Eddie the Eagle is a biopic about British ski jumper Michael “Eddie”
Edwards, nicknamed by the media as “Eddie the Eagle” during the 1988 Winter
Olympics. It follows how Eddie, though
he lacked the athleticism and talent, persevered to reach his ultimate dream of
participating in the Olympics despite the others’ oppositions and lack of
funding.
When I saw the trailer for Eddie the Eagle, I found it bland and unimposing. I don’t think it was going to be a good, enjoyable
movie. Watching it, however, I was
proven wrong. It isn’t great and it’s clichéd,
but it turned out being a feel-good and entertaining sports movie all in all. Think Cool
Runnings. And, for the record, I
loved Cool Runnings as a kid. By the way, fun fact: the Jamaican bobsled
team of Cool Runnings competed in the
same Winter Olympics that “Eddie the Eagle” participated him.
At the core, it follows a
familiar underdog storyline. But it’s
not tiresome; there are lessons and enjoyment to be had from it.
Taron Edgerton is amazing here. Not only did he uncannily portray Eddie, but
he did so with the screen magnetism of a legit superstar. Between this and last year’s Kingsman, he’s definitely one of the most promising
young actors working right now. Hugh
Jackman also did a fine job as Bronson Peary, Eddie’s coach (a fictitious
character created for this movie).
Lastly, and most notably, I find the
movie’s theme pretty refreshing. It’s an
embodiment quote of the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de
Coubertin: “The important thing about the Olympic Games is not the winning but
the taking part. The important thing in
life is not the triumph but the struggle.” Personally, I also subscribe to the philosophy
that doing our best in something is much more important than the actual outcome. And, since we live in an age in which the
predominant worldview is to coldly show disapproval to failure and treat winning
as the only thing that matters, I deeply appreciate the message the movie went
for.
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