The name Eddie Edwards is synonymous with the British ski jumping team, which doesn’t say much for British ski jumping.
Some called his appearance at the 1988 Winter Olympics an embarrassment or a mockery, while others found it an uplifting example of perseverance. The crowd-pleasing biopic Eddie the Eagle leaves no mystery as to which side it’s on.
The story begins with Eddie’s working-class upbringing and his childhood aspirations of Olympic stardom. He’s physically and socially awkward, not to mention uncoordinated. “You are not an athlete,” his father explains bluntly.
Nevertheless, Eddie (Taron Egerton) eventually settles on ski jumping as his sport of choice, which is both ridiculous for its inherent dangers and smart because of its relatively easy path to qualify based on lack of competitors.
So Eddie brushes off the naysayers and begins training on his own in Germany, eventually finding a disgraced former American skier (Hugh Jackman) who believes in him enough to be his coach. As observers question his legitimacy, Eddie doesn’t care how many people try to tell him he can’t live out his dreams.
As directed by veteran British actor Dexter Fletcher, the film winds up taking on the same personality as its bumbling goofball of a subject — mostly amusing, frequently cheesy, abundantly dorky, and overall endearing. Reveling in quirks and nostalgia while overdosing on scrappy underdog clichés, rookie screenwriters Simon Kelton and Sean Macaulay offer a straightforward narrative approach with plenty of embellished details, shamelessly lacking in depth or subtlety.
Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service) conveys some charisma in the lead role, although the supporting characters are mostly stereotypes, including the trumped-up rivalry between Eddie and Finnish champion Matti Nykanen (Edvin Endre). Jim Broadbent has an amusing cameo as an announcer.
It’s not a spoiler to reveal that Eddie’s story isn’t one with a championship finale (it takes place at the same Olympics during which the similarly infamous Jamaican bobsled team made its debut, by the way), and it never gets anywhere near the podium. He’s more of a lovable loser than anything, with infectious enthusiasm and a cockeyed determination that’s somewhat inspiring.
Although it never comes close to the medal stand, Eddie the Eagle is a tribute to resilience and makes a convincing case that its subject exemplifies the Olympic spirit, even during his face-plants in the snow.
