Eddie The Eagle review: Dexter Fletcher, Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton take on a British sporting icon.
Eddie The Eagle review
Eddie The Eagle review by Paul Heath, February 2016.
Dexter Fletcher takes to the slopes for his biggest directorial effort to date with Eddie The Eagle, an uplifting high-flyer that will have you grinning from ear to ear all of the way through.
Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards’ name is firmly steeped in Olympic history for his efforts at the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada in 1988. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, it all starts in the quiet Gloucestershire town of Cheltenham in the late 1970s, where a young boy dreams of glory at the Olympics. After quickly realising that he hasn’t got the ability to compete at the highest level in the big summer games, young Eddie switches sports for the winter type, and in particular, downhill skiing. After being harshly rejected for Great Britain, Edwards, played by rising star Taron Egerton, realises that Britain doesn’t have anyone represented in the sport of ski-jumping, so after pulling together some cash from his Mum and Dad (played by a wonderful Jo Hartley – fresh from This Is England fame, and the legendary Keith Allen), he heads to the slopes of Germany to train. Along the way Edwards meets alcoholic former competitor Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman), who he slowly starts to win over to help him fulfil his destiny.
Eddie The Eagle review
It’s so difficult not to like Eddie The Eagle that I challenge anyone not to. Not since Billy Elliot have we had such a feel good British movie; one that is quite simply one of the most uplifting and likeable films of its type that I’ve ever seen. As a Cheltenham boy myself, and of a certain age, I was familiar with the story of Eddie Edwards, and looked forward to seeing what Fletcher had managed to achieve. With this film, and following Wild Bill and Sunshine On Leith, the British actor-turned-director has somehow managed to deliver a perfect trilogy – three debut films that delight in so many different ways. After a solid, though more serious debut with Wild Bill, and the musical delight of ‘Leith’, Eddie The Eagle shows that Fletcher can really deliver when it comes to all-out comedy as well. The film, loosely based on the true story of Edwards, is hilarious almost from the off, and delivers a constant charm that is difficult to not fall in love with.
Jackman scales down from his superhero exploits as Wolverine and his scenery-chewing performance as Blackbeard in last year’s underwhelming Pan, to play the downtrodden though likeable Peary, but it is Egerton who steals the show. The young actor, an alumni from Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman, delivers a career-best performance, easily nailing the accent and portraying a flawed though hugely likeable character in Edwards. His sweet, innocent, humble performance will have you laughing one minute and melting your heart the next. He’s a triumph in this, and surely a shoe-in for that Rising Star BAFTA later this month.
Eddie The Eagle review
Fletcher’s direction is as masterful and precise as the ski-jumpers (other than Edwards) that the film features. It is complimented by legendary stuntman turned filmmaker Vic Armstrong’s superb second unit direction, a truly wonderful, eighties-style score from the brilliant Matthew Margeson, another Vaughn collaborator on Kingsman and Kick-Ass 2, along with some fantastic tracks of the age from the likes of Thin Lizzy and even Hall & Oates.
I cannot recommend Eddie The Eagle enough. Most of all, I cannot wait to see the film again, and more than that, I cannot wait to see what Dexter Fletcher sets his sights on next. This is a truly wonderful film from an exciting filmmaker and and of our best rising talents in Egerton. See Eddie The Eagle at your earliest opportunity. It’s outstanding.
Eddie The Eagle review by Paul Heath, February 2016.
Eddie The Eagle is released in UK cinemas from April 1st, 2016.
