Starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams as a pair of Icelandic pop singers, Eurovision
Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is full of everything that Eurovision fans love: power
ballads, elaborate costumes, over-the-top production numbers, and more than a little
national pride.
Don't jump right in, though.
The Story of Fire Saga is even better if you know a little bit about how the actual Eurovision
Song Contest itself works, as well as the people who brought the movie to life.
Before you watch, here's everything you need to know.
The real-life Eurovision Song Contest may not be that well known in America, but it's
a huge deal across the Atlantic.
Over 182 million people tuned into Eurovision's 2019 contest, which was almost double the
number of people who watched that year's Super Bowl.
So, yeah, it's pretty big.
It's relatively simple, too.
Any nation that's part of the European Broadcasting Union can submit a song to the Eurovision
Song Contest.
All submissions must be completely original — no covers, remixes, or samples allowed
— and can't have debuted before September 1 of the previous year.
During the three-day broadcast that follows, participating nations perform their songs
on television for the world to see.
Then, pre-selected jurors from the countries in the competition and the general public
vote for their favorite songs.
The votes are tallied up, a winner is announced, and history is made.
The Eurovision Song Contest is a great showcase for some supremely talented singers, but the
music is only half of the show.
In 2006, Finnish metal band Lordi dressed up as demons before taking the stage and ultimately
won the whole thing.
In 2009, a group of Russian grandmothers baked cookies in between synchronized dance steps.
In 2015, Austria's representatives, The Makemakes, set their piano on fire.
Sure, Eurovision is a musical competition, but it's also a visual spectacle and a heck
of a lot of fun.
In other words, the Eurovision Song Contest is kind of the perfect setting for a Will
Ferrell movie.
He's built a career out of playing characters who take themselves incredibly seriously,
even in increasingly ridiculous situations.
Given how theatrically over-the-top Eurovision can get, Ferrell should fit right in.
In Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, Ferrell plays Lars, one half of the
music group Fire Saga.
The other half of the duo, Sigrit, is played by Rachel McAdams.
You might know McAdams best for dramas like The Notebook and Spotlight.
But she cut her teeth in comedy on Slings & Arrows and in beloved teen movies The Hot
Chick and Mean Girls.
"Mother…"
Meanwhile, Ferrell and McAdams also both worked with director David Dobkin on the 2005 hit
Wedding Crashers, meaning the film's creative team has plenty of experience working together
to craft comedy gold.
In the film, Lars and Sigrit want nothing more than to represent Iceland at Eurovision.
Just one problem: they're not great musicians, and no one in Iceland seems to actually like
them.
Somehow, though, Fire Saga gets its big break anyway.
Lars and Sigrit get a chance to prove their critics wrong on the biggest imaginable stage,
and if you think things are going to go smoothly, well, you've clearly never seen a movie like
Eurovision before.
You don't have to wait until you watch the movie to hear what the duo sounds like, either.
Just watch the music video for Fire Saga's hit single, "Volcano Man."
"Volcano Man!"
"Guarding the land."
"Such a man."
"Volcanic Protector Man."
"A timeless hero must love too."
Like many official Eurovision selections, "Volcano Man" is a pop tune with a heavy techno
beat, and while the lyrics are ludicrous, the song itself isn't actually that different
from an actual Eurovision number.
Because Eurovision is, in part, a popularity contest, selected songs tend to veer heavily
towards pop and power ballads.
"Volcano Man" fits right in.
The same goes for Lars and Sigrit's nordic-style costumes, too.
Out of context, they look silly.
At Eurovision?
You wouldn't even blink at their outfits.
And of course Will Ferrell, who's sung many times on both Saturday Night Live and in his
various movies, did all of the vocals for his character.
With pipes, like these, would you expect anything less?
Ferrell and McAdams are the film's headliners, but they're not the only big act to hit the
screen.
Lars' judgemental father, Erick, is played by none other than 007 himself, Pierce Brosnan.
Ferrell, McAdams, and Brosnan are joined by Dan Stevens, who plays Fire Saga's number
one rival.
Even if you don't recognize Stevens' name, you've almost certainly seen him before.
Where?
Oh, just his time on the early seasons of Downton Abbey, his lead role on Legion, his
harrowing turn in Apostle, and his performance as the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, to name
a few.
"I was thinking, that their faces kind of looks like yours..."
Also keep an eye out for actress and singer Demi Lovato and TV personality Graham Norton,
both of whom also appear in the film.
Behind the camera, David Dobkin of Wedding Crashers, Shanghai Knights, and The Change-Up
fame handles directorial duties, while Ferrell himself co-wrote the script alongside long-time
Saturday Night Live writer Andrew Steele.
With a crew like that, The Story of Fire Saga is in very, very good hands.
You can check it out when it debuts on June 26, 2020.
"So were in… yeah?"
Thanks for watching.
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