Review of Eddie the Eagle (2016) by Leon B — 11 Nov 2016

Review:

This biopic was everything that I expected! The performances were great from Egerton and Jackman, who made this inspiring story witty and quite emotional in places but I did find it to be a bit safe. As a young boy, Eddie Edwards (Taron Egerton) was determined to go to the Olympics but after failing at numerous events, he finally attempts to become the first British Olympic Ski-jumper, with the help of his loving mum Janette (Jo Hartley), who always supported him, to achieve his dream. His father, Terry (Keith Allen) thinks that his dreams are far fetched, and he wants him to make an honest living by joining the family business but Eddie has ideas of his own. He decides to travel to Germany to pursue his dream as a Ski-jumper but the Norwegian team constantly belittles him, mainly because he hasn't had any training or experience jumping. He then gets some help from Petra (Iris Berben), who gives him a job in her bar, and a roof over his head, and she points him in the right direction to get some training. Experienced ski-jumper, Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman), works on the ski resort, and is approached by Eddie to train him but after having a bad experience in the Olympic event, he has turned to alcohol and he has turned his back on the sport. Eddie eventually persuades Bronson to become his trainer, and together they achieve more than expected. Its a true zero to hero type of story, and it's always great to see the underdog achieve his goals. The chemistry between Egerton and Jackman was great and some of the ski jumps looked amazing, especially Jackman?s first jump but the movie is very predictable and quite corny in places. You can't help rooting for the young dreamer, who really had the odds stacked up against him but it proves that you really can achieve your dreams, if you truly do believe. It did amaze me how quick he was able to do the big jumps, and the fact that no one was there to warn him about the dangers of achieving such heights but with that aside, you can't help leaving this film without a smile on your face. Enjoyable!

Round-Up:

This inspiring movie was directed by Dexter Fletcher, who brought you Wild Bill and Sunshine on Leith but he came in the public eye in the popular series, to The Press Gang in 1989. He had small roles in movies like Bugsy Malone in 1976, The Long Good Friday in 1980, the Elephant Man, The Bounty, Revolution, Lionheart, The Man Who Knew Too Little, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Layer Cake, Doom, Stardust, Kick Ass and various UK TV series. With so much experience in the movie business, he knew how to bring this feel good movie to the big screen, and the mixture of wit and intense drama, was definitely felt throughout but it did feel a bit silly in places, and it could have done with some more serious moments. With that aside, it's still a feel good movie which has an inspiring concept, so if your feeling down, it's a good pick-me-up.

Budget: $23million.

Worldwide Gross: $46million.

I recommend this movie to people who are into their biography/drama/comedies, starring Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Jo Hartley, Keith Allen, Dickon Tolson, Mark Benton, Tim McInnerny, Jim Broadbent, Christopher Walken and Mark Benjamin. 6/10.