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Nov 23, 2016ba_library rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Very sweet, inspiring, funny, feel good film that has a hero who is a regular guy. I remember watching Eddie the Eagle during the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics - he turned out to be quite the media sensation! As a child, Eddie dreamed of being an Olympic athlete - the early scenes from his childhood are hilarious, like the box where he keeps all of his broken glasses from his backyard Olympic training. I think, like most people, I was wondering, why the ski jump? Always looks quite terrifying, and the film does a good job with the ski jumps. I thought it did a good job with Eddie too, it would be easy to make him a joke or make fun of him, but he was a person with a dream and motivation (perhaps not quite the talent) to be a winner. He had few believers in him - his Mom and the man who became his coach (played by Hugh Jackman) and eventually the public. The British had not had an Olympic ski jumper since 1929. Eddie jumped for the Brits, he did not win any medals but he made a historic appearance. Great film for the whole family, no swearing, no sex, no violence - except for the ski jump crashes! Hugh plays a guy with a drinking problem, but even he seems to shape up by the end. Good fun!