The true story of Eddie the Eagle and his dream to be an Olympian, by becoming Britain’s first Ski Jumper for 50 years. How he overcomes everything to become an unlikely national hero.
With the unconditional support of his mum and discouragement of his dad, 10-year-old Michael “Eddie” Edwards (Taron Egerton) dreams of going to the Olympics. Fast Forward to his late teens and Eddie swaps dream to the Winter Olympics and becomes a successful Skier. Despite his success, Eddie is cut from the squad seemingly because of his working class roots. While his hopes are crushed, he decides to give it another go as a Ski Jumper an event the UK has not entered in over 50 years and heads to Germany to train.
Overcoming name calling and having to self-train Eddie successfully competes in 15m hill competition but is injured in his first attempt at the 40m hill. It after this he is befriended by Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman) the local drunk, part-time snow groomer and former American ski jumper. Peary initially encourages Eddie to quit but eventually reluctantly agrees to train Eddie if only to stop Eddie hurting himself further, and Eddie attempts to qualify for the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, Canada.
Despite his improvements, the British Olympic Committee change the qualification rules in the hope of keeping Eddie from the Calgary games. However, Eddies determination and Peary’s coaching ensure Eddie’s success and place in the games where while he has no hope of winning he can win the hearts of the public the world over.
I thoroughly enjoyed this simple but engaging film from director Dexter Fletcher. While a dramatised true story, it appears to keep close to the truth. Hugh Jackman’s character is a composite, but he is not overplayed, and Taron Egerton turns in a credible performance as Eddie the Eagle and character that could not be further from the role he played in Kingsmen.
Fletcher has kept the pace high, keeping the running time to 105mins, there is enough detail to allow their narrative to progress in this traditional tale of the triumph of the underdog. As is mentioned in Johnathan Romney’s Guardian review all the boxes are ticked Doting mum, discouraging Dad (an understated performance from Keith Allen), a washed up mentor and even a pantomime villain in the guise of Tim McInnery.
There maybe a touch of nostalgia for me in my appreciation of the film as I remember the real Eddie the Eagle and his antics at the Games. Whether an audience without a knowledge of the backstory will appreciate it the same, is hard to tell. This and the fact that Egerton performance is just edging on impression are my only criticisms.
Eddie the Eagle (2016)
Dir: Dexter Fletcher
Cast: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman
Released: March 2016 (UK)
