âEurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Sagaâ doesnât bring a ton in the way of laughs, but it delivers the occasional chuckle and a little flicker of the warm fuzziesâmaking it the perfect escape from the pandemic.Â
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, Larsâ 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.
âEurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Sagaâ basically plays out like your typical Will Ferrell vehicle, with the exception of one thingâFerrell is no longer the strongest player in his own films. Ferrellâs 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 itâs 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 parkâthat performer is Rachel McAdams.Â
McAdams proved she had serious comedy chops in 2018âs âGame Night.â But no one could have expected the Oscar-nominated actress to match Ferrell for slap-sticky goofiness in âEurovision Song Contest.â Somehow, she finds an elegant balance between giving herself a âcamelâ to highlight her crotch on stage and delivering a heart-wrenching ballad (even if she wasnât singing it herself).Â
McAdams was the clear standout, but she couldnât save âEurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Sagaâ 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 Ferrellâs catalogue. But if one good thing were to come from this movie, hopefully that would be a burgeoning comedy career for McAdams.Â
