Wednesday, July 8, 2020

'Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga' Continues Will Ferrell's Mediocrity Streak

Posted By on Wed, Jul 8, 2020 at 10:00 AM



Will Ferrell used to be such a sure fired guarantee comedy go-to. There was a stretch where it seemed he could do no wrong.

That stretch is long behind him now, and Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, continues his recent streak of lousy-to-mediocre films. This one falls somewhere in the realm of mediocre.

On the eve of the infamous Eurovision contest, the song competition that birthed the career of ABBA, Lars (Ferrell), and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams), lifelong friends and members of the duo rock group Fire Saga, are taking one last bid at fame. They are terrible and are most hated by their Icelandic hometown, including Lars’s father (Pierce Brosnan). A tragic boating accident thrusts them into the competition where they represent their country, and many unfunny musical sequences ensue.

Ferrell’s wigged schtick grows tired early on, and at two-plus hours, we are talking a lot of unwanted shtick. McAdams (who can lip-sync with the best of them) is actually quite good here, nearly saving the film with a warm, funny, earnest performance. Her character’s obsession with magical elves is a potential funny subplot that isn’t adequately explored.

Directed by David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers), this movie would’ve benefited from a much shorter running time. It’s hard watching Ferrell flounder in stuff like this, and his career is in need of some major adjustments. He’s too funny to be goofing around with subpar material.

Streaming now on Netflix.