Review of Eddie the Eagle (2016) by Ana B — 12 Apr 2016

Very loosely based in the real story of famous British sky jumping Eddie Edwards, it tell us of his struggle to become an Olympic competitor. From very humble origins Eddie fights against the establishment and lack of funds. He finds a free place to train and a free trainer to achieve his dream to compete, and with many difficulties he thrives.

At this point I must say that reading the real story of Eddie and watching the film is quite a different experience. The plot of the movie has been completely altered to give it a special shine, the real Eddie Edwards was a bit of a joke between the Olympic competitors for his unusual approach to jumping and his lack of success (he was ranked 55) however it did impersonate in a very special way the so called Olympic spirit. Besides this fact the rest of the plot is completely made up, from Petra the pub landlady to Bronson Peary the drunken trainer (and snowplow driver) to the whole set up of the German sky jumping facility. I honestly don't mind because this is the type of story that every body loves, the success of the underdog, the little naive man standing for what he really believes in, an uplifting story of resilience and courage, so what if it isn't 100% real? what if only 20% is true? we still love the character overcoming all the obstacles, that's what makes him a hero. And there is also the anti-hero, Bronson Peary, the failed champion, now an alcoholic with no prospects, and Eddie lifts him up from his 20 year hangover to become a his trainer. I wish it was true. I guess we all wish for the victory of the underdogs, it is so easy to relate... Everything about the movie is a bit cliche, from the training sessions to the belittling of the Norwegian team, we have seen it so many times before... But if you can get pass that you will enjoy this movie for the humorous approach to the unconventional hero.