It’s TV magic. Over the course of nearly 70 years, the Eurovision Song Contest has become a much-loved celebration of music, culture and diversity with a large dash of camp. But, apart from a classic episode of TV’s Father Ted, it never went any further — until it got the movie treatment five years ago. To the sound of “Volcano Man”, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga burst onto Netflix, and it’s still hitting the right note with audiences.
Viewers welcomed it with a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The story followed long-term friends Lars Erickssong (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit Ericksdottir (Rachel McAdams), better known to the locals in their Icelandic village as Fire Saga, as they tried to fulfill their dreams of winning the Eurovision Song Contest. After being cursed by technical problems in the qualifying competition, it looked like their chances were nil until a freak accident wiped out the other acts, and they found themselves off to Edinburgh for the main event.
Competition is fierce, especially from Russian singer Alexander Lemtov (Dan Stevens), who is the favorite to win, but they make it to the final and take the risk of changing their song to a heartfelt ballad about their home country. Does their dream come true? In a way, it does.
Other storylines, including Sigrit’s seemingly unrequited love for Lars, are packed into a film where comedy is just as important as the music. With a script from Ferrell and writing partner/friend Harper Steele (the heartwarming documentary about their friendship is also on Netflix in the US and the UK), the wacky jokes count is high and there’s a handful where taste has gone out the window. It’s exactly what Ferrell fans love. But alongside the broad, silly humour, McAdams brings some welcome tenderness, something that reveals unexpected nuances in Ferrell’s acting.
It may not be his usual style, but it definitely suits him and helps him fight off the competition from Stevens as the gloriously villainous Lemtov.
An even bigger surprise was waiting when the Academy Awards came along, with the movie’s climactic ballad “Husavik (My Home Town”) receiving a nomination for Best Original Song. A proper tearjerker, it’s one of the two numbers that will be forever associated with the movie – the other being “Jaja Ding Dong”, which is better known for its suggestive lyrics.
Among the familiar faces in the cast — yes, it includes Graham Norton — is Pierce Brosnan, who plays Ferrell’s disapproving father, despairing at his son’s longing to be famous for his music. Despite all the songs in the film, Brosnan doesn’t lend his voice to any of them, although his infamous singing efforts in Mamma Mia (2008) have just arrived on Netflix. He’s never been allowed to forget them, and they set an unfortunate trend. As Ferrell’s dad, Erick Erickssong, he gave an Icelandic accent his best shot, but it wasn’t good enough for the local media who were quick to point out its shortcomings.
Not that it’s held him back, as he’s now a major player in one of Paramount Plus’s most successful series ever, MobLand, which has just been renewed for a second season. By the time it was greenlit, some 26 million viewers had tuned in to see Brosnan, Helen Mirren, and Tom Hardy in a gritty gang war drama that had audiences hooked right from the start. With Brosnan and Mirren leading the Harrigan family in their battle for control over the local crime world, there were plenty of deaths, run-ins with the police and double dealings, all with their fiercely loyal fixer Harry Da Souza (Hardy) at the heart of the action.
The first season reached a shocking climax but, with unfinished business between the Harrigans and their arch enemies, the Stevensons, and new rivals emerging from the shadows, this second season was almost inevitable. And, although the cast has yet to be confirmed, with all the lead actors surviving that season finale, chances are high that Brosnan and Mirren, as well as Paddy Considine as their eldest son Kevin, will all return. Co-writer Jez Butterworth (Indiana Jones and the Dial Of Destiny, Ford v Ferrari/Le Mans ‘66) has already said that Da Souza’s stabbing wasn’t fatal, so we could be seeing more of Hardy as well.
There’s no word yet on the script or when season two is likely to arrive, but the fast turnaround for the show’s first outing — production started in November 2024 and wrapped in March of this year, just days before its debut — means the launch could be sooner rather than later. The Harrigans finished season one leading the way in their power struggle, but with the ambitious Kevin plotting a coup and the arrival of the mysterious Kat McAllister (Janet McTeer), the future looks less than peaceful.
Once again, though, Brosnan got the thumbs down when it came to his character’s accent. The Harrigan patriarch comes from Kerry in Ireland, so the actor consulted a voice coach to make sure his accent was as authentic as possible. The finished version was also based on a real-life Kerry man but, for the Irish media, it wasn’t close enough and he was back in the firing line. He just can’t catch a break.
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga is on Netflix in the US and the UK.
Season one of MobLand is on Paramount Plus in the US and the UK.