Where is the core of American culture?
As two dazzling lighthouses on the east and west coasts of the United States, Los Angeles and New York naturally play a decisive role in the external and internal output of cultural products-the notorious PC policy is indeed carried forward here-but the essence of American culture has never been Leaving the American town on the plains of North America. Flyover Country or Silent Majority, the spiritual home of Americans, is still a diligent duty in the Midwest, a paradise that has been neglected and strives to maintain the original spiritual appearance of the United States.
When the superheroes are no longer satisfied with the killing of the earth, and Tom Cruise is about to rush into space, the "Stranger Things" and "Cry Clown" re-examine the small town culture that fades out of the center of Hollywood-this is the same as the 90s The globalization process since then has nothing to do with it—different from the “overhead” social picture described by elitism, progressivism, and post-materialism, an orderly town still has valuable and practical social value, which is universal The ideal embodiment of appropriate moral standards.
This calm life paradigm is often an excellent background for horror films and thrillers: isolation from the world, different opinions. But this kind of "difference" does not always mean "evil"; one of the important labels of small town culture is the simplicity that is often used by comedy movies and is opposed to modern cities. Backed by simple values, "early heart" is not just a cliché and unattainable synonym, but a silent praise to the ordinary daily life that is not valued.
The love for the ordinary is the love for life itself; in the post-COVID-19 era, people's desire for ordinary life is obviously better than before.
【Overview】
Among SNL’s direct lineages, Will Ferrell’s producer status seems to be far more successful than the (critically criticized) comedian status. In his film career for more than 20 years, most of Will Ferrell’s screen roles have revolved around the crisis of middle age-although the crisis is not the middle-aged person in the traditional sense, but the "flying over the future" style. Manbaby (eg, "Christmas Elf", "Prison Education", and the disastrous "Holmes and Watson") with a huge blind spot in one aspect, and even the physical defects of "Daddy Alone" and others can be roughly classified Such.
But as one of the few comedians who can continue to star in film works, he doesn't seem to be as shit as he looks: his long-term partner Adam McKay has obviously contributed a lot to it. The satirical nature of Will Ferrell’s films has always been largely related to Adam McKay’s participation. The early "Ace Announcer" and "Non-Brothers" all had relatively serious themes, while "Second-rate Detective" had more serious themes. It was 5 years before the debut of "Big Short", the subprime mortgage crisis was mixed into a Buddy Cop spoof film. While Adam McKay gradually turned to more serious subjects, Will Farrell seemed to have encountered a mid-life crisis that he couldn't be more familiar with.
But Will Farrell is not Adam Sandler or Kevin James. He suffered a filmless episode 10 years ago and returned to Hollywood from Spanish films like "Your Dad's House". From the mainstream perspective, the situation now is obviously much better than it was in the past. In the past five years or so, he has adopted a circuitous and conservative strategy: despite the lack of inspiration and irony, the sequel and the "mental remake" of the earlier works can smoothly pass the low ebb of creation.
【Production】
In many respects, "Eurovision Song Contest: Legend of Fire" is an extension of Will Farrell's early comedy films: duo, the musical dream of "Non-Brothers", "Blade of Honor" and "Night of Talladega:" Ricky Bobby’s Ballad and the "Semi-Professional Player" competition background. But perhaps it is EuroVision's slightly exaggerated performance (and its first discontinuation due to COVID-19 in 64 years). This setting unexpectedly has an interesting reaction with Will Farrell’s comedy performance. Mistakes added a sense of irony that didn't exist in the story. Similar to similar comedy movies (Nights at Talladega and Never Stop: The Story of David Cox), Eurovision Song Contest is also potentially cult through its reinterpretation of subcultures.
"Eurovision Song Contest" makes good use of director David Dawkin's ("Wedding Proud") rich experience in MV-especially the best passage of the whole film "Song Solitaire", smooth scheduling and editing It highlights the absurdity of this plot and also represents the overall tone of the movie. Screenwriting is still the shortcoming of Will Ferrell's movies. SNL senior screenwriter Andrew Steele balances the film’s slack and rhythmic sense of comedy to a certain extent. This pair of Will Ferrell often changes partners. Riel is very important, and her partner Julia Louis-Drifas ("Vice President")'s "Deteriorating" is clearly unacceptable-so can Rachel McAdams ("Game Night"), who starred twice in the comedy Easily take on the heavier part of the scene. However, many of the empty laughs can be directly removed or added (if you keep the existing cast), such as all the shots of Pierce Brosnan’s sleepwalking, such as the two protagonists who do not call insist on the siblings/couples Time wasting on stalks, such as the mysterious nature of big cousin Dan Stevens-not only unnecessary, but even hurting the plot.
Fortunately, the European setting of "Europe Song Contest", especially the magnificent scenery of Iceland, played a good role in adjusting the loose plot, and it also aroused the audience's interest in the real "Europe Song Contest".
【Performance】
"Eurovision Song Contest" is one of the few Will Farrell comedies where Will Farrell retreats second, but it works: because in most cases, the success of the film’s laughter comes from Yu Rachel McAdams's perfect comedy performance has a good grasp of the timing of the laugh, and can credibly convey the behavior full of innocence with natural performance. The only problem is as mentioned above. The film failed to portray the romantic relationship between the two protagonists. It doesn’t make much sense to the story. The actors themselves don’t seem to eat this set of settings. In the end, it was only given to the completely boring Pierce Brosnan. Forcibly adding drama, the relationship between the two staying on brothers and sisters or friends is completely enough.
To some extent, Will Ferrell's screen image has always been the embodiment of the "American spirit": it is just the most intractable and self-righteous part, mediocre and lacking in self-knowledge. As far as Will Farrell is concerned, although his output of works in the past ten years has been stable, it is not very interesting. The most interesting film and television works are the two American dramas "Babylon's Fall" and "Dying Trophy." Two years after the rotted "Holmes and Watson", this can be regarded as his comeback again. Although it is still the skill and routine of pretending to be stupid, it is still a lot lower than the earlier works such as "Non-Brothers", and it is closer to a real character with a string, rather than a pretentious harlequin.
But the real eye-catcher is naturally the big cousin Dan Stevens. As the second villain after "Call of the Wild", Alexander's image is more complicated, and he easily took away all the shots, making the movie more interesting. His Russian accent is more credible than the Icelandic accents of the two protagonists, and his sultry singing and dancing performance is one of the most unmissable highlights of the whole movie.
But what distinguishes Eurovision Song Contest from other Will Ferrell films is the seriousness of the film’s music and themes. Although spoof songs were Will Farrell's masterpiece during the SNL period, "Europe Song Contest" is not a satire of pop music. Like "Never Stop", it has professional requirements for each song, so I don't hesitate to find a career. Singer lip-synch to enhance perception. The dislocation of artistic level and content not only contributes to the laughter, but also a direct interpretation of the theme: a remote town in a corner of Europe, the leader who wants the protagonist to lose the game, is full of local (and seafood) atmosphere, and is full of local (and seafood) atmosphere. "Old guys with unusual preferences, they are more worthy of the most dazzling national style of Flame Legends than the bizarre mansion bodies.
【Summarize】
The fleeting year of 2020 is unfavorable, and people begin to cherish comedy more appreciate comedy-at least comedy with potential. "Eurovision Song Contest", like many modern comedies (and most Netflix movies), has the problem of being too long. It seems that you can't see people in less than two hours; this also makes the movie seem a bit bloated and lengthy, and it is forced to fill the scene. It didn't have a good effect, but it was a bit an eye-catching effect. But as the most standard comedy movie so far in 2020-this is already higher than most Netflix comedies (eg, "The True Memoirs of the International Assassin" and "Ibiza"). The previous one can reach this level. Or Jennifer Aniston's "Murder Mystery"-the focus and the charm of the actors made this movie a surprise.
【related suggestion】
"Never Stop: The Story of David Cox"
"Night of Talladega: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby"
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