhood musicians who end up representing Iceland (by default) at the Eurovision Song Contest and strive to prove the naysayers wrong. For those who are familiar with this international competition, there are parts that have references to past participants (who are featured in a sing along scene) and things that have popped up in the previous years (it was brought to my attention when looking it up since this is all new for myself). It is kinda nice being shown parts of Europe with this comedy such as Iceland and Scotland with probably the best scene showcasing a scenic tour of the latter that doesn't pull any gags. While a majority of the songs are just fine and serviceable background noise, a few of them are elevated above the rest feeling that effort was put into it.

However, any kind of potential for turning this into a fun enjoyable memorable ride it completely squandered for one reason.*

*Will Ferrell rant: The problems facing this comedies quality comes down to the impact of Will as both an actor and as a co-writer, though here let's focus on the latter. The ego and lack of creativity from him gives the audience a script that's not only a copy-paste of his overused formula but holds the viewers hostage with sketch skits he thinks is funny. His reliance on what he feels still works for him instead of resisting that urge ends up padding out the runtime to an unreasonable amount for this type of genre. Trying to reach a modern demographic by making fun of American tourists as well as his tired raunchy phallic punchlines are just cringe and frustrating to watch. If he had restrained himself from having what he contributed on that script (it's easy to see what he added), a good 15 minutes could have been shaved off for a more smoother experience because outside of that there are elements that work. 

 

How are the actors? In regards to story importance, the actors to focus on are Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams, and Dan Stevens. After ranting about his abilities as a writer, Ferrell does deserve some credit for mostly holding back his typical shouting his words hysterically to get a reaction from viewers (though his bumbling of destruction unfortunately remains to maintain a dislike of his current state as a performer). Rachel is one of the saving graces to watch as her performance (despite bad accents from both lead actors) feels much more genuine and sweet to watch that conveys how committed the actress is in her career. Dan is another fun wild card to watch due to the flamboyant personality that has hints of personal issues that pop up later. In fact, the pretty good performances of McAdams and Stevens prove how far behind Ferrell has fallen behind as a comedic actor who refuses to revitalize a new routine for his current career path.

Honorable mention goes to Molly Sanden and Erik Mjone for their singing of Rachel McAdams and Dan Stevens songs, respectively. Dishonorable mention goes to Mikael Persbrandt for having his talents wasted in a role that was unnecessary and abruptly pauses the the momentum in the third act. 

Overall Consensus: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga thrives on its European setting, a few good main performances, and some decent songs, but is weighted down by an overstuffed script, an uninspired lead, and a long runtime. ⭑⭑⭑ Runtime: 2 hours 3 minutes PG-13

 

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or director David Dobkin. You don't mind recycle formulaic writing in this genre. You are familiar with the competition and want to see how a silly feature handles it. You want fast forward to the contest segments. 

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or director David Dobkin. You are bored with recycled formulaic writing in this genre. You are familiar with the competition but don't want to see how a silly feature handles it. You dislike bad pacing with a 2 hour runtime. You dislike pointless filler sketch gags that drag down the momentum.