Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga stars Will Ferrell as Lars and Rachel McAdams as Sigrit, who compete in the Eurovision Song Contest representing Iceland. Fire Saga is a niche but enjoyable film that will both delight and confuse Eurovision fans for its accuracies and inaccuracies to the source material.

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The film is a highly Americanized version of the contest, featuring sequences and events that would never happen in the actual competition, but there are many things that the writers and director got right. Will Ferrell spent time researching the contest before making the film, and some of this research and love for the contest shines through.

Hilarious Performances

Will Ferrell in Eurovision Song Contest The Story of Fire Saga dressed entirely in white with silver angel wings

Every year at Eurovision, there are countries that send in their wackiest performers, such as Verka, who represented Ukraine in 2007 wearing an iconic silver suit and a star atop their head, and the heavy metal group Lordi, who represented Finland in 2006 wearing monster costumes. Both Lordi and Verka have been Eurovision memes and cameo performers since their performances.

The hilarious performances are what makes Eurovision great, creating a fun atmosphere and a fond memory to look back on. Fire Saga creates this same feeling with Lars singing "Volcano Man" right at the camera, and both Lars and Sigrit striding across the landscape in increasingly ridiculous clothing.

Serious Performances

Rachel McAdams in Eurovision Song Contest The Story of Fire Saga singing into a microphone, wearing a silver dress

In between all the ridiculousness, there is always room for heart. The ballads and serious performances are just as much a part of Eurovision as the comedy. Overall, most countries do take the competition seriously (especially when it comes to the voting) and send in ballads that are often sweet, heartfelt songs. For example, Victoria represented Belarus in 2021 with the song "Growing Up Is Getting Old" as a tribute to her father, who was diagnosed with ALS.

Sigrit sings the best song in the film, "My Home Town," as the finale of Fire Saga. It's a ballad that is reminiscent of the slower songs that capture the Eurovision audience's hearts at the real contest. She also sings in Icelandic, making the song a great tribute to Eurovision and Icelandic culture.

Ridiculous Staging

Rachel McAdams and Will Ferrell in Eurovision Song Contest The Story of Fire Saga dressed in costumes standing on a beach playing twin keyboards

Lars and Sigrit use many outlandish props throughout the film, including a giant hamster wheel, which is a tribute to the 2014 performance by Mariya who represented Ukraine. The hamster wheel has since been parodied on Eurovision itself by the best hosts ever, Petra and Mans in 2016.

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Burning pianos, epic saxophones, vampire coffins, and tons of pyrotechnics have been involved with Eurovision over the years, so seeing the props represented in Fire Saga is a fun shoutout to the usual staging.

Songs Going Wrong

Rachel McAdams and Will Ferrell in Eurovision Song Contest The Story of Fire Saga singing on a stage, Will is inside a giant hamster wheel

Songs going wrong at Eurovision can be heartbreaking. For example, the U.K. entry in 2018, SuRie, was interrupted by a protestor who somehow got past security and stole her microphone. However, SuRie carried on her performance like a champion, regaining control and earning the audience's respect. Performers tend to carry on despite tragedies, adding to the spirit of the competition.

In a comedy film, things are always expected to go wrong for the fun of it, and in Fire Saga, Lars accidentally crashes his hamster wheel through the audience. Despite the mishap, Lars and Sigrit keep singing and finish their set triumphantly. They exit the stage before they can hear the audience applaud them for having the strength to finish the song.

Mugging The Camera

Rachel McAdams and Will Ferrell in Eurovision Song Contest The Story of Fire Saga singing and holding their hands towards the camera

Much like Jim from The Officemany performers in the real Eurovision competition look straight into the camera to establish a connection to the audience. This mostly comes off as cheesy or overly dramatic, especially during love songs, but some performers pull it off well. During most performances in the contest, the camera spins around the performers on stage, allowing them lots of face-time with the audience.

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Fire Saga includes the characters mugging the camera several times, from Lars and Sigrit singing "Volcano Man," to the Russian entry, Dan Stevens as Alexander, trying to be sexy for the audience.

Audience Reactions

Pierce Brosnan in Eurovision Song Contest The Story of Fire Saga smiling and clapping next to a blonde woman

Eurovision is very much a team sport, and the audience is a massive part of the competition. The voting segment of the show is where everyone gets very political and patriotic for their country, but the contest beforehand feels like a party where everyone shares in a strange camaraderie.

Fire Saga features audience reactions back in Norway, most notably Pierce Brosnan grimacing at the embarrassing entries, reminding the audience of their own family members who don't quite understand the competition. The reactions to the songs performed during the film are slightly inaccurate, however. If Lars and Sigrit had crashed through the audience on a hamster wheel during the real Eurovision Song Contest, instead of being met with silence, they would have got an immediate standing ovation for the sheer hilarity of the situation.

Celebrity Cameos

Alexander Rybak playing the violin surrounded by a happy crowd in Eurovision Song Contest The Story of Fire Saga

The Eurovision half-time show between the performances and the voting usually features the hosts or celebrity artists such as Madonna singing various songs, so it is fitting that around the midpoint of the film is a music video featuring past Eurovision winners. They and various celebrities make cameos in the film, such as Alexander Rybak who won in 2009, Netta who won in 2019, and Conchita who won in 2014.

Incidentally, the real Eurovision 2021 had a cameo from Olaf, a character in Fire Saga, who insisted that the hosts give 12 points to Ja Ja Ding Dong. Since the film's release, Olaf has become a fan-favorite character, and his cameo at the real Eurovision earned a wave of cheers and applause.

LGBT+ Representation

Dan Stevens in Eurovision Song Contest The Story of Fire Saga singing a song on an orange stage surrounded by shirtless men

Eurovision embraces LGBT+ performers, most famously Conchita who won in 2014 with "Rise Like a Phoenix." In addition, Ryan O'Shaughnessey represented Ireland and performed the song "Together" alongside two male dancers in 2018. Ryan's performance was censored in China due to the depiction of a gay couple.

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Alexander's sexuality in Fire Saga is played mostly for laughs, especially the overly sexual songs he performs, but there's a sweet ending in which he accepts his sexuality and considers moving away from Russia.

Graham Norton And Other Commentators

Graham Norton in Eurovision Song Contest The Story of Fire Saga as a commentator in front of a microphone, wearing headphones

Eurovision is usually commentated like a sporting event by television broadcasters from each country. Usually, these commentators are professional, but Graham Norton on the U.K. broadcast is witty and sarcastic, often making comments that outright insult the performers. The comments are all made in good fun, such as playfully mocking the contestants' outlandish costumes.

Graham Norton is a chat show host and a major part of Eurovision for many U.K. fans, so his cameo in Fire Saga is a treat. His commentary through the songs would not be allowed, as he usually doesn't interrupt the performances, but his witty charm is a welcome sight.

Flamboyant And Comedic Tone

a crowd of people and past Eurovision winners dancing together in Eurovision Song Contest The Story of Fire Saga

The contest is essentially a giant party — at least it is until the voting starts, at which point it becomes a cut-throat political debate — and Fire Saga's depiction of Eurovision as a camp, bright, and flamboyant event is accurate. The glitter and glam of the night are well-represented in this film, from the celebrity cameos to the overly ridiculous songs.

The contestants singing together is also accurate, as even the hosts join in sometimes, singing along backstage while some countries perform on the night. Overall, the film captures the fun and comedy of the event, even if it doesn't get everything right.

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