EDDIE THE EAGLE is fine. The story is fine. The performances are fine. It's all fine. It's one of those movies that are so inoffensive, so moderate in every aspect, that you'll no doubt find it enjoyable enough without feeling blown away when it's done. It's a biographical film about the Olympic dreams of Eddie Edwards (Taron Egerton) from director Dexter Fletcher. The movie opens with young Edwards practicing anything and everything that might lead to his eventual acceptance into the games and, when he's eventually denied membership on Britain's downhill skiing team, he decides to become the nation's first Olympic ski jumper to have competed in the event since the early twentieth century. Unfortunately, Edwards just isn't very good at it. He's repeatedly reminded that most ski jumpers begin training at the age of six, so his impatient persistence is more likely to lead to his bone-shattering death on the slope than Olympic glory. Egerton shines as Edwards, a vast turn from his breakout role as suave super spy-in-training Eggsy in KINGSMEN. Edwards is the epitome of awkwardness. What he lacks in skill, coordination, and common sense, he makes up for in determination; he tackles any challenge head-on with an aloof smile. He quickly realizes he's going to need some help if he plans on making it to Calgary in '88, so it's a stroke of luck that the alcoholic who maintains the training grounds in Germany happens to be Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman), former American ski jumping champion.
Peary isn't so keen on Edwards' chances. He does his best to warn him against what essentially amounts to suicide, but reluctantly agrees to train him when he realizes Edwards has no intention of walking away. Jackman is his usual charismatic self here. It's hard to hate the man, and his gruff alcoholic ski jumper is just a few claws and a blood lust away from being Wolverine from any Bryan Singer X-MEN film. Egerton and Jackman have great chemistry, so it makes it easier to swallow when the rest of the film settles for mediocrity. Here lies my biggest complaint with EDDIE THE EAGLE: it's nothing you haven't seen done before a hundred times in any generic biopic. An underdog aspires to greatness in whatever field; he finds a hesitant mentor who takes them under their wing; training montages galore; and it all leads up to the big game/match/competition when our hero finds glory and everyone goes home happy. This is EDDIE THE EAGLE in a nutshell. There is nothing here you won't see coming from a mile away, even if you're, as I was, totally unfamiliar with the real life source material. The director, Fletcher, doesn't really take any chances or try anything extraordinary with the material; he just lets the characters and ski jumping action speak for themselves. But it worked well enough to entertain me. As mentioned, Egerton and Jackman are a fun pairing, and the ski jumping scenes were more exciting than I had anticipated.
As I've found with previous movies on subjects I couldn't care less about (e.g. hockey in GOON, Formula-1 car racing in RUSH, etc.), I'm drawn deeper into the film from the glimpse into something I'd never cared to explore. Sure I've seen ski jumping on TV but I hadn't realized how brutal (or potentially life- ending) it can be. We're treated to a few spills, including one where a man lands so hard it's presumed he wouldn't walk again, so it builds the tension a bit before the movie's incorrigible peppiness erases any suspense with its super-saccharine vibe. This movie is just so happy. I guess it's supposed to be a reflection of Edwards' own attitude toward the whole thing. No matter how bleak the future or how terrifying the potential consequences, the movie forces you to face it with a gleeful smile thanks to Edwards' never-ceasing optimism (and some help from the movie's perky, 80's synth soundtrack). You never doubt that Edwards will find his Olympic glory (otherwise I doubt there'd be much of a movie and, if there were, it wouldn't be so punishingly cheerful) but I'm glad in that it didn't come to pass as I'd expected. In what was the only instance in which the movie zigged when I expected it to zag, the finale in Calgary doesn't go as I expected. Again, probably because I had no idea who Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards was before sitting down for this film. Winter Olympics enthusiasts won't have that luxury, I suppose, as they know where it's going.
It's hard to dislike EDDIE THE EAGLE. It does its best to prevent you from it. It's infectious. There's nothing here that really stands out but it's an entertaining 100 minutes or so. I wouldn't recommend you go out of your way for it but if you're clicking through cable TV on a lazy afternoon and you happen to find it, I doubt it'll let you down.
Peary isn't so keen on Edwards' chances. He does his best to warn him against what essentially amounts to suicide, but reluctantly agrees to train him when he realizes Edwards has no intention of walking away. Jackman is his usual charismatic self here. It's hard to hate the man, and his gruff alcoholic ski jumper is just a few claws and a blood lust away from being Wolverine from any Bryan Singer X-MEN film. Egerton and Jackman have great chemistry, so it makes it easier to swallow when the rest of the film settles for mediocrity. Here lies my biggest complaint with EDDIE THE EAGLE: it's nothing you haven't seen done before a hundred times in any generic biopic. An underdog aspires to greatness in whatever field; he finds a hesitant mentor who takes them under their wing; training montages galore; and it all leads up to the big game/match/competition when our hero finds glory and everyone goes home happy. This is EDDIE THE EAGLE in a nutshell. There is nothing here you won't see coming from a mile away, even if you're, as I was, totally unfamiliar with the real life source material. The director, Fletcher, doesn't really take any chances or try anything extraordinary with the material; he just lets the characters and ski jumping action speak for themselves. But it worked well enough to entertain me. As mentioned, Egerton and Jackman are a fun pairing, and the ski jumping scenes were more exciting than I had anticipated.
As I've found with previous movies on subjects I couldn't care less about (e.g. hockey in GOON, Formula-1 car racing in RUSH, etc.), I'm drawn deeper into the film from the glimpse into something I'd never cared to explore. Sure I've seen ski jumping on TV but I hadn't realized how brutal (or potentially life- ending) it can be. We're treated to a few spills, including one where a man lands so hard it's presumed he wouldn't walk again, so it builds the tension a bit before the movie's incorrigible peppiness erases any suspense with its super-saccharine vibe. This movie is just so happy. I guess it's supposed to be a reflection of Edwards' own attitude toward the whole thing. No matter how bleak the future or how terrifying the potential consequences, the movie forces you to face it with a gleeful smile thanks to Edwards' never-ceasing optimism (and some help from the movie's perky, 80's synth soundtrack). You never doubt that Edwards will find his Olympic glory (otherwise I doubt there'd be much of a movie and, if there were, it wouldn't be so punishingly cheerful) but I'm glad in that it didn't come to pass as I'd expected. In what was the only instance in which the movie zigged when I expected it to zag, the finale in Calgary doesn't go as I expected. Again, probably because I had no idea who Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards was before sitting down for this film. Winter Olympics enthusiasts won't have that luxury, I suppose, as they know where it's going.
It's hard to dislike EDDIE THE EAGLE. It does its best to prevent you from it. It's infectious. There's nothing here that really stands out but it's an entertaining 100 minutes or so. I wouldn't recommend you go out of your way for it but if you're clicking through cable TV on a lazy afternoon and you happen to find it, I doubt it'll let you down.