Eddie the Eagle (5 Stars)

True Stories #16

Name: Michael Edwards

Lived: 5 December 1963 – still alive

Film dates: 1973 to 1988, mostly 1987 to 1988

Film made in 2016

Anything is possible if you don't give up.

Michael Edwards, usually called Eddie Edwards, had a dream from his childhood on. He wanted to be in the Olympic Games. For a young boy with no sporting abilities, this was a crazy dream. As he grew older he still didn't show any talent. He tried out sport after sport and failed at everything he did. There were always people much better at him. Finally, in 1987, he had an inspiration. He decided to learn ski jumping, because it was a sport that nobody in Britain practised. If he became a ski jumper nobody would be better than him, so he'd have to be picked for the British Olympics team.

Eddie travelled to Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany to learn how to jump. He was mocked by the experienced jumpers who were in Garmisch-Partenkirchen to prepare for the Olympics. Only the retired jumper Bronson Peary took him seriously and agreed to train him.

At his first contest Eddie set a new British record of 34 meters for a jump from a 70 meter slope. That might sound good, but it was only possible because of the lack of competition in Britain. The contest's winner jumped 110 meters. Eddie visited the Olympic Committee and demanded to be entered into the Olympic Games as the British champion. They told him that in order to qualify for the Olympic Games he would have to jump 61 meters. After hard training he managed this distance a few months later.

At the Olympic Games in Calgary Eddie finished last, but his eccentric victory celebration won him the nickname Eddie the Eagle. He spontaneously decided to enter the event for the 90 meter jump, which he had never attempted before. Bronson doubted Eddie would survive the jump, but he knew he couldn't talk him out of it. Eddie set a new British record of 71.5 meters from the 90 meter slope, but he finished last again.

Eddie returned home to a hero's welcome. The rules for qualifying for the Olympic Games were subsequently changed to stop anyone like Eddie ever taking part again.

This is a magnificently uplifting film with excellent performances by Taron Egerton as Eddie and Hugh Jackman as Bronson Peary. The actress Iris Berben also appears as the barkeeper Petra in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Success Rate:  + 0.0

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