The international singing competition Eurovision has been around for decades. For one week, countries all over Europe compete against one another in an epic music extravaganza throughout. While an event in Europe, America has only just recently started to catch up on the contest. However, it was only natural at some point an Americanized take on Eurovision would arrive. And thanks to Netflix and Will Ferrell, it’s finally here.

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is a pretty dumb film. However, thanks to the charm of its actors, catchy tunes, and heartfelt story, there’s so much fun to be had. It also serves as a decent introduction to such a music festival hit.

Fire Saga

Will Ferrell plays Lars, an Icelandic singer with aspirations. Dreams of being in the famed Song Contest, despite his father’s wishes (Pierce Brosnan). And through a series of wacky shenanigans, Lars, with his close friend Sigrit (Rachel McAdams), the two find themselves competing in Eurovision.

It’s a silly premise to be sure, and the film goes all out in mocking the over-the-top nature of the contest. However, director David Dobkin and Ferrell knew to balance it out with a solid heart. And it’s done well here. Lars is goofy, but his motivation is understandable and relatable.

Sigrit falls a bit too much into the generic love interest role, but McAdams still brings great energy and some of the comedy highlights. Both Lars and Sigrit have familiar stories, but there’s enough energy in their characters and actors that it allows some fun to still be had. And while the humor elicits more chuckles than any major gut-busters, it still stays consistent throughout, helped by the cast.

Eurovision Itself

Being an Americanized take on a European tradition, there was concern this would be disrespectful or inaccurate to the real contest. But thanks to a fair amount of care and Will Ferrell doing his own research, it still holds up. The film obviously plays up the silliness and theatrics of Eurovision, but it’s with a playful energy that feels sincere and celebratory.

Perhaps the best example is with the character Alexander Letmov, played by Dan Stevens. Flamboyant and over-the-top, Alexander allows a gateway into the wild world of Eurovision that’s fun and exciting, and it’s clear Dan Stevens is having the time of his life in the role. He has a fantastic wit and plays up his goofy persona expertly.

The rest of the contest, helped by cameos by real Eurovision members, is also fun stuff. There’s an especially great musical sequence in a mansion that allows Dobkin to have fun choreographing a huge number. It’s through these musical moments the film truly shines and allows some dynamic creativity.

To Sum Up…

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Ice Saga is very silly. However, there’s enough of a heart and a soul here to still make it entertaining and fun. The cast delivers some fun laughs and it’s clear Will Ferrell wanted to give love to the contest.

This results in a fun, breezy watch that should hopefully encourage more people to seek out the actual Eurovision when it returns next year (hopefully).

Read some of my other Netflix reviews here