My initial love for it was for the statistics of the voting segment of the show as I love my stats. After that, I have come to embrace the Eurovision culture and always fall in love with the show and joyous vibe it gives off.
So when I hard that an actual Eurovision film was being made, I had to see it no matter how bad it may look in the build-up. The tone in the marketing looked somewhat promising as the over-the-top comedy seemed to be the right way to fully capture the spirit of the show.
Now after seeing it, I have they have achieved that and then some. Sadly, while I feel non-fans of the show will see this a sub-par comedy where the gags aren't particularly strong. I feel the fans will fully embrace this. It really captures the vibe the shows gives off and is a wonderful replacement for the cancelled 2020 contest.
There also some cool cameos from previous Eurovision winners and other personalities you associate with the show. Plus, they show great authenticity in terms of the format and rules of the show.
One important aspect that needs to work for a Eurovision film, is the songs. It felt like they created every type of song you expect to see. From the total rubbish, to the guilty pleasures, to the absolute belters that you can't get out of your head. Certain songs will quickly be added to my playlist.
I felt the performances were pretty solid overall. Will Ferrell was a good choice in casting as he can fit into type of film in his film. His chemistry with Rachel McAdams felt genuine and I believed in their friendship. McAdams herself was great to watch and showcased herself well when her character was in the spotlight.
Dan Stevens was great playing the most stereotype Eurovision singer imaginable. Stevens continues to show great range and I continue to look forward to his next project.
Pierce Brosnan, Olafur Darri Olafsson were particular favourites of mine from the supporting cast. I also have to give props to the only cameo that I will mention, and that is Graham Norton. Having him be part of the film worked a charm and I can see it pleasing many viewers.
So while the Eurovision aspect I felt was right on the money. As an actual film, it's an ok comedy. Some of the gags work and the rest either fall flat or overstayed its welcome. The story structure is certainly one we've seen before and done better.
But the obvious Eurovision edge it has will certainly make it more memorable and give it a strong rewatchability factor for a certain demographic.
I never really thought that Eurovision needed a film. But in these current times, the timing of its release was perfect and with the possibility of a lack of new releases in 2020, this could end up being my feel-good film of the year.
Rating: 7/10
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