Summary
The movie Eddie the eagle from 2015 is a funny and charming feel-good movie starring Taron Egerton as the title character Eddie the Eagle. The movie is based on the true story of Eddie as he tries to qualify for the Olympics.
The movie opens with Eddie as a child. Eddie is so in love with the idea of going to the Olympics that he spends all his time training, so he can finally achieve his dream. The problem is that Eddie is bad and I mean bad, he sucks at every single thing he tries, every sport he tries he sucks at, that doesn’t stop him from trying though.
The beginning is very funny. The little Eddie is very charming with his big ass glasses and a bulletproof can-do-attitude whenever he gets knocked down he gets right back up and tries again.
He decides to refocus all his attention on going to the winter Olympics because apparently skiing is cool. It turns out that he is also bad at skiing, who would have thought? He is rejected by the British sports…. Something. Eddie then decides that ski jumping is the sport he wants to pursue. He goes alone and with no training to training camp in Germany where he meets a former ski jump star turned cynical old man played by Hugh Jackman.
Hugh Jackman becomes his coach and he starts teaching him. After yet more diversity Eddie manages to qualify for the Winter Olympics and the rest is, as they say, history.
The film is directed by Dexter Fletcher who would later go on and direct the movie Rocketman starring Egerton as well. Dexter seems to get the best out of Egerton.
The movie is not a “director film” its much more about the story of Eddie than wacky camera tricks. The direction is fine, the focus is on Eddie and that is as it should be.
The Message
This movie might look like a standard Biopic, but I believe the movie contains some wisdom and some life advice. I will be going to condensate the movie’s themes down to 3 life-improving tips.
Tip 1 It’s never too late
Jackman plays Bronson Peary, a former legend within the sport of ski jump. He fell out with his former coach and the sport in general. When we meet him he drinks a lot saying he doesn’t need a jacket because the alcohol keeps him warm. He gets beat up in fights he instigates.
Bronson starts gradually changing through his friendship with Eddie. He becomes less cynical and more invested in Eddie.
In a scene toward the end, he shows up out of nowhere to talk to Eddie. They are both outside, but this time he wears a jacket, indicating that he has changed his ways and his drinking habits.
This is a clever usage of show don’t tell.
This scene also shows that it is never too late.
It is never too late to try
It is never too late to improve
It is never too late to care
No matter the whole one might be in, it is never too late to get out of it, it only takes one man in the form of Eddie to hold out a hand, but when you have the hand, you better grab it.
Tip 2 Attitude is everything
It cannot be understated how bad Eddie is at everything he tries. He is terrible, he is also really bad at ski jumping, but one thing he has is a positive attitude and can-do-attitude. Every time he fails he gets back up and tries again.
Every time people try to stop him from achieving his goals, he rises to the occasion. He never gives up, and he persists through the most difficult challenges.
His attitude is infectious and the core reason why Bronson changes his outlook on life. His attitude and overall demeanor are also why the public and the media like him so much. He is relatable, charming, and impossible not to like.
Tip 3 Winning is overrated
People love Eddie not because he is good, for he is certainly not. They love him because he tries, to him the goal is not to win or even to get medals, it’s not fame, money, or glory, all Eddie wants is to go to the Olympics, and through hard work and dedication, he manages to achieve that dream.
I knew exactly one ski jumper before watching this movie and that was Eddie. All the winners through time were surely better and deserve reconstitution, but winning is not necessarily what people remember, they remember the man who tried his hardest despite being the worst of all.
The goal for Eddie was not to win but to survive. He was by far the worst, he had the worst scores out of all. Yet, he celebrated as if he had won gold. The goal for Eddie was to simply land without breaking any bones.
Eddie was by far the worst of all, but despite that, he still managed to stand as tall as the winners. History will surely remember him, not because he was good for he was surley not that, but because he never gave up and neither should you.
Conclusion
Overall the movie Eddie the Eagle is a nice, sweet, and funny feel-good film that contains some real wisdom upon reflection. It shows how it’s not important if you win or not, it’s more important to try and never give up, and never stop smiling despite the hardships.
People tend to glorify winners, yet, the greatest ski jumper is not the winner. He is simply Eddie.
Eddie the Eagle.