Eddie the Eagle

Back when Michael Edwards was competing in the Olympics, I was pretty crazy about ski jumpers as a fan, so Eddie the Eagle is a very fond memory of the years of my youth. Probably what I appreciate most is the lightness and wit with which it is shot, which is not very common in sports films. I would like to say a few words about the cast. Taron Egerton played the lead role with honor and was very believable. Now, I'm finally getting to Hugh Jackman, who I've never really liked. However, the role of the coach was probably tailor-made for him, and I liked him in it. I may have to rethink my relationship with him. Here, his charisma splashed out of him in all directions and I can't let that go unnoticed... (05/18/2020)

The film could hardly surprise me as I had watched Eddie Edwards at the Calgary Olympics, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a great film about a great man. I remember watching his efforts at the Olympics on TV. I couldn't help laughing. Interestingly, I didn't laugh at Eddie, I laughed with Eddie and the film brought that feeling back. You just can't dislike the man; I think he did more for the sport than many a champion. I had fun and enjoyed some nostalgic memories. (07/13/2016)

The famous Calgary Olympics did not only have the Jamaican bobsledders, but also – of course – the English ski jumper Eddie Eagle Edwards. And just like the Jamaican bobsledders, he was able to draw all the attention to himself and this movie is about that. I liked the way this movie tells Eddie’s story with absolutely no embellishments. Eddie is introduced as a sort of a silly dreamer who wants to get to the Olympics, so he learns to ski jump in a year and somehow qualifies for the Olympics. In a single year. He must have really embarrassed all the professional ski jumpers who have been training since they were 6 years old; he truly did, in all his splendor. And the amazing drunkard Hugh Jackman has helped him so well that I had the feeling like I was watching Cool Runnings for the first time. That’s also why the Jamaican flag was mentioned in one of the scenes, because the most important thing isn’t really winning, but taking part. And even though the athletes have it complicated, the flying Finn said it very nicely at the end of the movie. (11/07/2016)

So even ski jumping has its own "Rudy". The funny and determined Eddie Egerton and his moustache will grow on you from his first childhood attempts to win an Olympic medal. The first priority here is fun, the filmmakers correctly understood that trying to push the dramatic envelope with a storyline where the protagonist breaks funny records all the time would not be the happiest way to go. Thanks to this, the film has a drive that doesn't lose even towards the end. Featuring a central musical motif from the early Zimmer days when Eddie entertained the world at the Olympics, it will entertain you just as well today. (03/27/2016)

A silly family story about a moron following his dream. It's hard to see what this is actually doing in A-list filmmaking, because you're not going to get a more clichéd story this year. Hugh Jackman's character is utterly predictable and, more importantly, severely boring and uninteresting. Taron Egerton plays someone that is supposed to be endearing and we are supposed to sympathise with him, but it doesn't happen. The attempt to recreate the non-confrontational attitude and lightweight drama of Cool Runnings is eye-rolling and annoying, because this patchwork has neither charm nor a interesting story. The only thing that saves it from a total collapse are a few good moments and a really novel ski jumping theme. (06/11/2016)