'Eddie the Eagle' Review

Eddie the Eagle tells the story of real life British Winter Olympian, Eddie Edwards, and his drive to participate in the Olympics and prove himself to not only Great Britain but the world. In preparing myself for the film, I did a little research and watched some interviews about the film with the real Eddie Edwards only to learn that there are entire characters created purely for the film along with some of the more tensioned relationships throughout the film, to add more drama to the film of course. I don't really take much issue with this but felt I should inform my readers of some of the inaccuracies in transferring this story to the big screen. Now, at it's surface, Eddie the Eagle may appear to be a typical inspiring sports biopic but it's so much more than that. I typically find these inspiring sports films to be cheesy and a tad lame, while remaining very quality films, but this is certainly not the case with Eddie the Eagle because the film has so much heart. The film's story strays from feeling derivative of other inspirational sports movies since the film's climax doesn't follow the stereotypical trope ending but does a remarkable job putting the audience in Eddie's shoes to show his perspective of his results. (I won't spoil whether he succeeds or not, especially since success can be stretched to a wide array of interpretation). The story's underlying themes and messages also make it quite unique incorporating a stance on bullying, trying your best, and proving yourself. Dexter Fletcher directs and knows just how to bring forward Eddie's feelings through a variety of elements including camera angles, cinematography, and music that manage to bring about suspense and joy. The camerawork is utilized best when Eddie is about to jump but skeptical about the outcome that's expressed perfectly through a first person point of view showing the slops through his eyes. One surprising element that certainly enhanced my experience was the film's score and use of music throughout. The score contains an 80's synth and pop to it that mixes with an inspirational melody to bring about some emotional moments. Music is that key element that helps make the emotional moments work and that's always been the case but it's utilized particularly well in Eddie the Eagle managing to move me to have a sly grin or tears of both joy or sadness. Speaking of which, the film is surprisingly filled with quite a bit of comic relief that I wan't expecting but certainly welcomed with arms wide open. The film's core cast, consisting of Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman,  
are terrific. Taron Egerton, one of the standouts from last year's Kingsman: The Secret Service, brings his A-game with a remarkably touching transformative performance as Eddie Edwards. Egerton doesn't turn Eddie's mannerisms into a caricature, but rather brings a lovable, innocent, dorky underdog everyone can root for onscreen. Hugh Jackman plays a fictional character created for the film as a former American Olympian, Bronson Peary, who was disgraced from ski-jumping and now a washed up drunk. Peary becomes Eddie's guide, mentor and coach but in reality Eddie didn't have a coach learning from many ski-jumpers as he practiced. Peary is created to make the film more compelling and give Eddie someone to converse with and even butt heads with at times. Jackman is perfect for this role and brings out a bit of his Wolverine persona at times. I was also very surprised to see Christopher Walken in a minor role critical to the narrative and he's pretty great as Peary's former coach. Aside from these three there aren't many other performances that are notable with the remaining characters relegated to smaller roles. The film's wonderful elements amount to a delightful, lighthearted, inspiring sports biopic that I'm sure audiences will love and Eddie the Eagle soars!

Film Assessment: A+