Eddie the Eagle
Directed by: Dexter Fletcher
Written by: Sean Macaulay and Simon Kelton
Starring: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Jo Hartley, Rune Temte, Jim Broadbent, Edvin Endre, Christopher Walken
Biography/Comedy/Drama - 105 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 16 Feb 2016
Written by: Sean Macaulay and Simon Kelton
Starring: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Jo Hartley, Rune Temte, Jim Broadbent, Edvin Endre, Christopher Walken
Biography/Comedy/Drama - 105 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 16 Feb 2016
I am not confident I remember the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. I remember 1992’s Olympics in Albertville clear as day, but I’d be lying if I told you I could specifically recall Canada. Movies have had plenty of time to mythologize the ’88 games; remember Cool Runnings? Well, the Jamaican bobsled team were not the only unlikely heroes in the Olympics that year. There was also Michael “Eddie the Eagle” Edwards (Taron Egerton). It’s not just you; Eddie the Eagle is eerily similar to Cool Runnings, much more than just the setting. There is an underdog athlete, doubting countrymen back home, and an alcoholic coach with a sketchy past in the sport. It all makes for a very safe, inspirational story to watch with the kids. If you’re looking for higher quality material, you can find Miracle and Remember the Titans on DVD.
Within the first few minutes of Eddie the Eagle, it is already pounded into the audience Eddie is not a top tier athlete. His father (Keith Allen) wants Eddie to give up the pipe dream early on and accept what life has in store for him, drywall and plaster. The snooty British Olympic administration doesn’t even allow Eddie to try out for the downhill skiing team as Eddie lacks blue blood British pedigree and certainly didn’t attend the right school. We get it; Eddie will have no help and must progress through grit and determination. He will also have to succeed in a new sport; how about ski jumping?
Within the first few minutes of Eddie the Eagle, it is already pounded into the audience Eddie is not a top tier athlete. His father (Keith Allen) wants Eddie to give up the pipe dream early on and accept what life has in store for him, drywall and plaster. The snooty British Olympic administration doesn’t even allow Eddie to try out for the downhill skiing team as Eddie lacks blue blood British pedigree and certainly didn’t attend the right school. We get it; Eddie will have no help and must progress through grit and determination. He will also have to succeed in a new sport; how about ski jumping?
The mockery follows Eddie on his quest to become an Olympian at all costs. When Eddie arrives at the premier ski jumping training site in Garmisch, Germany, the Scandinavians accomplish their roles as naysayers, skeptics, and the laughing chorus. The local alcoholic maintenance man with a mysterious ski jumping past, Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman, Pan), warns Eddie not to kill himself and leave the jumping to the professionals. By the way, Hugh Jackman plays the most physically fit and put together alcoholic you will ever see on a movie screen.
Bronson Peary is also made up. The screenwriters knew someone had to be on Eddie’s side and created the troubled figure that just might help Eddie get over the hump. I have no doubt they looked at John Candy’s character from Cool Runnings, because other than the waistline, Jackman and Candy are playing the same guy. To make Bronson just a tad three dimensional, the looming presence of his old coach, Warren Sharp (Christopher Walken, Jersey Boys) hovers over the coaching sessions. I wonder if he’ll make a brief appearance?
Eddie the Eagle owes even more to Cool Runnings. Producer Matthew Vaughn was watching the family friendly bobsled movie and thought there should be more like it. The script, floating around Hollywood for 15 years or so, was easily acquired and Vaughn brought on his friend Dexter Fletcher to direct. Vaughn directed Kingsman: The Secret Service and X-Men: First Class, not drippy family fare; he correctly assumed Eddie the Eagle was not in his wheelhouse.
Fletcher worked with Director of Photography George Richmond to find the correct angles to show the audience just how fast and dangerous ski jumping can be. We stare at Eddie’s feet as he descends the ramp, view him from the side, and follow behind him. Matthew Vaughn stated, “Whoever invented ski jumping was insane. There’s no logical reason for doing it.” Observing some of Eddie’s catastrophes and tumbles, we are inclined to agree with Mr. Vaughn. It’s challenging to truly judge height and scale on a movie screen, but that 90 meter ski jump looks appropriately intimidating.
I am shocked Taron Egerton as Eddie is the kid from Kingsman. The two characters are so different from one another they could be separate species. Bravo to Egerton for pulling it off. We feel true sympathy for Eddie. It’s all contrived melodrama created by the filmmakers to make us feel this, but we still feel it. Eddie the Eagle remains a lesser ‘based on a true story’ tale, but it’s a safe and comfortable movie to settle on if the family needs to get out of the house.
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