Eddie the Eagle

Back when Michael Edwards was competing in the Olympics, I was pretty crazy about ski jumpers as a fan, so Eddie the Eagle is a very fond memory of the years of my youth. Probably what I appreciate most is the lightness and wit with which it is shot, which is not very common in sports films. I would like to say a few words about the cast. Taron Egerton played the lead role with honor and was very believable. Now, I'm finally getting to Hugh Jackman, who I've never really liked. However, the role of the coach was probably tailor-made for him, and I liked him in it. I may have to rethink my relationship with him. Here, his charisma splashed out of him in all directions and I can't let that go unnoticed... (19/05/2020)

A heart-warmer and feelgood movie. Eddie is one stubborn mule who wins over the viewer. Egerton is marvelous, somewhere on the edge between reality and a nice version for the masses, and Jackman’s role is fits him like a glove. The jump with the cigarette was brilliant. Precise direction and a screenplay that sticks to reality, 80’s synth music, great atmosphere and Garmisch-Partenkirchen... I wondered at the jumping ramps as a kid. (02/05/2016)

Sure, some of the characters are incredibly clichéd, even though well-acted - this applies, for example, to Hugh Jackman's character, who has such charisma that he still manages to captivate you. However, the film is filled with such positive energy that you don't care about any flaws because you absorb that energy too, and you'll be pleasantly uplifted, touched, and glad that you've seen the film. (30/05/2016)

A silly family story about a moron following his dream. It's hard to see what this is actually doing in A-list filmmaking, because you're not going to get a more clichéd story this year. Hugh Jackman's character is utterly predictable and, more importantly, severely boring and uninteresting. Taron Egerton plays someone that is supposed to be endearing and we are supposed to sympathise with him, but it doesn't happen. The attempt to recreate the non-confrontational attitude and lightweight drama of Cool Runnings is eye-rolling and annoying, because this patchwork has neither charm nor a interesting story. The only thing that saves it from a total collapse are a few good moments and a really novel ski jumping theme. (11/06/2016)

So even ski jumping has its own "Rudy". The funny and determined Eddie Egerton and his moustache will grow on you from his first childhood attempts to win an Olympic medal. The first priority here is fun, the filmmakers correctly understood that trying to push the dramatic envelope with a storyline where the protagonist breaks funny records all the time would not be the happiest way to go. Thanks to this, the film has a drive that doesn't lose even towards the end. Featuring a central musical motif from the early Zimmer days when Eddie entertained the world at the Olympics, it will entertain you just as well today. (28/03/2016)