Saturday, June 18, 2016

Popcorn & Coffee: Eddie The Eagle


PG-13; 105 minutes; $39.99; Amazon
Now available to own on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD from Twentieth Fox Home Entertainment is the feel-good movie Eddie The Eagle. Directed by Dexter Fletcher, the film stars Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service) and Hugh Jackman (The Wolverine).

Based upon the real 1988 British Olympic skier Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, Taron Egerton stars in the title role, a young man who has always dreamed of winning an Olympic gold metal ever since he was a ten-year-old! While at first his goal was to find a sport that he was good at to participate in a future Summer Games, he quickly finds out that he isn't good at anything. However, that doesn't stop him as he sets a new goal to participate as a skier in a future Winter Games, but first he will have to learn how to ski.

As an adult, Eddie is now a great skier, but he is rejected by British Olympic officials. Most people would give up by now, but Eddie is determined to go to Olympics no matter what. He comes up with the idea to be a ski jumpier, but he will have to teach himself how to jump. Against his father's wishes, he heads off to the training facility in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

Sadly, Eddie slowly learns that jumping from a high distance isn't as easy as it looks. After several failed attempts at jumping the 40-meter (130 ft) hill, Eddie enlists Bronson Peary (played by Hugh Jackman), a former skier turned drunken snow groomer, to train him. Due to a loophole in the British Olympic rules, Eddie qualifies for the Winter Games by jumping 61 meters (200 ft).

Special Features includes:
  • Let The Games Begin: Soaring With Eddie The Eagle
  • All Or Nothing: The Hero's Heart
  • An Unlikely Friendship: Eddie Peary
  • Attitude Is Altitude: Filming The Ski Jumps
  • Gallery

Final Thoughts: I vaguely remember seeing the movie advertise earlier this year. While I do recall seeing Hugh Jackman in the advertisements, I didn't realize that Taron Egerton  played "Eddie" until I watched the Blu-ray a few nights ago. Also, I would like to point out that I was six-year-old during the 1988 Winter Olympics; plus, I've never followed the Winter Games, so I wasn't even aware of who Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards was.

The main problem I have with most sports movies, especially the ones based on true events, is that they're generic and all follow a specific formula that is neither good or bad, but I find most of them to be unwatchable after the first viewing. Eddie The Eagle happens to defy the typical sports films cliches by blending in humor with true events. Overall, Eddie The Eagle is a cute, feel-good movie that I enjoyed watching.



*Disclaimer - I received complimentary copy in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

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