If you were born outside of Europe, chances are you're not that familiar with what a Song Contest is.
I mean, you might think of things like Idol, Got Talent, The Voice - because those are contests right?
It's true, however, those are contests where the artists are at the center of it rather than the songs.
While these kinds of competitions happen all over the world. None of them are quite as big as the Eurovision Song Contest
...an event that's been running for over 60 years and sees an annual audience of roughly 200 million viewers.
As the name implies, it's a uniquely European event.
And as with other things that are uniquely European, when Americans come along and say that they want to do their own version of it
...people can be understandably concerned.
That's exactly how many fans felt about big-time American comedian Will Ferrell coming along and doing a movie adaptation of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Lars: "We have to prove to Iceland and my extremely handsome father that my life hasn't been a waste."
[music]
On the one hand, it would bring eurovision to the largest international audience that it has ever seen.
But on the other hand
...Eurovision has already been seen as a big joke for a long time
and the opposite of fixing that seems like giving it to someone like Will Ferrell.
Well the movie's out now and the question on a lot of people's minds is:
how does the American movie adaptation of the world's largest song contest compare to the real thing?
So if you haven't seen the movie and you're wondering if it's worth a watch
...or if you have seen the movie and you're wondering if you can actually believe what you saw
...I'm here to take you through the good, the bad, and the wonderfully weird moments of
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.
Just a warning: there are some light spoilers ahead. But nothing major.
As a movie about a song contest, music makes up a good part of it.
Much of what you see and hear is the kind of over-the-top pop music that has been associated with Eurovision for a long time.
The songs themselves don't appear to have obvious references, but most performances have some clear inspirations from Eurovision
First up, we have the central duo, Fire Saga
...made up of Lars Erikssong - played by Will Ferrell - and Sigrit Ericksdóttir played by Rachel McAdams.
They make use of an easily recognizable prop: a human-sized hamster whee.
This is directly borrowed from the acrobat who joined Ukrainian artist Maria Yaremchuk onstage in 2014
Wardrobe makes up for a number of references. For example, Greece's Mita Xenakis
...played by Melissanthi Mahut - enters the stage in a spacesuit.
This has been done a few times but perhaps most memorably by Montenegro's 2013 act Who See
and Moldovan singer Lidia Isac in 2016.
We also see some wardrobe reveals, which is mostly considered an old gimmick
...but usually it makes at least one appearance every year including last year.
Then we have the demonic Belarusian rock band, which is a clear nod to Lordi, the Finnish act that won in 2006.
Perhaps a more general reference can be seen in the Swedish competitor Johnny John John.
Personally he reminds me of several male solo performers that lean heavily into their looks and swagger to
...varying degrees of success
Apart from that there are some subtle visual references that may have been intentional or just a coincidence.
You can probably see what these two San Marinese entries have in common.
Take a guess as to which one is from the movie and which one is real.
But this is only a very small sample of the thousand or so entries that we've seen at Eurovision over the years.
And they're referenced because their gimmicks make them memorable.
And some people really live for the wacky, outrageous and camp entries that we still see to this day.
In fact, the film's opening song Volcano Man reminds me a lot of this fan favorite from 2019. Take a listen.
Your mileage may vary on this one, but for me they definitely have more than one thing in common.
However, these acts are no longer than norm.
They used to be but nowadays, the music in Eurovision is much less about spectacle
...and mostly resembles the kind of songs you would hear on the radio.
The participating broadcasters are also doing a much better job at sending artists that reflect the musical and cultural diversity of Europe.
Despite this when it comes to commentary about Eurovision - particularly in countries, like the United Kingdom
...Ireland and occasionally the United States - people don't often look too far beyond that and it shows.
- It's Eurovision time!
- Eurovision?
- Uh-huh!
- Aaahh...
- ...the crap singing competition?
- That's the one!
-...I was subjected to some of the Eurovision Song Contest and wanted to drill my ears out.
All this is to say that it's easy to see Eurovision only for its camp qualities
...especially because that's where you find some of the best sources of comedy
Fortunately, the movie saves itself from being like those commentators with a bit of a bait-and-switch moment.
This happens towards the end of the movie
...so you'll have to see it for yourself to know what I'm talking about.
But speaking of camp, let's talk about Dan Stevens character, Alexander Lemtov.
He plays the Russian competitor that drives a wedge between Lars and Sigrit.
There was some early criticism of the movie for having chosen a Russian antagonist, and that's fair
...because the evil Russian stereotype has been done to death.
And for a while, it looks like they're playing it straight.
However, he's not only less of a villain than he's first made out to be
...but how his private life is treated is a definite nod to real artists.
- I will give her everything he cannot
- Not 'everything'.
Over the years Eurovision has attracted a huge LGBTQ fanbase
...and all that started before we saw winners like drag queen Conchita Wurst
...Transwoman Dana International
...lesbian Marija Šerifović.
and bisexuals Duncan Laurence and Loreen.
But there are over 40 countries participating with widely different attitudes about LGBTQ rights.
And if you're an artist representing one of the more conservative countries, that might mean having to stay in the closet
...even if your sexuality is already known to some.
This is put on full display with Lemtov's stage performance, which really needs no explanation...
As a side note, this performance is also filled with one of the most overused stage gimmicks ever...
The male torso.
With such a large audience of gay men you'd expect there to be many, many...
...many, many uses of this.
Aside from references to performances and artists
...there's also some poking fun at what happens behind the scenes.
When the team at the Icelandic Broadcaster is watching the audition tape for Demi Lovato's character, Katiana
...they're thrilled at the idea of possibly winning the contest.
All except the governor of the central bank
- If she won that means that we then host the contest for the next year.
- I'm afraid the cost of hosting will bankrupt the whole country.
This is true to how Eurovision works.
Many of the participating broadcasters are publicly funded
...and having to host delegations from over 40 countries as well as tens of thousands of fans and press is very costly.
While the early years saw some countries bowing out of hosting, another country has always stepped in to host in their place.
The last time this happened however was in 1980
But it continues to be a real fear that some people have. And because of this
...fans believe that there are some countries that prefer to...phone it in...rather than really try and win the contest
This of course, can also just be an excuse for why countries have been doing poorly again and again and again
...but...you decide.
Another possible reference in the scene has to do with how the artists were selected.
- We only have 11 acts but the rules say we need 12.
- Pick one.
- What?!
- Is that fair?
- Come on, we all know that Katiana is going to win this right?
- Yes, so pick one
While this is mostly a convenient plot point that accidentally gets Fire Saga in the running to represent Iceland
...it could also be a reference to the belief that some broadcasters fix the selections.
There have been times where fans and even artists allege that their home broadcasters created an uneven playing field
...and this could be by putting a highly skilled artist against ones with less experience
...or by how they build the order of competitors or some other reason.
This is mostly speculation
...and it's easy to make that kind of allegation from the outside
even if the artists were selected fairly.
Also, if true, it's definitely backfired
...more than once.
There's also this gem.
- This is Julia J. She come number one England's Got Talent four years ago.
- ...so she quite good, but...
- everybody hates UK, so
- ZERO POINTS! [laughs]
Some people, particularly the British really do think that the rest of Europe hates the UK
and that's the reason why they've been doing so poorly in the contest since the early 2000s.
Before you buy into this you might want to check out some UK entries for yourself on YouTube.
Don't let anyone tell you it's one way or another. Make your own mind up.
This is also a plot hole:
- The winner of the Eurovision Song Contest hosts the following year. Yes, you're right Victor.
It's true that in real life Britain has been one of the countries to step in as host when the previous year's country declines
...but that's never mentioned in the movie.
Another odd choice here is that the hosts of the show are ambiguously European.
This doesn't resemble real life because the host broadcaster always chooses local talent
...meaning that the hosts should be from the UK.
But they did nail how awkward and stiff the presentation can be sometimes.
It is the night
...we have all
...been
...WAITING FOR!
Overall, the way that the contest is portrayed in the movie is actually surprisingly well done.
I don't think that fans should have too much to worry about and I don't think it's going to attract a larger audience of haters.
But what fans should be worried about is the fact that as a movie
...it's not that strong.
While it definitely has its moments and surprises
...it really doesn't have enough laughs to fill two hours.
With that, it's asking a lot from an audience that has so much to learn in order to get the full picture.
The bulk of the humour is mostly typical Will Ferrell antics.
He once again plays someone whose ambition is bigger than his talent and he zigzags between lovable oaf and overdramatic manchild.
- So listen up everyone! There's a new SEX MACHINE in town!
- ...and his name is Lars!
As a story it's paint-by-numbers.
If you've seen any movie about underdogs accidentally stumbling their way into the big league
...you'll pretty much know what's going to happen and when.
They did pick up on some real Icelandic humor
...like Sigrit's belief in Icelandic folklore, a little bit of Schlager music
...and a running joke about how Lars and Sigrit might be related.
They also turn the tables on Americans by making them the bigger stereotype over Europeans.
It's a bit weird because the jokes are still coming from an American actor, but it's kind of funny
- Jeff, let's go. The guy's nuts.
- Wait, I'M nuts?
- Hey! Europe is not your party town.
- All right? You come over here and s**t on everything!
Some critics also pointed out that because the movie was made in cooperation with the EBU, the folks who run Eurovision
...they could have had too much influence on the final product.
If they had tried to make it on their own they might have been able to get away with some heavier satire
...but it would have also been much more expensive
Getting the EBU's blessing also allowed them to film on a real Eurovision stage in Tel Aviv
...which is a way better option than trying to build one yourself, rent a stadium and fill it with people.
For all its flaws, I would say that it has a surprising amount of heart
which is refreshing because the contest has been an easy target for ridicule for so long
It's just enough to make the experience enjoyable and
...fans will definitely be pleased to see how many real-life Eurovision artists appear
even if they outnumber the few Eurovision songs that are part of the soundtrack.
So if you're wondering whether or not to give it a watch, I would say yes
...regardless of whether or not you know about Eurovision and regardless of whether or not you're a fan.
Just don't expect to be blown away because the meat and bones of the movie are really nothing new.
But if you take it for what it is, you might find that you'll have a good time.
If you saw the movie didn't know about Eurovision before that and are feeling a little...Euro-curious
..why not subscribe to our channel!
We make videos about Eurovision all year including artist interviews, live discussions, reactions and much, much more.
We also have a blog eurovoxx.net where we post news updates and you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Also, buckle up because this is a huge event with over 60 years of history and more than 1500 songs.
It's crazy. There's no way out of this rabbit hole.
I hope you enjoyed this quick Look at Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.
If you saw the film let us know what you thought and
If you picked up on any other references, let us know in the comments.
Until next time. Take care
