This was way better than it had any right to be. The songs are out of this word good (even the ones that are intentionally bad are great). The final song in particular is so emotional. The real standout here is Dan Stevens. He is amazing in this role, which subtly comments on the issues with Russia and Chechnya and the LGBT community. I think the thing that helps make this film really work is that Will Ferrell’s wife is Icelandic and he is so imbued with that culture. Also when you start looking into real life Eurovision this is the perfect love letter/satire of it. The villain is so easy to see from minute one, but that doesn’t matter. The point is to have fun and go on the emotional ride with Ferrell and Rachel McAdams.
