Eddie the Eagle wants to be a rags-to-riches sports story, but it keeps settling for a rags-to-fame story instead. The film follows Michael “Eddie” Edwards, a British ski jumper who becomes the first British competitor in Olympic ski jumping since 1928, and it leans heavily on the feel-good angle: a small man with big dreams, a coach who sees him, and a crowd that falls in love with his spirit. That’s the pitch. The execution doesn’t always land.
Trailer, via 20th Century Studios.
Eddie and Bronson
Taron Egerton plays Edwards, and he sells the wide-eyed enthusiasm that makes the character work. This is a man who believes he can fly, and Egerton never lets that belief waver. He’s earnest without being a caricature, which is harder than it sounds in a film about a man who jumps off hills for fun.
Hugh Jackman plays Bronson Peary, the American coach who takes Edwards under his wing. Jackman is clearly having fun, and the chemistry between the two leads is the strongest part of the film. Their unorthodox training methods — including a scene where Peary literally throws Edwards across a room to build leg strength — are meant to be funny and inspiring, and they mostly succeed. Christopher Walken shows up as Warren Sharp, the mentor Peary left behind, and he delivers the expected Walken gruffness in a brief but effective role.
The Training Arc
The film tracks Edwards’ journey from a 15-metre hill to a 40-metre jump, and then to a 70-metre qualification. Each step is supposed to feel like a victory, but the film rushes through them. We see the jumps, we see the injuries, we see the setbacks, and then we’re moved along to the next milestone. The emotional stakes should be higher, but they often feel like checkmarks on a list.
The 61-metre jump is a genuine highlight. Edwards lands it, but the film plays the moment straight instead of leaning into the absurdity of it. The film wants the audience to feel proud, and it gets there, but the journey to that moment feels shorter than it should.
Calgary and the Crowd
When Edwards arrives in Calgary, the film finally finds its footing. The British rivals treat him poorly, getting him drunk so he misses the opening ceremonies, and the film uses that humiliation to set up the pay-off. Edwards finishes last in the 70-metre jump, but his celebration after landing a British record of 60.5 metres wins over the crowd. It’s a moment that works because the film has spent enough time with the character that we actually care.
Win or lose, always aim high.
That’s the tagline, and it’s the film’s thesis. Edwards doesn’t win, but he aims high anyway. The film is at its best when it stops explaining itself and just lets Edwards be himself.
The Weak Parts
The film suffers from a few structural problems. The pacing is uneven, with some stretches dragging while others rush past key moments. The supporting characters, including Edwards’ girlfriend Carrie (Ania Sowinski) and the British officials, are underwritten. They exist to provide obstacles, but they don’t have enough personality to make those obstacles feel meaningful.
The historical context is also thin. The film mentions that the UK hasn’t had a ski jumper since 1928, but it doesn’t explore why. There’s no sense of the sport’s history, no sense of the politics that kept Britain out for so long. The film treats the whole thing as a personal problem, not a systemic one, and that flattens the story’s potential.
Final Word
Eddie the Eagle isn’t a bad film. It’s a competent, occasionally charming one, and it has a genuine heart. But it’s also a film that refuses to fully commit to its own absurdity. It wants to be inspirational without becoming ridiculous, and that balance is difficult to hold. The result is a film that’s pleasant but forgettable.
The film won’t change anyone’s life, but it will make you smile. That’s a modest ambition, and the film mostly meets it.
Key Facts
- Title: Eddie the Eagle (2016)
- Director: Dexter Fletcher
- Writer: Simon Kelton, Sean Macaulay
- Runtime: 106 minutes
- Genres: Drama, History, Adventure
- Tagline: “Win or lose, always aim high.”
- Cast: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Christopher Walken, Ania Sowinski, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen, Iris Berben, Jim Broadbent, Keith Allen, Dickon Tolson, Tom Costello, Jo Hartley, Mark Benton
- Release: US — February 26, 2016 (20th Century Fox); UK — March 28, 2016 (Lionsgate)
- World premiere: 2016 Sundance Film Festival, January 26, 2016
- First public screening: Butt-Numb-A-Thon, Austin, Texas, December 12, 2015
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