Full disclosure: I am not a Eurovision fan. I don’t watch it, I
don’t follow it, I am not invested in the yearly hype, the contenders, the
winners or any of it. Having said that I do have a peripheral knowledge of the
event and know of some of the more memorable contestants from previous years
just from how much it seems to permeate the cultural zeitgeist for the brief
moment every year that it’s on. Obviously it’s not being held this year, but
instead we get the Netflix comedy Eurovision
Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.
Now I can imagine what people would naturally assume: that A)
it’s going to be a silly piss-take comedy that lampoons the whole event, and B)
it’s Will Ferrell once again just relying on his shouty-manchild brand of
improvisational comedy that is sometimes effective (see Anchorman or Step Brothers)
but equally a lot of the time feels scattershot and lazy (most other Will Ferrell
vehicles).
However Eurovision is
surprisingly neither of these things. Whilst some aspects are of course exaggerated
for effect and the general pomp and camp of the event treated with a playful
light-heartedness, the portrayal of the titular contest feels more like a
fond love letter rather than a parody and the story of the plucky Icelandic duo Fire Saga is as
surprisingly heartfelt underdog story. Will Ferrell’s brand of comedy is as you
might expect, but significantly toned down here, with the real charm and soul
of the movie belonging to Rachel McAdam’s lovable Sigrit (who shares the same
amount of screen time) and who’s performance absolutely makes this movie.
Yes, there are dodgy accents here and there and more cheese than
a fondue swimming pool but it doesn’t particularly detract from how effective a
feel-good this film is. And the thing that undoubtedly really elevates it is the
songs.
So as you would expect there is plenty of music (mostly original) in
this film and whilst some is certainly and most deliberately bad (like the cringeworthy
‘influencer’ new age token hip-hop of ‘Coolin With The Homies’), much of it
feels spot on as to what the current European pop sound/typical Eurovision entry is like. And y’know,
‘Jaja Ding Dong’ will always have its crowd as well. But below are the highlight
tracks of the movie and my brief thoughts on why they are so awesome. Bear in mind these songs are
at their best viewed in the context of the film so I would recommend watching
the film first if you haven’t already in order for you to benefit from the full
experience.
Volcano Man
Equal parts hilarious and insanely catchy, this is a snippet of Fire
Saga’s self perceived epic grandeur, the only crime of which is that it is just way too short. From
the rhythmic chanting of the opening to the riffs on Icelandic mythology this
serves to let you know of the kitsch appeal that Fire Saga is all about. The
accompanying ‘music video’ is
great as well – the beautiful locations, the costumes, the adorable way they
skip in front of the waterfall – it’s absolutely gold.
Double Trouble
The Icelandic duo’s entry for the contest, Double Trouble absolutely nails the type of song that is typical of
what you would expect from Eurovision. From the quiet sombre opening to the
duo's harmonies in the upbeat and catchy chorus, this is made all the more
memorable seeing Lars descending from the roof in a giant hamster wheel. It’s
fun, energetic and so wonderfully, well, Eurovision.
Lion of Love
Played with absolute aplomb by Dan Steven’s definitely-not-gay
Russian contestant Alexander Lemtov, this song is as wonderfully bombastic as
it is hilarious. Going for that powerful operatic vocal style, his performance
of this song is definitely cringey but kind of amazing as well. Animal imagery
accompanies the lyrics as well as the performance featuring whips, fire and topless men. Definitely not homoerotic at all.
The Song-Along Medley
Unlike the other songs on here which are all originals, this one is
a mash-up of pop classics such as ‘Believe, ‘Ray of Light’, ‘Waterloo’ and ‘I
Gotta Feeling’. Yes, it’s gloriously cheesy and yes, it’s a rip-off of Pitch Perfect (so I’ve been told) but
it’s undeniably a well composed medley that’s uplifting, features great cinematography
and camera movement, and most notably is chock full of cameos from past Eurovision
contestants. I only recognised one or two myself but I can imagine that for actual
fans of Eurovision this would be an absolute cream-dream level of fan service.
The vocal talent of all those taking part is certainly something to
behold. If only people could spontaneous break out into song with each other in perfect
harmony like this in real life...
Husavik (My Home Town)
This is it. The big one. Made all the more special as the emotional climax
of the film as the realisation of Sigrit’s dream, this one is a heartfelt
ballad that soars. The pride of singing about her beautiful homeland feels absolutely earnest
and it just makes your heart swell when she starts to sing in Icelandic – the moment that really solidifies the progression of her character’s arc in the film.
Rachel McAdam’s performance absolutely sells it, but in reality it’s
Molly Sandén (AKA My Marianne) supplying the breathtaking vocals that helps elevate this to a
genuinely great song. That girl has certainly got some pipes! A close comparison that comes to
mind from a recent film would be ‘Never Enough’ from The Greatest Showman, only this feels a tad
more personal and triumphant in my opinion. A exceptional song that fits
perfectly with the end of the journey of many different characters in the film
not just the two leads. A great bit of feel-good cinema.
So there you have it. Eurovision
Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is a surprisingly good movie that I ended up enjoyed
way more than I expected to. Even if you don’t usually like Eurovision in real
life or tend to avoid Will Ferrell films you should still give this one a chance as the
music and songs are exceptional.
And if not, at least there is Jaja
Ding Dong.
19th July 2020
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