Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
A MOVIE MADE JUST FOR EUROVISION FANS
PHOTO SOURCE: NETFLIX
With a global pandemic threatening the safety of mankind, Eurovision 2020 and so many other events have been cancelled. Massive unrest, protests and more has made 2020 one for the history books (if those still exist even). But with so much going on in the world, could anything brighten things up for us?
Well, Will Ferrell has proved to me I'm not alone as an American obsessed with The Eurovision Song Contest. He, co-writer Andrew Steele and director David Dobkin have created something that's made 2020 worth living through. It's the perfect movie for an American Eurovision fan - and as far as I know, there are like 5 of us ... so it's a limited audience. "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga" explains the contest in a natural fluid way - without hitting those unfamiliar on the head with it. It features some cameos that will mean nothing to anyone who hasn't watched Eurovision in past 2 decades, but for this fan it was pure goosebumps. Anyone should enjoy this movie if you love music, culture and good silly laughs. It's not just laughs though, it touches on some serious issues and it really goes there - calling out Americans and Russians and the disparity between our progress and that of Europe's since the fall of the Iron Curtain.
With no Eurovision this year, I've definitely felt an emptiness where that thrill for waiting for a winning song was. This movie filled that void and then some. It ends with a song that could easily have won, or at least top 10. Somehow Will Ferrell has a voice that can work on a pop record but it's the vocals of the incredible Molly Sandeń that shine. She pulls out all the stops and Rachel McAdams makes it believable that she's really singing. The cast, the direction, the music direction - it's all spot on. The soundtrack features some of pop and Sweden's greatest songwriters and producers. It's worth a listen on it's own. Props to them for using real European music and not relying on American producers.
This film easily could've been a parody of the contest. Instead it's a love letter to everything us fans love about the show. It's a hilarious story that just happens to take place at Eurovision, filled with inside jokes just for us. The lead character's ridiculous antics lead us through every stage of the contest - from the national finals, the semi finals and the grand show. Thank you Will for doing this. Thank you to Vivica, his Swedish wife, for introducing the show to him. Honestly, Thank You.