A pleasant and sweet movie to pass the time. It is not a hilarious comedy, but the Eurovision jokes and references are on point and I loved all the cameos as well as Ferrel and McAdams' chemistry. The soundtrack is good too.
Heartwarming and silly, brings so much joy :) I cannot stop smiling even now. I don't know if I was stressed a lot or just because I was in quarantine for so much time or both, I felt alive while watching this movie. Actors and their chemistry was perfect, story wise it could have been better but I liked this version too. I wish everyone can make their dream come true.
I loved this movie, it was a fun get away from your life film. Anything Will Ferrell sits well with me. The story was great. Two Icelandic amateur musicians through events our of their control make it into the renouned Eurovision Song Contest. Funny story, great performances by Rachel McAdams and Will Ferrell. A wonderful watch.... ya ya ding dong to you!
It started off a bit slow, but once the Song A Long started, I really got into it. Great cast, McAdams shines and Dan Stevens is excellent as the Russian entry. A solid piece of entertainment and escapism in these trying time.
Okay its not perfect, but it put a smile on my face, and before theatres open that's the best we're gonna get. And some of the jokes were really funny.
The best song isn't the winning song, but the song that comes from the heart.
I went straight here after watching it to tell you that I LOVED it. This is everything I wanted it to be. The critics couldn't be more wrong. First of all, I adore this story. The whole thing, and seeing how the characters grow brought a smile to my face. For me, Sigrit's song is the best moment (and perhaps, for some of you as well). It got me really emotional. And also, the cameos are epic. The song-along with all those Eurovision stars is such a dream for a big fan like me and others. An actual popular Eurovision blogger appearing caught me by surprise. And so much more. Truly made for all Eurovision addicts. After all, we get to see the beautiful landscapes all over Europe. Perfect score for me. :100:
I'd gladly recommend it to all Eurovision fans and to anyone who would like to have a great time.
Not as funny as it could have been perhaps, and the script needed a little work in parts. Still, Ferrell brings his all to the part, and so does McAdams as his sist...singing partner. I had a smile on my face most of the way through, so I happily recommend it to fans of Ferrell and the actual Eurovision contest alike.
I wasn't sure Will Ferrell and Eurovision would mix well, but wow they did! I enjoyed this movie a lot. It was ridiculous in just the right way without really making too much fun of the contest. Also the cast was great, the cameos were amazing and the musical performances were on point. I honestly feel like this was the Eurovision of 2020 since there was no proper contest this year. LOVED it.
The film is charming and silly enough to find some down time to enjoy it. It's got just enough parts silly & emotional, and fun music in-between. The story is serviceable, and the supporting characters are mostly well written and acted. The biggest thing bringing it down is the leading man. The whole movie doesn't solely revolve around him, though, so you get by without getting too annoyed by his staple 'over the top' acting.
McAdams shines in what should be considered the true Lead role.
At times, this movie feels more like Eurovision than Eurovision itself. Which is scary... And, also, a lot of fun! The settings, the flashy clothes, the over the top performances, the corny songs, everything was eerily realistic. Someone definitely did their homework for this one.
Also, really good performances from Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams (and Dan Stevens, he was an absolute treat to watch, kinda channelling Ben Stiller in Zoolander)! This sort of movie fits Will Ferrell like a glove (so, no surprises, there) , but I was impressed with the chemistry that was flowing between those two throughout the whole movie. They really made Fire Saga a believable ESC band.
And a honourable mention to the mandatory Icelandic soundtrack, featuring a few of the most well-known songs from Sigur Rós (no Björk, though?). Those always help in cranking up the mood in any movie. Hearing some genuine ESC songs and also seeing some real winners from past ESC events was also a special treat for fans of the contest. Having Salvador Sobral performing on screen his winning song as some guy on his piano in a street somewhere was quite sweet.
Being myself a frequent ESC viewer (not exactly a fan, per se) for almost 40 years, I sure had a blast watching this one and I wholeheartedly recommend it to fans of the song contest. You will definitely enjoy this one a lot more if you're familiar with the ESC.
Longest comedy ever, and it is only two hours long. This is coming from the same guy who watched 'The Irishman'.
'Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga' was fine at best, but I did not find it that funny. The only time I chuckled was during the more random sections of the movie.
For whatever reason, the movie felt kind of stale, in terms of its look and atmosphere.
I am not sure if the movie is a parody of Eurovision or a tribute? You could say both, but I am not sure if I buy into that. If I must be honest, I have never heard of Eurovision before, so unfortunately this movie is my first introduction to the contest show. I think this is the reason why a lot of the jokes fall flat for me. Although, the humour and writing aren’t strong enough to stand on its own.
Halfway through the movie, it also turns into a music video with short appearances from past contestants who were on Eurovision. While watching that scene, I had no clue what was going on.
Will Ferrell plays an idiotic man child with a loudmouth that would often get degraded by his father. Basically, the same character he has been playing for most of his career, because I guess he doesn't have range. Ferrell’s Icelandic accent was extremely awful and at times I could hear him slip back into his native accent.
Rachel McAdams was the best part of the movie by far. McAdams has proven she can take on any genre, especially comedy. During the more dramatic aspects of the movie, she almost encourages Will Ferrell to "step up his game", in terms of being dramatic for a scene using only her acting. Her Icelandic accent was better than Ferrell's. Not great, just a little better.
Also, this is the third time there has been a connection between Pierce Brosnan and ABBA. I think it might be a sign.
Overall rating: Yep, it is a Netflix movie.
This is what you effing get when Americans make a movie on Eurovision.
The movie knows when Will Ferrell is too much and gives the reign to Rachel McAdams, who basically saves this movie in my book.
THE WACPINE OF ‘STORY OF FIRE SAGA’
WRITING: 3
ATMOSPHERE: 4
CHARACTERS: 6
PRODUCTION: 6
INTRIGUE: 4
NOVELTY: 7
ENJOYMENT: 4
The Good:
A spot-on spoof of the silliness that is Eurovision, the dream of winning and the cheesy songwriting and flashy stage shows.
The best jokes are those that openly embrace the overblown elements of the ESC.
A beautiful ending with a beautiful final song.
Rachel McAdams is the only actor worth a mention, even though this isn’t her best performance.
Dan Stevens is fine and portrays the character with the biggest depth.
The relationship between Lars and Sigrit is sweet and feels realistic; it is the best this film has to offer.
Lovely cinematography and location footage from Iceland; an emphasis on original songs that sound like real Eurovision entries.
The Bad:
The story is complete trash, paper-thin and unoriginal with flat and sometimes borderline offensive jokes.
The forced love triangle subplot doesn't give the script more value.
The nonsensical plot turns weirder and weirder as it progresses, involving magic (a zombie-ghost Demi Lovato!), weird Eurovision rule changes and other implausible events.
Terrible, over-the-top and childish acting on most accounts, from Will Ferrell and Pierce Brosnan in particular.
Mikael Persbrandt turns progressively worse until his horrendous final scene.
The middle part of the film is a drag, as it turns the plot into a bizarre, overlong music video featuring cameo appearances from past Eurovision artists as well as terrible Eurovision covers.
The Ugly:
The fact that somebody felt that we needed a movie about the Eurovision.
WACPINE RATING: 4.86 / 10 = 2.5 stars
When this film was first announced, as an European and an avid Eurofan I was honestly terrified at an American production about the most European thing to ever exist, and the prospect of two North American people pretending to be Icelanders wasn't really appealing. I will admit, however, that the film is actually enjoyable and charming and serves as quite a nice tribute for this year's cancelled contest.
That being said, my main problem with the movie is that many of the details involving the contest's actual functioning are plain wrong, which is pretty disappointing if you take into the account that the EBU was directly involved in the production. I've already said I'm an avid Eurofan. I've never, ever, related more to any fictional character than when Lars said, "The Eurovision Song Contest means everything to me", but the fact is that you don't need to be anything more than just a casual viewer to notice a few of the things that are wrongly portrayed:
-The "eight points, ten points, and finally, our twelve points" voting system is reserved only for the final. In the semifinal, people can still vote for the song of their choosing, but finalists are announced without stating the numerical results. In the movie, they do both things at the same time, which makes no sense because why would you announce the finalists with such tension (as they always do in the real-life semifinals) if every country has just given their votes?
-Everytime a country presented their votes (again, this wouldn't happen in the semifinal) the scoreboard showed every country with 0 points until they were given points. Points are aggregated throughout all the voting, so you can always know who's winning (or who's last, or your country's position).
-Countries such as Spain or France, whose names I've seen on that same scoreboard, would not have to participate in the semifinal because they are part of the Big Five group alongside United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany. Being in the Big Five group means that these countries automatically qualify for the final.
On a less serious note, I also find it quite weird that the Eurovision Song Contest would be held, of all places, in Edinburgh, given the poor report of United Kingdom at the contest lately. I would like to know: is this because, in this particular cinematic universe, Scotland is a independent nation who takes the contest seriously? Or is it because Australia won the year before and they decided the contest should be held in Edinburgh? I need answers.
And just to finish, and I promise this will be the last thing you'll hear from me in regards to this movie: Why did the Icelandic delegation said Katiana was "the best audition tape in the history of the Icelandic Song Contest"? Have they forgotten about 2019's Hatari? Does Hatari not exist in this cinematic universe?
There was a point in this film, where I had to do something I’ve not done in a long time, pause it because I was laughing so hard... unfortunately I don’t think what I was laughing at was intended to be funny, but something about speeding round Edinburgh’s old town, only for the camera to pan out and reveal Glasgow’s Hydro at the end of the road just killed me!
There was another point in this film, where a group of American tourists get angrily mocked by Will’s character for not understanding European culture, which I kind of what this whole film felt like to me. An American who, and I know Will Feral is actually a big Eurovision fan, not quite getting European life.
It wasn’t a bad film, not by a long shot, and a did laugh on occasion, even at times where I was supposed to. And I’m glad I stuck with it, even if it only was to see the beauty of Edinburgh, and Glasgow I mean ‘Edinburgh’ Airport. There were a few thing that irked me from a nerdy Eurovision point, e.g the UK hosts not being British, televoting in the semi-finals etc but if you like Eurovision, or Scotland, or like me both, then you will at least get some enjoyment from this film.
Really surprisingly good! Since 2020 had no contest that movie is a great replacement. And I loved the sing-along with winners from the last few years. Quite a surprise.
Wow this movie came completely out of the blue for me and it was highly entertaining. Very fitting that they released it in a year where there will be no real Song Contest.
It was a lot of fun, also heartwarming and hopeful. The soundtrack was quite good. Especially the last song which really has the potential to be a hit imo. I was also pleasantly surprised by seeing Rachel McAdams in this movie. She is just a great actress.
This movie is a perfect example of how some well placed and emotional music can cause one to forget so much of the stupidity of this movie. I loved the accents and, though being American, I loved the roasting of the American youth. hahaha
I laughed, I cried, I think that Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, is the crowning achievement in cinematic and comedic and dramatic and music history. And I'm not being remotely hyperbolic, either!
A very silly movie with fun performances from Ill Ferrell, Rachel McAdams and Dan Stevens. It's not as funny as I hoped but the music was surprisingly good.
The Movie is kinda okay but also a little bit to american. The Songs on the other hand are super awesome.
This was a bit of a return to form for Ferrell. He's a very funny man but some of his last few outings, like Holmes and Watson, just weren't funny films. He is a fan, apparently, of ad-libs and Impromptu work and some of the stuff that makes its way into his movies show some poor editorial choices. But this film is a lot of fun and one I could gladly watch again, and soon. The story isn't sacrificed for jokes and as Ferrell is a die-hard Eurovision fan he may have seen it as a duty to deliver something to non-Eurovision fans that honours the contest lovingly with all its colourful bombastic silliness. Good stuff.
Much better than expected, a heartworming muscical love story
if anyone was looking for why america aren't allowed to perform at eurovision, this was it
Rachel McAdams is lovely. But I ask myself about: how can it be that this movie is silly, funny and full of heart at the same time.
but at the end I feel the Eurovision wackiness and can not help to like the movie :)
Give it a try :)
OK. That's not an arthouse movie. Obviously. But the actors, especially McAdams and Brosnan, are quite likeable. The best thing about the movie is me thinking: "Americans probably think that this is a fictional contest and there possibly can't be anything as crazy and silly in Europe .... they have no idea ... it's not even conveying the full picture".
this is my second-best musical film right after 2017's the greatest showman, sigrit's husavik is indeed comparable to jenny's never enough in the greatest showman i absolutely loves the song and i also adores sigrit's naiveness & silliness & of course her angelic voice almost to the point i wish to have my own sigrit :)
This is the classic example of a movie that didn't quite no what it wanted to be. At different times it reminded me of many of Will Farrel's comedies and dramas but it seemed to be a poor version of all of them. It is a drama that isn't dramatic, a comedy that isn't funny, a satire that isn't very satirical. you get the idea. They brought it around a little at the end but it wasn't enough to save this mess (despite Rachel McAdams best efforts).
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I am much more of a fan of Will Farrel's dramas than I am of his comedies. Sure, I've enjoyed some of his comedies but others not as much. This movie had a mix of drama and comedy and quite frankly it failed on both fronts. At times it felt like the director was trying to re-make Zoolander as a dramedy. The evolving feelings between the two leads was probably the best part of the movie but even that wasn't good (despite the best efforts of McAdams). The movie was all over the place.
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From Netflix comes the outrageously hilarious comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams star as an Icelandic singing duo who overcome incredible odds to get into the singing competition Eurovision. Both Ferrell and McAdams give solid performances and deliver the comedy especially well. And for a Ferrell film, it’s surprisingly restrained; though there’s still plenty of slapstick and risqué humor. Plus, there’s some clever satire about music competitions and film musicals. Also, the soundtrack is pretty good and featuring a variety of musical styles. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is a fun and entertaining film that delivers a lot of laughs.
Not funny enough, but has good heart and introduces many people to the EuroVision competition. Fun but not funny for the most part.
So many laugh out moments. Some of the songs are so catchy and enjoyable!
Makes me want to move to Iceland though. Loved it.
If you really love Eurovision, you might get some enjoyment out of it, but as a comedy it is really silly.
I’m going to be honest, I avoided this movie for so long because of Will Ferrell. I’ve had a lot of his movies on background while I was busy working on one thing or another and I never gave it time of the day cause it was cheap comedy but this move pleasantly surprised me.
I probably would’ve watched this sooner if I knew that the jokes were better and a lot of effort and production went into it. It’s not the best film out there but it’s pretty good. Some of the jokes land well although what bothered me was the fact that we had North American lead actors playing European characters which was a bit of a miss more than a hit.
I will give it credit for actually using European singers for their songs though and I can see why it landed the Oscars, they’re actually good. As someone who’s never watch Eurovision I really thought this movie wouldn’t be for me but I was taken aback by how much I enjoyed it.
Would definitely recommend it to people who watch Eurovision for sure.
I’m glad I watched it (:
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’:
It’s a silly film, somewhat forgettable, but we run into some decent humor and a solid dose of heart.
That last song was (surprisingly) beautiful.
I literally LOL’d when the elf house door closed.
Bonus Thought: I had no idea this was an actual real-life contest until reading the other comments and checking out IMDb.
It's almost an exact copy of
'Blades of glory'
Like they literally took that Netflix cash and figured fuck it, open our best script, find and replace a few things for eurovison content, and let's get filming next week.
Still very enjoyable,.
Beautiful song. Make you want to go to Iceland!
As for the Eurovision parody it's not so bad, it didn't reach Borat's level, although Ferrel would probably want to do it sometimes. ;>
I expected it to be much funnier. The fake trailer song of Eurovision from them it was superb, why didn't they use that version but the one they submitted ? it was way worse. It has some funny moments, every European that watches Eurovision will feel comfortable, the scene with all the winners singing was excellent.
Will Ferrell just being Will Ferrell, trash jokes and one-liners. McAdam's was ok but not excellent. The part with the elf's was really funny
This movie was acually pretty good. Good performance from Will Ferell & Rachel McAdams. If u have grove up in a eurovison country this movie is for you.
And damn Rachel McAdams you are so fucking beautiful!
Very good movie, very good songs, the story was with not sense but was ok.
Ok so not perfect but it put a smile on my face. Plus the songs were awesome! It’s a solid 8 for me because we need the happiness and the laughs right now.
Shout by ElyumaBlockedParentSpoilers2020-07-02T13:08:44Z
stupid movie? yes. that's what make this a decent movie to watch. some scene were stupid and funny at the same time. just watch it with a open mind and you will have fun. is funny how he said elf are not real when he used to be an elf