Hugh Jackman Mentors Taron Egerton in This Comedic Sports Drama

While they may be best known for their work in the Kingsman and X-Men franchises respectively, Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman‘s work in the charming sports biopic Eddie the Eagle is a stand-out in their filmographies. Released in 2015 and directed by Dexter Fletcher, who later collaborated with Egerton on the Elton John biopic, Rocketman, the film tells the true story of a routinely mocked and ridiculed athlete who dreams of participating in the Winter Olympics as a skier. The film is also produced by veteran action movie filmmaker Matthew Vaughn, who directed Egerton in both Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kingsman: The Golden Circle, as well as Hugh Jackman for a brief yet hilarious cameo in X-Men: First Class.

Eddie the Eagle charmingly explores how an enthusiastic yet naive aspiring athlete forms a close bond with a grumpy, disillusioned former pro. It’s a true underdog story in every sense of the term. To be considered authentic and believable, a relationship like that needs to be portrayed by two actors with incredible chemistry. Unsurprisingly, Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman nail it to a tee.

Eddie The Eagle

With unyielding determination and a quirky personality, a British plasterer-turned-ski jumper overcomes a lack of funding, experience, and support to achieve his dream of competing in the Olympics. His relentless pursuit and endearing optimism bring a fresh spark to the staid world of ski jumping, inspiring those around him and drawing international attention.

Release Date

February 26, 2016

Runtime

105 minutes

Main Genre

Comedy

Writers

Sean Macaulay , Simon Kelton

Studio(s)

Marv Films , Studio Babelsberg , 20th Century Fox

Distributor(s)

20th Century Fox , Lionsgate

What Is ‘Eddie the Eagle’ About?

The year is 1973 when Eddie the Eagle begins, introducing audiences to a ten-year-old version of young Eddie Edwards (the adult version of which is played by Taron Egerton). The young English lad dreams of becoming an Olympic athlete, though he’s not entirely sure what sport he wants to compete in yet. His mother, Janette (Jo Hartley), is greatly supportive of her son’s dreams. However, Eddie’s father, Terry (Keith Allen), consistently casts doubt on Eddie’s aspirations despite still very much caring for his son. Eddie’s father not believing in him is certainly disheartening, but it does little to sway the bold aspirations of someone who would go on to become a huge star in Winter Olympics history.

As Eddie grows up, he eventually decides that he wants to join the Olympics as a skier ahead of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. Eddie’s skill in the sport actually isn’t half bad, but he is still rejected and frowned upon by the official committee for the British Olympics team. This was mainly due to Eddie’s bumbling, clumsy demeanor, which they assumed was unbecoming of an Olympic athlete they wanted to represent their country. Eddie is disappointed, but still determined, and he finds an unusual loophole to become an Olympic contender. Instead of ski racing, Eddie wants to become the sole athlete from Britain to participate in ski jumping, a sport that no English Olympic athlete has been a part of in half a century.

Related

‘A League of Their Own’ Changed Sports Movies for the Better

How this sports classic pioneered a pivotal shift in the beloved genre.

Every sport has its own varying degrees of danger, but ski jumping is certainly not one to scoff at. It’s a sport that one typically starts training for when a child, and while Eddie does have some experience of skiing, this sport is a whole different ballgame. If done incorrectly, jumping from a several-meter ski jump can result in serious injury or even death. To accomplish this seemingly impossible goal, Eddie is going to need a coach, and he finds one in a grumpy alcoholic named Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman).

How Accurate Is ‘Eddie the Eagle’?

Eddie the Eagle does take some creative liberties in telling the story of Eddie Edwards, which is pretty commonplace in the world of movie biopics. The real life Eddie Edwards even admitted that, while also praising the film overall, saying it was about 80% accurate. One of the clearest examples of that in the film is the character of Bronson Peary, who is a character that never existed in real life. Hugh Jackman’s character is likely an amalgamation of various coaches Eddie had while preparing for the games, much like how Tom Hanks‘ character in Catch Me If You Can is a representative of various different people.

Changes like these are usually made to make the story more digestible and easier to follow, but in the case of Eddie the Eagle, the change gives the film a true emotional core. The dynamic between Eddie and Bronson is admittedly something we’ve seen in plenty of similar sports movies (even down to the training montage that’s almost required at this point), yet it still provides some of the film’s best moments. They function as an almost effortless foil to each other, with Eddie being an overwhelming optimist (almost to a fault) and Bronson being an incredibly critical pessimist (again, also almost to a fault).

Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman Are the Heart of ‘Eddie the Eagle’

Writing obviously plays a big role in making those characters convincing, but the performances of Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman elevate the characters even more so. As alluded to earlier, the two characters have excellent chemistry with each other, nailing both humorous and emotional moments. The way Bronson proudly boasts about him and Eddie being called “disgraces” is one of the standout comedic moments that shows the two characters’ unfettered determination. Their dynamic and foil with one another contrast as Eddie becomes somewhat more pessimistic the closer he gets to the games and Bronson starts to become more and more hopeful the more he trains Eddie.

Their journey to make history as an unlikely pair of athletes may not have gone as either of them expected them to, but in the end, both of them found what they needed most: confidence in themselves. The tale of Eddie the Eagle ultimately isn’t one about sports at all. Like many other sports movies where the main character doesn’t necessarily get what they initially sought to achieve, the film is more of a journey about appreciatingyourself. It’s also a story that encourages others outside of Eddie’s story to follow their dreams. There may be hurdles, there may be naysayers, but Eddie’s astounding perseverance should be more than enough to inspire someone in their daily life.

Eddie the Eagle is available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.

Rent on Prime Video