Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (dir. by David Dobkin, 2020)

Netflix’s latest film offering is a uniquely strange comedy, one that’ll leave you happily satisfied or wanting much, much more, depending on what you expected Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga to really be. With comedy stars Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams headlining the show, and the over the top nature of the film’s bombastic music video trailer, I thought I was in for a ridiculous spoof of one of Europe’s weirdest annual events.

But although Ferrell and McAdams try their best with a script that’s funniest moments are tired and run-of-the-mill sex jokes, the film is more of a celebration of Eurovision’s unique and memorable strangeness than a mockery of it. If you’re a fan of Eurovision, you’ll be in for a treat, but if not, this cheesy ride will likely leave you cringing and wanting to plug your ears to escape the cotton candy pop the competition is known for.

The film follows Fire Saga, a band of two best friends Lars and Sigrit who, ever since ABBA’s famous winning rendition of Waterloo in 1974, have dreamed of winning the competition. They live in the small town of Húsavík in Iceland where their fellow townspeople doubt their musical talent, notably Lars’ father Erick (Pierce Brosnan). However, after a series of strange and flukey events, Lars and Sigrit find themselves as Iceland’s representatives for the 2020 contest, and so they travel to Edinburgh to compete.

One of the film’s nicest aspects is the beautiful cinematography of the Icelandic landscape, as well as its quaint depiction of Icelandic culture. Its respectful in its display of the country, but there’s little space for comedy because of this. It feels more like a dramedy with Lars’ relationship with his father, Lars and Sigrit’s veiled feelings for each other, and a strange murder plot that emerges out of nowhere towards the film’s climax. But this drama often feels tacked on, so the film drifts in a strange zone between being funny and melodramatic.

Things pick up when Fire Saga arrive at the competition. Dan Stevens (of Downton Abbey fame) is memorable as Russia’s entry Alexander Lemtov, a passionate and wealthy performer who’s attraction to Sigrit threatens to tear the band apart. The film manages to capture the campy craziness of the competition through the performers and their songs, with many of the acts feeling as if they belong in a future Eurovision contest. The film also features many past contestants and winners in a musical medley celebrating the competition.

For someone who isn’t a fan of Eurovision at all except for the sheer ridiculousness of it all, I was hoping Graham Norton’s signature sarcastic quips would save the day when he features in the film, but even his commentary is toned down and rather straight forward.

The Story of Fire Saga lauds Eurovision’s weirdness rather than lampooning it. It’s a respectful and understandable position for Ferrell, who spearheaded the project and shares his love for it with his Swedish wife. But I just hoped for a classic Ferrell comedy that parodied the untapped comedic goldmine of the world of Eurovision.