Eddie The Eagle
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Stars: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Tom Costello
Duration: 106 mins
Class: PG
KRS Releasing Ltd

The 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary Canada featured an unlikely ski-jumping competitor in the guise of Michael ‘Eddie’ Edwards. A heavy-set, bespectacled young man, Eddie qualified for the Games on a wave of impressive self-belief, charisma and the defiance of the establishment that was determined to shut the door in his face.

Eddie the Eagle is his story and, from the outset I can say that it is the epitome of the sub-genre known as the ‘feel-good sports movie’. It boasts virtually every cliché in the book in its cast of characters and story itself; from its account of the protagonist’s humble beginnings to the triumphant, predictable end. It is a true tale of the underdog. It features not a ragtag bunch of misfits, but a solitary one and his coach, in the form of a disgraced former sports star who now seeks solace in the bottle. There is also the ridiculously good-looking, brilliant and highly obnoxious rival, and those in the higher echelons of the sport who want nothing to do with him.

As the story unfolds, we are regaled with details of the protagonist’s disadvantaged childhood; his lofty ambitions cheered on by his mother and wearily discouraged by his father; his chance meeting with the curmudgeon who will coach him and the unshakeable bond that develops between the two. We have the initial mishaps, followed by the inspirational training montage, the inevitable serious injury and setbacks and the build-up to the big event. It’s all there… and boy, does it work and I defy you not to pump your arm in the air in triumph as Eddie proves all his critics wrong in the final nail-biting moments.

The epitome of feel-good sports movie

That Eddie the Eagle works so well is down to the excellent screenplay by Sean Macaulay and Simon Kelton, which tells the story efficiently, warmly and engagingly, and also thanks to the film’s two stars – Taron Egerton as Eddie and fan favourite Hugh Jackman as his (fictional) coach Bronson Peary.

Rising star Egerton is superb in the title role, embodying Eddie’s indefatigable determination to become an Olympian; a determination that neither the physical disability he had as a child nor the many attempts by the British Olympic Committee to thwart his ambition would snuff out. A far cry from his tough, cocky breakout role in Kingsman: The Secret Service, Egerton captures Eddie’s resolve with honesty, heart and humour – crucially never playing Eddie for laughs, effortlessly bringing out instead the man’s remarkable, if unorthodox, approach to this most dangerous of sporting disciplines, becoming an unlikely figure of admiration along the way, a true hero for the everyman.

Egerton finds a terrific foil in Jackman’s Peary, the taciturn tough guy battling his own demons, whose initial and understandable reaction to this upstart is one of total disbelief and annoyance. But, very much like us the audience, he soon succumbs to Eddie’s charms. Playing a cantankerous man with a difficult past comes easy to Jackman, yet this is a fully-rounded, engaging performance, and there is something warm and utterly believable in the way the friendship and respect for his charge grows as he grudgingly guides him to the top tier of the sport. Literally.

Funny, poignant and exceptionally inspiring, Eddie the Eagle is a story that completely and absolutely epitomises the International Olympic Committee founder Baron de Coubertin’s celebrated quote that “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.” A true champion of a film.