We might never have taken the Eurovision Song Contest terribly seriously in the UK – but with British Ted Neeley lookalike Sam Ryder winning second place last year and the staging of this year’s event in Liverpool, some are singing to a different tune.
This year’s UK entry comes from Mae Muller – ‘I Wrote a Song’ is a serviceable enough generic toe-tapper, but no ‘Puppet on a String’ (Sandie Shaw, 1967 winner) if you ask me. Or even ‘Ooh Aah… Just a Little Bit’, Gina G’s 1996 banger that claimed eighth place in the contest.
Ahead of tomorrow night’s final, here are ten movies to get you in the mood for Eurovision 2023 – films where the plucky underdog (almost always) triumphs.
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020) – Netflix
There are a fair few pleasures to be found in Will Ferrell’s giddy tribute to Eurovision, including memorable songs written by the Swedish duo Holter & Persson, a luminous Edinburgh setting and a gloriously OTT performance by Dan Stevens. Aging Icelandic wannabe popstar Lars Erickssong (Ferrell) and Sigrit Ericksdóttir (Rachel McAdams) are the only hope for Iceland at Eurovision when the nation’s other contestants are blown up in a boat party ‘accident’. Ferrell’s genuine affection for the contest was encouraged by his Swedish wife, actress Viveca Paulin, as he watched the 1999 final with her, when her country won with Charlotte Nilsson’s ‘Take Me to Your Heaven’. My favourite part of the movie? Iceland’s (unseen) homicidal elves, who perform a (literally) life-saving service for Lars.
One Chance (2013) – Amazon Rent/Buy
Devil Wears Prada director David Frankel made an odd career choice in helming One Chance, the ‘inspirational’ biopic of would-be opera singer Paul Potts, winner of the first season of Britain’s Got Talent in 2007. Much of what you make of this film will depend on your tolerance of James Corden, who throws himself into the role of Potts, even donning a clown costume to mime Pott’s rendition of ‘Vesti la giubba’ from Ruggero Leoncavallo’s 1892 opera Pagliacci. One for Corden enthusiasts only, I may suggest. Although produced by Simon Cowell, he surprisingly only features in archive footage, rather than acting in the movie. Small mercies and all that.
Pitch Perfect (2012) – Amazon Rent/Buy
Jason Moore’s a cappella contest sleeper hit proved both a critical and financial success. Acting honours went primarily to Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson as members of all-female group the Barden Bellas, competing against male college rivals the Barden Treblemakers in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella final. Making $115.4 million on a $17 million budget, the musical comedy naturally spawned two sequels, Pitch Perfect 2 (2015 and $287.5 million at the box office) and Pitch Perfect 3 (2017, $185.4 million).
In November last year, TV series Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin debuted on Peacock in the US, starring the original movie’s Treblemaker leader Adam Devine reprising his role as Bumper Allen. A second season was commissioned in January.
Brassed Off (1996) – Amazon Rent/Buy
The success of Mark Herman’s movie saw a brief resurgence of interest in colliery brass band music, set as it is during the wave of pit closures a decade after the 1984-85 miners’ strike and the upcoming National Brass Band Final at the Royal Albert Hall. All pretty much standard ‘grim up north’ fare, but the picture was a modest hit, buoyed by the committed performances of a cast that includes Ewan McGregor, Pete Postlethwaite, Tara Fitzgerald and Jim Carter.
Rock Star (2001) – Amazon Rent/Buy
Not a contest as such, but the story of a tribute band singer (Mark Wahlberg) auditioning for the role of actual frontman when the real lead quits the group. Loosely based on the true story of ‘Ripper’ Owens, who replaced Judas Priest’s (‘Breaking the Law’) Rob Halford when he left the band, Rock Star is amiable enough entertainment, but entirely predictable. Cast members include Timothy Spall as the roadie for Wahlberg’s fictional group Steel Dragon; four years earlier he played bass player David ‘Beano’ Baggot in rock dramedy Still Crazy. Incidentally, in 2007, Journey (of ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ fame) recruited Filipino tribute singer Arnel Pineda to replace lead vocalist/writer Steve Perry. Pineda is still with the group.
Bandslam (2009) – NOW
Todd Graff’s ‘battle of the bands’ picture is only really notable for one thing: being the final on-screen film appearance of David Bowie before his death in 2016. He makes a cameo in an upbeat coda, offering to sign losing band I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On. ‘I really like your band. You know, I’m starting an indie label,’ he emails pop-punk band singer ‘Sa5m’ (Vanessa Hudgens). Since the song that grabbed his attention on YouTube is a bland sub-Dylan tune, one wonders why he bothered.
Joyful Noise (2012) – Amazon Rent/Buy
Graff returned with another musical competition drama in 2012 – this time about a threatened small town church choir hoping to win the national USA amateur ‘Joyful Noise’ competition. If you enjoy hackneyed ‘against the odds’ entertainment, Joyful Noise could well be the movie for you; luxuriate in the proceedings with a company that includes Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Jeremy Jordan, Courtney B. Vance and Kris Kristofferson.
About a Boy (2002) – Amazon Rent/Buy
American Pie’s Paul and Chris Weitz directed this effective adaptation of Nick Hornby’s 1998 novel, featuring Hugh Grant’s best film performance to date. Not a music competition movie as such – until the end, when Grant’s Will Freeman rescues bogus son Marcus (Nicholas Hoult, also excellent) during his excruciating rendition of Roberta Flack’s ‘Killing Me Softly’ at his school talent show.
American Dreamz (2006) – Amazon Rent/Buy
Hugh Grant teamed up again with About a Boy’s Paul Weitz for this satirical misfire, where he plays nasty TV talent show judge Martin ‘Tweedy’ Tweed. According to Weitz, Tweed is not a takedown of Simon Cowell, but a portrait of Grant himself, ‘a depressive, morbid but really funny, cynical guy… too egotistical to have any other judges’. American Dreamz throws a thinly veiled George W. Bush simulacrum (Dennis Quaid as hapless POTUS Joseph Staton) and suicide bombers into the mix, which may be seen as over-egging the plot.
Teen Spirit (2018) – Amazon Rent/Buy
A distinct change of tone for my last choice: Max Minghella’s tale of Violet (The Great’s Ellie Fanning), a shy teenager with aspirations to be a singer, fuelling dreams to escape her depressing Isle of Wight home. When Croatian former opera singer (he says) Vlad (Triangle of Sadness’s Zlatko Burić) sees Violet perform in a dingy bar, her journey to the Teen Spirit UK contest final begins. Teen Spirit follows a clichéd route, but benefits from sincere performances from the cast and an enjoyably earnest approach to the material.
If you’re in the mood for more music contest motion pictures, you may want to take a peek at School of Rock (2003), Sing (the Oscar-winning Hungarian short from 2016), Song for Marion (2012), family-friendly The One I Wrote for You (2014), and Eurovision-themed Swedish picture Once in a Lifetime (2000). And of course, Damien Chazelle’s (Babylon) mighty Whiplash (2014), which is, at its heart, the story of a gutsy musical performer winning out at the end.
Comments