“Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga” doesn’t bring a ton in the way of laughs, but it delivers the occasional chuckle and a little flicker of the warm fuzzies—making it the perfect escape from the pandemic.
Ever since seeing the contest on TV as a young child, Lars (Will Ferrell) has dreamed of competing in the Eurovision Song Contest. Even though his family and neighbors mocked him, Lars’ childhood friend Sigrit (Rachel McAdams), who (shocker) happens to have a massive crush on him, believes in his dream and joins him in a two-person band called Fire Saga. The two are by no means extraordinarily talented, but they have heart. That spirit, combined with some outlandish circumstances, land them a spot in the Eurovision Song Contest. Lars and Sigrit’s love for the craft and loyalty to one another as bandmates and friends is tested when they find out what competing in Eurovision is really like.
“Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga” basically plays out like your typical Will Ferrell vehicle, with the exception of one thing—Ferrell is no longer the strongest player in his own films. Ferrell’s movies are all generally goofy and over-the-top with a mildly heartwarming ending. Ferrell usually plays some version of the same character. It was funny the first few times, but it’s exhausting seeing the same guy do the same shtick over and over again. But what saves this movie from being a total dud is seeing an unexpected performer totally knock it out of the park—that performer is Rachel McAdams.
McAdams proved she had serious comedy chops in 2018’s “Game Night.” But no one could have expected the Oscar-nominated actress to match Ferrell for slap-sticky goofiness in “Eurovision Song Contest.” Somehow, she finds an elegant balance between giving herself a “camel” to highlight her crotch on stage and delivering a heart-wrenching ballad (even if she wasn’t singing it herself).
McAdams was the clear standout, but she couldn’t save “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga” from ultimately being a lackluster movie. Dan Stevens delivers a fun performance as a fellow competitor and the movie is sprinkled with some fun musical moments. But the film will end up just being remembered as one of the bland movies in Ferrell’s catalogue. But if one good thing were to come from this movie, hopefully that would be a burgeoning comedy career for McAdams.
