I, and many of us, hadn’t heard of this film when Harry announced it as the fourth film of this year’s Butt-Numb-A-Thon, but it’s safe to say that the film did a great job of charming the crowd with its underdog story of real-life British ski-jumper Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards.
As the trailer indicates, it hits a lot of the traditional sports biopic beats, from the begrudging, drunken mentor to the stuck-up officials who don’t think Eddie fits the bill of the Olympic athelete he so wants to be (you can read more of my thoughts in my BNAT write-up later today), but Egerton’s performance is the beating heart of the film. Look at his bite and his glasses, and listen to his goofy, impossibly sincere lines like “I think a little wee came out!” and “Could you give me a push, please?” Ain’t exactly Eggsy, is it?
Obviously, Hugh Jackman’s American former hot dog is heavily emphasized, but even his panache is secondary to Egerton’s soulful performance. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that they ruin Chris Walken’s cameo, but know that he only shows up for two brief scenes, one of which is only on TV. It’s mostly Egerton and Jackman’s show, and I’m not sure the trailer gets across the chemistry that helps give the film life beyond its predictable plot points and character arcs.
I wasn’t sure if this was going to get U.S. distribution, but it seems to be coming sooner than later, so keep an eye out for it. This trailer doesn’t quite do it justice.
EDDIE THE EAGLE lands on February 26th, 2016.
