Seez pwa de moi

Rating: 6/10 (26 June 2020)

I suppose your view on this will very much depend on whether or not you like (or at least appreciate) the Eurovision Song Contest - much of the humour derives from decades of the subjugation of Europe by this: the epitome of campness, talentlessness, political bias and general tone deafness! If you do, then this will work; if not - then don't waste your time. Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams are good as a couple who ever since Abba won in 1974, have been inspired to take part in the competition, representing their home nation of Iceland. After an exhaustive selection process - involving a bin and some CDs - they find themselves auditioning and well... you can guess the rest. It swipes at just about everything from the corny looks/lyrics; huge - frequently calamitous - staging; dodgy judging and just about anything American but it also manages to tap into what makes the whole event work - it's gentle sense of national pride; of silliness - epitomised by a superbly smouldering Dan Stevens as "Alexander Lemtov", the gorgeous, super sleazy Russian candidate - who is clearly enjoying himself. Graham Norton (who hosts the real BBC coverage in the UK) is as taciturn as ever as the event is showcased in Edinburgh. It is not, however, particularly well written; the jokes are a bit low-brow and the romance between the two characters is, frankly, quite distracting from the point of the whole thing. I have to admit that it did take me a good half an hour to recognise Pierce Brosnan! Oddly enough, there just isn't enough music in it - but it is still fun, if forgettable