Movie Review: “Eddie the Eagle” is a crowd-pleasing underdog sports film

MOVIE REVIEW: EDDIE THE EAGLE (PG-13)

Anyone else out there a sucker for a good underdog sports movie? If so, the charming “Eddie the Eagle” will be right up your alley. While this crowd-pleaser certainly has shades of “Rocky,” it’s more akin to ’90s sports films like “Rudy” and “Cool Runnings.” In fact, “Eddie the Eagle” even offers up an affectionate little tip of the hat to that lovable John Candy-headlined flick.

“Eddie the Eagle” is loosely based on the true story of British Olympian hopeful Eddie Edwards (Taron Egerton) and his crusade to make the 1988 Olympic ski jumping team. This undeniably passionate dreamer would stop at nothing to reach his nearly impossible goal, even though he was new to ski jumping and hailed from an area that had never produced an athlete in this particular sport. With an unwavering spirit intact and a burning desire to earn the respect of his working class father, Edwards would ultimately team up with alcoholic ex-jumper Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman) in a determined effort to make the Olympic team.

“Eddie the Eagle” is unabashedly lighthearted, and while it’s certainly inspirational in its own way, it’s more amusing and sweet than all-out dramatic. It also manages to playfully mock underdog sports movie tropes, even though that is essentially what it appears to be having fun with. This is all by design, though. Director Dexter Fletcher and producer Matthew Vaughn are huge fans of this kind of film. In fact, Vaughn, who introduced the world to Egerton by way of last year’s entertaining spy flick, “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” has never been shy when it comes to professing his undying love for “Rocky III” — he recently listed the Stallone sequel as one of his all time favorite films.

Egerton is the real deal. His turn in this picture couldn’t be any more different from his work as Eggsy in “Kingsman.” Where that role was about streetwise swagger, this one is about charm, perseverance, eccentricities, and tiny nuances. As portrayed here, Edwards is a bit of a nerd-type, but Egerton brings a truly endearing quality to this role. We never feel compelled to make fun of this guy.  We want to root for him. This is a terrific performance that lends a real sense of contrast to Egerton as an actor. He’s left such an impression, in fact, that there have been recent whispers that he’s in contention for the role of Han Solo in the soon-to-shoot “Star Wars” spinoff movie. For the record, if a Solo spinoff movie has to be made, Egerton would be a good fit.

As  Peary, Jackman has never been better. All the clichés are seemingly in place: Peary is an alcoholic, a burned out has-been hoping to return to his former glory by living vicariously through Edwards. The thing is that Jackman is so darned likable and so charismatic that Peary never feels like a cliché.

It should also be noted that Jackman is really funny in this picture. During one key moment in which Peary is training an eager-to-learn Edwards, Jackman unleashes what might be the most effective on-screen orgasm since Meg Ryan in “When Harry Met Sally.”

As a team, Egerton and Jackman bring the goods. Their chemistry is spot-on. And as expected, both characters teach one another a thing or two about humility and not giving up.

“Eddie the Eagle” doesn’t always hit the mark. There are a few scenes in which a handful of CG-looking snow jump wipeouts distract a bit from what otherwise feels like a movie that might have actually been produced in the ’80s. Furthermore, “Eddie the Eagle” might have benefitted a little from a more developed subplot revolving around Peary and his mentor (played by the always entertaining Christopher Walken). These are fairly minor quibbles, though.

“Eddie the Eagle” wears its heart on its sleeve. It’s a lively crowd-pleaser. Its main goal is to inspire, but it’s also out to make us smile. Better still, “Eddie the Eagle” enthusiastically suggests that we should always follow our dreams and that success isn’t always measured by our number of wins. It’s drive, effort, and our willingness to try that counts.