Full disclosure: I have never watched Eurovision before. Oh, I am fully aware of the concept, but for some reason it never grasped my attention. Until now. This movie was SO MUCH BETTER than I ever could have hoped for. I was excited for it because it looked completely batshit crazy (and it really was). Half the time it didn’t make any sense and it was not very realistic, but it still had me in stitches. It has now been about two and a half weeks since I watched and I want to go back and see it ten more times. That’s how much fun it is!

Lars (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) have always dreamed of competing in Eurovision. Ever since childhood, their families would get together every year to watch the show. Unfortunately, no one seems to take their endeavours seriously. Lars’s father Erick (Pierce Brosnan) acts as if his son doesn’t even exist while Sigrit’s mother would prefer that her daughter do something more worthwhile with her time.

When fate intervenes and a spot opens up for them to fly to Scotland for the competition, the duo known as Fire Saga are ecstatic. However, what comes next is not at all what they were expecting. The rest of the artists are fierce and well established. They have no problem going after what they want in order to get ahead. In addition, Lars and Sigrit begin to butt heads over their set as jealousy arises.

I loved this movie! It is no parody – if you are a fan of Eurovision, it will seem as if you are actually watching the real life competition. It is pure escapism and the same can be said for the movie. It was hilarious though it also stayed true to the story and had a lot of heart in it at the same time.

In true Eurovision fashion, the music is the most important aspect. Think back to ABBA’s Waterloo. An iconic song that we still know all the lyrics to today. The soundtrack here is absolutely brilliant. There is no bad song and they all fit into the theme as well. I’ve had Double Trouble stuck in my head on repeat.

For those who know me, Will Ferrell is not one of my favorite actors. In fact, I have never liked anything that he has starred in. But here, I was so wrapped up in the story and the characters that I didn’t even see him. I only saw who they were portraying on screen. Rachel McAdams, in contrast, is an actress that I have always been a fan of. To me, she stole the movie. She is such a breath of fresh air and it’s a pity that we don’t see as much of her anymore. Having Pierce Brosnan in another musical role was amusing and Dan Stevens as Russian competitior Alexander Lemtov was almost unrecognisable. Seriously. I couldn’t figure him out the entire time.

This film truly has something in it for everybody. It was funny, lighthearted and simply out of this world. For the first time in it’s history, Eurovision was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many were disappointed as this is an event that people look forward to every year. But this film is a great replacement. It’s almost as if they knew what was going to happen and the creator wanted to give the fans something to hold on to.

And for those die hard fans? Pay close attention while watching. There’s some special Easter eggs hidden just for you!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥