Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Directed by David Dobkin, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga follows Icelandic aspiring singers Lars (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) as they successfully land a coveted spot within the title song competition. Filmmaker Dobkin, working from a script written by Andrew Steele and Ferrell, does an excellent job of initially drawing the viewer into the admittedly less-than-subtle proceedings, as Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga boasts a compelling opening half hour that effectively establishes the affable central characters and their appealing small-town environs – with the watchable atmosphere heightened by Ferrell and McAdams’ charismatic work and an ongoing emphasis on legitimately amusing bits of comedy. It’s disappointing to note, then, that the picture palpably begins to go off the rails as it enters its unwieldy, hopelessly bloated midsection, as Dobkin packs this portion of the padded-out narrative with sequences of an aggressively overlong and flat-out needless nature. (This is especially true of a seemingly endless scene in which the various Eurovision competitors break out into song during a celebratory party.) The satisfying climactic stretch ensures that the whole thing ends on an upbeat, positive note, at least, and yet it’s ultimately impossible not to label Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga as a missed opportunity that could (and should) have been so much better. (Seriously, why on earth is this film over two hours?)

**1/2 out of ****