Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga – Every real-life comparison you missed in Will Ferrell’s latex-clad Netflix film

Will Ferrell movie captures the spirit and mayhem of Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest is happening this week, which means we can expect another year of eccentric performances, outlandish costumes and catchy tunes.

If you want to indulge in the beautiful mayhem of Eurovision even more, look further than Netflix’s Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, a film that parodies the annual event, starring co-writer Will Ferrell opposite Rachel McAdams.

The movie, which is credited for capturing the spirit of the annual song contest, follows Lars Erickssong (Ferrell) and Sigrit Ericksdottir (McAdams), an Icelandic pop duo determined to win over their small town and bring honour to their country at the Eurovision finals.

Yearning for Eurovision success, the pair discover that the odds are stacked against them. No one in the small town of Husavik has any faith in the musical duo, and Lars’s “extremely handsome father” (Pierce Brosnan) also disapproves of his son’s musical ambitions.

While the film is largely a parody, within this shimmery, latex-clad story is a loving tribute to everything we love about the Eurovision Song Contest.

Under the direction of Wedding Crashers’ David Dobkin, the film sets Lars and Sigrit off on a musical odyssey featuring several real-life legendary moments that have gone down in Eurovision history.

Here, we break down all of the references:

Hamster wheel mayhem

Will Ferrell’s Lars Erickssong in ‘Fire Saga’ (Netflix)

Since the Eurovision grand final is broadcast live, accidents do happen. One of the most memorable scenes in Fire Saga sees Lars and Sigrit falling off the stage after Sigrit’s scarf is caught in a giant hamster wheel on which Lars is running.

Ukraine’s 2014 Eurovision entry was inspiration for the giant hamster wheel scene

This was a reference to Ukraine’s 2014 Eurovision entry, which featured a huge hamster wheel as Mariya Yaremchuk performed “Tick Tock”. Unlike Fire Saga, however, Yaremchuk pulled off the performance without suffering any wardrobe malfunctions.

Fire!

Eurovision performances rarely hold back on the special effects, and a general rule of thumb is the grander, the better. Usually, that means lots of fireworks, fire and dramatic lighting.

The film nods to that element of the competition when Sigrit is startled by fire shooting from the stage during a technical rehearsal.

Fire Saga references the competition’s notoriously complex voting system. There are also references to bloc voting, a frequent accusation that countries give maximum points to their neighbours, regardless of the entry’s quality.

For example, in the film, Norway gives eight points to Sweden.

Cameos from Eurovision legends

The UK’s commentator Graham Norton in ‘Fire Saga’ (Netflix)

Fire Saga also pays homage to Eurovision greats who have performed in the contest over the years. In the film’s “sing-along” sequence, some of the competition’s best-known winners over the past decade make an appearance, such as Conchita Wurst, Austria’s winner in 2015, and Loreen, Sweden’s winner in 2012 and 2023. Netta, who won the 2018 trophy representing Israel, also appears in the film.

Graham Norton, who has fronted Britain’s coverage since 2009, also has a role in the film, delivering his characteristic savage commentary just as he routinely does during the real-life competitions.

England is the worst

England is often the punching bag of Eurovision, and is regularly the butt of the joke in many commentaries during the show. And the writers of Fire Saga know this all too well – the film is full of references that mock England’s presence at the competition.

The great Eurovision language debate

Elsewhere in the film, Sigrit wants to perform the duo’s song in their native language of Icelandic as opposed to English, knowing that to do so would risk losing votes.

This is a challenge many competitors face in Eurovision, with an English-language song commonly seen to be an advantage in the contest (this has actually changed in recent years).

Countries have often tried to find their own way around this in the past, sometimes using a lyrical combination of English and their native language.

The 2024 Eurovision semi-finals take place on 7 May and 9 May, while the grand final is on Saturday 11 May. Find out this year’s entries here.

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is available on Netflix.