Eddie the Eagle
"You're Eddie the Eagle...Just fly!" -Bronson Peary
Eddie the Eagle is the new sports biopic directed by Dexter Fletcher (Wild Bill, Sunshine on Leith) and stars Taron Egerton as Eddie Edwards, Hugh Jackman as Bronson Peary, Jo Hartley as Janette (Eddie's mother), Keith Allen as Terry (Eddie's father), Iris Berben as Petra, Tim McInnerny, and Christopher Walken as Warren Sharp.
Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!
Eddie the Eagle is about Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards, an aspiring British athlete whose one dream is to just participate in the Winter Olympics. He's been told that he won't amount to anything throughout his life, even from those closest to him. However, one day he finds the sport of Ski Jumping and commits to it. The one problem is that the British Olympic committee doesn't want him to do it because he is the only Ski Jumper and to send people to the Olympics, they would have to use a lot of money. They keep making up rules for him to overcome, but with determination, Eddie finds his way to be the only British Ski Jumper at the Winter Olympics. How does he place? Does he do well? Do any serious injuries happen to him? Go watch it! It's worth your time to figure out.
"Might as well jump! Go ahead an' jump!" -Van Halen
One more thing that really worked, even though the story was repetitive as can be, is the writing. It was funny when it needed to be or could have and it was serious when it was appropriate to be. The tone might have seemed somewhat ridiculous, but that was Eddie's training; It was ridiculous. Apparently his training, in real life, consisted of him jumping off rooftops since he there was no snow where he lived, and many more weird routines for practicing. It definitely shows in the kind of things he did in the movie. Then there were the scenes when Eddie was hurt physically and emotionally. You can feel for the guy since he isn't a professional athlete. He's a normal everyday guy who sees the bright side in his failures of doing what he wants to do more than anything. Honestly, I choked up a little during some scenes. I never really realized, in my own personal life, that different doesn't mean bad.
Calm down, Hugh! I liked it, I didn't love it!
Eddie the Eagle has a good amount of things going for it, but the best has to be my favorite newcomer in Hollywood, Taron Egerton. This guy is a star. I first saw him in Kingsman: The Secret Service in 2014, which I believe put him on the map. He was amazing then and he's amazing now. However, in Kingsman, he portrayed a completely different character than he did in Eddie the Eagle. In Kingsman, he was a reckless and badass spy, while in Eddie the Eagle he's a bullied, yet determined and funny athlete. I actually saw a couple of interviews of Eddie coming off of his Olympic appearance in Calgary and Taron resembled his persona extraordinarily well. He's likable-- no. He's lovable. You root for him all the way through his eventual final slope, for which he doesn't even place in the top 3. He actually finishes last. I don't consider this a spoiler because history already has recognized this. This actually happened. The reason this movie exists is solely based on Eddie's charismatic demeanor. He was excited about just being at the epic games and being the only representative of Britain for the downhill skiing event. He pumped up the crowds for every turn he got. Honestly, Eddie the Eagle would have not been anything but a brush on the shoulder if it weren't for the charming Eddie Edwards played by the talented Taron Egerton.
Unfortunately, Eddie Edwards never had a Hugh Jackman on his team.
Like any other sports movie/biopic, Eddie the Eagle has to be an inspirational tale. It goes through the same kind of steps that we all know from a sports movie: a kid has dreams of becoming an athlete at a championship, he/she tries the sport and can't seem to do it well, he/she finds a coach who fell off the map from their heyday in said sport, the coach trains him/her (with a montage), he/she runs into trouble pertaining to entering or going to the championship of said sport, he/she goes and eventually proves his/her worth in the sport. This all happens in Eddie the Eagle. Not to say it's necessarily a bad thing because Eddie the Eagle does it fairly well. Again, it all goes back to the protagonist of the story, Eddie Edwards. A little side note: Hugh Jackman as Bronson Peary is fine, and that's it. He's fine as a washed up coach, but he seems to not be able to add much to an already repetitive story that we've seen. If nothing else, Eddie the Eagle doesn't butcher the tropes of a sports movie. It just doesn't really amplify them either.
"Might as well jump! Go ahead an' jump!" -Van Halen
It's not a true sports movie if there isn't some sort of Van Halen song!
One more thing that really worked, even though the story was repetitive as can be, is the writing. It was funny when it needed to be or could have and it was serious when it was appropriate to be. The tone might have seemed somewhat ridiculous, but that was Eddie's training; It was ridiculous. Apparently his training, in real life, consisted of him jumping off rooftops since he there was no snow where he lived, and many more weird routines for practicing. It definitely shows in the kind of things he did in the movie. Then there were the scenes when Eddie was hurt physically and emotionally. You can feel for the guy since he isn't a professional athlete. He's a normal everyday guy who sees the bright side in his failures of doing what he wants to do more than anything. Honestly, I choked up a little during some scenes. I never really realized, in my own personal life, that different doesn't mean bad.
The real Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards feeling on top of the world!
I can't say for certain that everyone will love the movie, but I can say that you'll walk out of the theater with a big smile on your face. Yes, Eddie the Eagle has many of the same moments you've seen in an inspirational sports film. However, you're along for the ride through Eddie's struggles and accomplishments. I even learned a thing or two about perseverance, focus, and keeping things light. Eddie the Eagle might not win you over in terms of overall story, but the down-to-Earth Eddie is what makes the movie so vibrant.
3.7/5
PRO
- Taron Egerton's Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards
- Inspirational message
- Eddie's training process is ridiculous and funny
- Repetitive sports story
- Doesn't add too much else to keep itself distinct from other sports movies
Eddie the Eagle is rated PG-13 for some suggestive material, partial nudity, and smoking
Click here to watch the trailer
Eddie the Eagle is in now in theaters everywhere
