Eddie Edwards is well known as Eddie the Eagle in England due to his crazy attempts at the Ski Jump and making it to the Olympics. It all started when he was a child and told to give up sport but he always dreamed of one day being an Olympian.
This is something I had heard about (due to a lot of studying of sport) but I never really knew a massive amount of details mainly about his determination to be an Olympian and how it stemmed from his childhood. The film was therefore inspiring at times, that doesn’t mean it’s going to make you want to be a Ski Jumper really from those heights on skis?
I heard an interview with the real Eddie last week which explained that Hugh Jackman’s role of the coach Bronson Peary is totally fictional. Yet made up of many of the coaches Edwards worked with on his way to the Olympics. I think that changed my approach to the film being a coach myself to realize that it wasn’t based on just one coach. Slightly disappointing as he does have some fantastic moments, but I guess they needed the film to work in a better way. Not taking anything away from Jackman he is back in my good books after this performance.
Taron Egerton took on the lead role of Eddie and he was incredible. Truly taking the character and when you see the old photographs at the end his facial expressions are truly spot on. He is certainly a young actor to really watch and see what he does next. I thought his portrayal was endearing and you could not help but like and root for the unappreciated Brit. He became a joke when no one really accepted him in the sport, despite the massive amount of effort he put in. Although the old woman sat behind me in the cinema clearly got carried away thinking it was real and not a film clapping for him competing in the Olympics! The less said about her the better although does that show how lost you could possibly get in the film?
From a sport and coaching background I really do love seeing different training montages in sports films. It really does show how many training methods are the same and then which are specific to a different sport. With also a coach/athlete relationship, we do get a good one to watch in this film. It always seems that the athlete has to prove themselves to the person who doesn’t want to coach though!
The 1988 Winter Olympics was certainly an incredible event as those incredible Jamician bobsleighers were present as well. I just wish I wasn’t one year old at the time, must have been something else. So a second film about that Olympic competition!?! Some year!
The mainly British cast with actors you know expect to see whenever a British film is released are all present a special mention has to go to Jim Broadbent perfectly taking on the role of a commentator. But from the American side Christopher Walken in a somewhat small role, maybe even considered a cameo? Always steals a scene that man!
Overall the film certainly does have a massive heart and that is something that you cannot help but love about this type of film. The whole silly Englishman thing seemed to be a very common occurrence and I imagine that was all based very much on the truth. I certainly have no interest in ever trying to do a ski jump it really does look like one of the craziest sporting events you could possibly take part in!
