Here’s an attempt at timeliness that backfired because COVID doesn’t like any of us having good things. In essence, because this film’s initial release was meant to coincide with the actual Eurovision Song Contest, this now serves as the next best thing to the contest itself. Considering how badly Will Ferrell’s last attempt at European sensibilities went earlier this year with Downhill, I wasn’t expecting much to come from this other than more Ugly American nonsense. And yet, while I freely admit that this film is rougher than it should be, that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Far. Bloody. From it.
Might as well get the weakest part of the film out of the way early: Will Ferrell himself. Even with the Icelandic coat of paint, he’s still playing his stock ‘working professional in need of an ego check’ character that he always ends up writing for himself, and he hits every single note of that archetype like a cover band taking the request to play Free Bird begrudgingly seriously. It doesn’t help that, for a musical comedy, the jokes are spread embarrassingly thin over its two-hour run time. It wasn’t funny the first time when they implied that the two leads might be siblings, let alone it being this lingering of a running joke.
Not that that sticks around long enough to be much of an issue, though, as they absolutely nailed the musical part of the equation. And what’s more, it all comes from a place of adoration, rather than a mocking eye, which certainly makes for a nice change of pace from what else I’ve seen from Ferrell this year. He and director David Dobkin wholeheartedly embrace Eurovision as a way for countries to bond over their shared love of ridiculous theatricality, and instead of spoiling the fun, it joins in by leaping into the fray. The soundtrack is insanely catchy, every performance works (even if they resort to lip-syncing), and when it soars, it fucking soars. The Song-A-Long sequence alone sells this movie: It’s like a Pitch Perfect riff-off on steroids and it’s absolutely incredible.
It takes itself just seriously enough to sell the emotional moments and the sense of national pride that accompanies these sorts of competitions, but not to the point where it becomes pompous. It follows in the competition’s footsteps in that regard, as while a lot of work and talent goes into it, it’s all about having fun at the end of the day. Moving the heart is ultimately more important than any true victory, and every Europop song that comes, the production follows through and brings the kind of joy that only this event can provide.
So… yeah, it may not be perfect, but when it gets it right, I was legitimately moved to tears at the beauty on display. It’s the vision of Americans who took one of Europe’s greatest cultural exports, and rather than laugh at it from a distance, saw the reason why Eurovision is so beloved to this day. It may be silly, but in times like these, joy is joy and it will always be welcome.
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