“Similar to Triple 9, I tried to make myself not care about this movie. It was being released the weekend I’d be out of town for my bday, so I’d have to catch up on it later. I made it all the way to a few days before its release until I decided that no really, I kinda wanted to see this. What can I say, I’m a sucker for a feelgood underdog sports movie. Also, I just loved the camaraderie between stars Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton. I just think it’s fantastic how Jackman took the newbie under his wing, and they did the full press tour together. I’ve also admitted to being a sucker for youTube clips of late night talk shows. I think it was their round of Catch Phrase with Jimmy Fallon that ultimately won me over.
But a big part of why I make such an effort to see movies opening weekend is that it’s infinitely easier than catching up later. I had every intention of seeing it the following week, but the times just didn’t place nice with anything else I had my eye on. I chanced it by pushing it out another week, but by then it was already disappearing slowly. When looking at the next weekend’s picks, there was a very specific chain of events that had to happen in order for me to see it. Short of skipping a yoga class or going at an inopportune time, the training class I was taking Thur and Fri had to end early enough on Thur that I could go to the early yoga class and see Cloverfield. And then Fri had to get out even earlier to go to that day’s early yoga and then run to Eddie. If Thur didn’t happen, I wasn’t gonna push off Cloverfield. If Fri didn’t happen, well, that was Eddie’s last chance. Long story short, God or somebody wanted me to see this movie because both semi-long shots happened
Right so it’s your typical “”Mighty Ducks”” story, as I like to refer to this subgenre. This time the sport is ski jumping, specifically in the Olympics. We follow real life Eddie Edwards (Egerton), a scrawny and klutzy kid in England whose lifelong dream is to compete in the Olympics. He doesn’t even care which event, he just wants to be there. After various failures, he discovers a bit of a loophole. England hasn’t had a ski jumper in decades, so he only needs to prove himself vaguely competent at the sport to get a chance. He forms an unlikely team with former misfit ski jumper, American Bronson Peary (Jackman). Challenges, obstacles, blah blah blah, triumph of the human spirit.
I know I’m not the only sucker for these movies, or why else would there be more and more released every year? We like these because they’re positive. They make us feel good and give us something to cheer about. Eddie’s no exception. What makes each of these films stand out from each other is the characters, and Eddie has more heart than the entire squad of Ducks put together. Watching the movie, I didn’t care that I’ve basically seen this a hundred times before, and there was little new offered here. Instead I had a big doofy grin every time he landed a jump.
Egerton is certainly someone to keep an eye on in years to come. After a smashing debut in last year’s Kingsman, and learning from Colin Firth in Kingsman and Jackman now, boy’s gonna be someone for Hollywood to reckon with. His Eddie was as much a physical performance as an emotional one. Not just in the athletic sense, but in the facial expressions and physicality. One day this kid is gonna get a real meaty role to work with, and I expect to be blown away. He’s not there yet, but this is certainly a step in the right direction for him.
Eddie the Eagle – \m/ \m/ \m/”