Today sees the release of Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga on Netflix, the musical comedy movie starring, co-written and produced by Will Ferrell. Ferrell has come up with some classics over his career, to be sure, but sometimes his films are pretty divisive, with folks either loving or hating them. And it seems Eurovision is no different, as it’s getting some very polarizing reviews.
At the time of writing, Eurovision has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 59%, which officially means that it’s designated rotten. But, when you look at the user rating, based off 29 votes, it’s sporting an audience score of 90%. Obviously that will go down somewhat in time, but it’s clear that Netflix viewers are a lot more positive about it than critics. That said, some reviewers are still heaping praise on the film.
New York Post called it “the most enjoyable music industry parody since Christopher Guest’s folk satire ‘A Mighty Wind.'” Meanwhile, Associated Press labelled it “the first great comedy 0f 2020.” Elsewhere, Entertainment Weekly weren’t bowled over by it, but enjoyed it all the same, offering the back-handed compliment: “The kind of movie that frankly, the lowered expectations of These Times are made for.”
On the other hand, Rolling Stone found it only “mildly diverting” and Washington Post suggested the humor was lost on American audiences unfamiliar with the real-life European song contest. Flickering Myth perhaps served up the most vicious review, decreeing it “a mildly amusing SNL skit (at best) inexplicably stretched out to two mostly unfunny, patience-pulverising hours.”
Something everyone seems to agree on, though, is that Dan Stevens steals the show as OTT Russian rock star Alexander Lemtov. As Time Magazine says, “Stevens is so absurdly lascivious that he supercharges the movie every time he shows up, which, thankfully, is often.”
You can make up your own mind by catching Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga on Netflix now. If you’ve already seen it, let us know your opinion in the comments section below.
