In this episode, I react to the new Netflix movie "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga" starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams. The movie is currently trending at #1 on Netflix and #2 on IMDb. Download now!
Subscribe to "Jake's Movie Stuff" podcast on Apple, Spotify or Buzzsprout by hitting the buttons below to stay in the loop on future episodes! 
Is "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga" a top-tier comedy? No. Is it a terrible attempt at comedy? No, it is not that either. "Eurovision" is happily in the middle. It does not try to be anything other than what it is, a middle of the road comedy with a touch of heart and satisfying story. This movie did exceed my expectations. Whenever a movie is directly released on Netflix, I am skeptical. Every one in a while Netflix produces a fine film, like "Roma." But more often than not the movies seem to be mediocre or terrible, like "The Wrong Missy" and "John Henry." This is strange considering some of the great series Netflix has produced. "Eurovision" is better than mediocre, meaning that it is an okay movie. If you have seen "Blades of Glory," which also stars Will Ferrell, you have pretty much seen this movie if you just swap ice skating with singing. Ferrell and Rachel McAdams co-star as aspiring musicians from a small Icelandic town. When things luckily fall into their favor, they are selected as the Icelandic representatives at the annual Eurovision song contest. Ferrell's character, Lars, is obsessed with Eurovision and has dedicated his whole life to getting a chance at winning the contest. McAdams' character, Sigrit, has strong feelings for Lars and is his companion and support. She is a fantastic singer, but has a difficult time doing her absolute best when her heart is not into the song. The characters are fairly sympathetic as we can all reflect on moments when our love for someone is not reciprocated (as is the case for Sigrit) or when it seems like everyone is laughing at you striving to achieve your dream (as is the case for Lars). However, there are moments when these characters make some decisions that do not seem realistic. At one point, after a semifinal performance that goes awry, Lars is upset and instead of waiting to see the results, he leaves. I do not buy that. If a person has dedicated so many years to reaching part of their dream would they really get so distraught they wouldn't be even slightly interested in seeing their results? I have a hard time believing that Lars would so easily turn his back on his dream. This movie is fairly predictable, but it's predictability is based in the realm of realism since they are clearly not the most talented team in the contest. The humor is good, but there are several moments of comedic drought. There were some moments that made me laugh, but some jokes fall flat, or there are too long of gaps between jokes that it feels more dramatic than comedic. However, it is in some of the drama that makes this comedy a bit better than other comedies. There is a realistic touch to the love story between Lars and Sigrit that feels real. McAdams and Ferrell have solid chemistry and both do well in their roles. This is not a terrible movie, but it is by no means a great movie. It is very middle of the road. Overall, I give this movie a 6.5/10.