First Take: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga- why? Because it’s Eurovision.

SYNOPSIS: When aspiring musicians Lars and Sigrit are given the opportunity to represent their country at the world’s biggest song competition, they finally have a chance to prove that any dream worth having is a dream worth fighting for.

Ah, Eurovision. The annual gathering of the greatest musical minds in the business - and Australia - for a night of TV gold and some very political voting. It’s a contest that apparently Will Ferrell is a huge fan of, so naturally he wanted to make a film about it. And much like the real contest, it is super cheesy, a bit naff in places, but ultimately it is enjoyable.

David Dobkin is in charge, and having helmed similar movies in 2005′s Wedding Crashers, he knows how to translate a ridiculous premise into a movie form, and here he does an alright job. Clocking in at 2 hours 3 minutes, the film is paced relatively decently, but much like the grand final of the real contest, it does run on slightly too long. On script duties is Ferrell and Andrew Steele, and they are able to create a movie that has the 6 laugh test passed, and so many subtle nods to the real contest. Behind the camera is Danny Cohen, and on scoring duties we have Atli Örvarsson, so the technical side of things is sufficient enough for a Will Ferrell movie of this nature.

As for the cast, Ferrell and Rachel McAdams are brilliant. Obviously there are questions about the validity of their singing (as McAdams does not provide vocals on the soundtrack album), but they do a decent job here- supporting them are a cast that includes Demi Lovato, Dan Stevens, and somehow, Pierce Brosnan. Ir’s safe to say that this diverse group of talents can make a credible comedy movie work. Plus, would it be a Eurovision movie without any cameos? Fans of the contest will recognise a lot of them, but the one that us UK viewers really cherish is the presence of the BBC’s guide through what can be a long Saturday night- the one and only Graham Norton, who does his thing during this fictional version.

THE VERDICT

The Story of Fire Saga is a pretty neat embodiment of Eurovision night, but the pacing issues could hit this one hard. At least it’s a good Will Ferrell movie, they do not come around that often.

RATING: 3/5