NEW TO NETFLIX! I’ve always said that comedies are the most challenging genre in independent film. It’s not just independent film. I suppose comedy is a matter of taste…or at least the style of comedy. So, why does Will Ferrell and director David Dobkin’s Netflix film, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, suck so badly? First, just look at the title. Is that funny? Do you see any kind of irony? Is it clever at all? It’s just silly and not a good silly. The title alone exemplifies the problem with this two-hour movie.
Real quick, Eurovision has Ferrell in the lead as Lars, an Icelander, who hopes to one day become a famous singer. His dream is to become as famous as ABBA by winning the global singing competition, Eurovision Song Contest. Helping him is his best friend, Sigrit (Rachel McAdams). Lars has several roadblocks to overcome on his journey, including his disapproving father, Erick (Pierce Brosnan). Plus no one takes Iceland seriously…is this even true?
“His dream is to become as famous as ABBA by winning the global singing competition…”
Ferrell portrays Lars as the blindly optimistic dreamer, whose passion overshadows his actual lack of talent. He barely qualifies for the competition because the real singer Katiana (Demi Lovato) blows up in a freak accident.
As the duo arrives at the competition, Lars is forced into the background, as smarter people realize the truly talented one is Sigrit. Yes, the two ultimately get involved in a will they/won’t they moment that can be seen coming from halfway around the world.
Look, you’re not stupid. You know this is a bad movie, but why? I like Will Farrell. I’ve been a fan of Farrell since his SNL days and, of course, from Elf, Anchorman, and Talladega Nights. But he’s had a lot of missteps too.
"…why does this movie suck so hard?"
I’m really sorry to say that in this review you miss the point of the film so completely. The film is not about spoofing Eurovision it’s a love letter to Eurovision. You admit you know nothing about Eurovision then go on to make assumptions that are completely wide of the mark. It would be like watching Spider-Man knowing nothing about superheroes, then assuming it’s about trapeze artists and complaining that the film doesn’t work because trapeze artists don’t swing through a city.
People who know Eurovision can relate to Lars, they have seen acts just like him on there. It’s not an outlandish character compared to the real contestants. You may not know Eurovision, and most Americans may not. That’s cool, in which case this movie isn’t made for you, that does not make it bad, it succeeds spectacularly in what it tries to do.
That’s fair.