Eddie the Eagle Information

Eddie the Eagle is a 2016 British-American biographical sports dramedy film directed by Dexter Fletcher. The film stars Taron Egerton as Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, a British skier who in 1988 became the first competitor to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping. Hugh Jackman and Christopher Walken also star. The film had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2016.

The film was released by 20th Century Fox in the United States on February 26, 2016, and will be released by Lionsgate in the United Kingdom on March 28, 2016.

Plot

In 1972, nine-year-old Eddie Edwards (Taron Egerton) dreams of Olympic glory, practicing various Olympic events and failing miserably. His mother unconditionally supports him, while his father constantly discourages him. As a young teen, he gives up his dream of participating in the Summer Games in favor of skiing in the Winter Games. Although successful at the sport, he is rejected by British Olympic officials for being uncouth. Realizing he could make the team as a ski jumper (a sport in which the United Kingdom had not participated in six decades), he decamps to a training facility in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. The more seasoned jumpers, specifically those on the Norwegian team, belittle him

He self-trains, and after successfully completing the hill on his first try, he injures himself on his first try from a hill. Drunken snow groomer Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman) encourages Eddie to give up, but Eddie's tenacious spirit and shared feelings of ostracization from the other jumpers there convince him to train Eddie. Peary is a former champion American ski jumper who left the sport in his 20s after a conflict with his mentor, famous ski jumper Warren Sharp (Christopher Walken), which Eddie learns from Petra, the owner of a nearby tavern. With very little time to qualify for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Eddie and Bronson employ various unorthodox methods to condition and refine Eddie's form, and he successfully completes the 40m hill.

Due to the long-unedited rules of the British Olympic division regarding ski jumping, Eddie only needs to complete a jump in order to qualify for the Winter Olympics. Not long after, he is able to successfully land a jump, thus winning a place on the British Olympic Team. However, the officials, in an effort to keep Eddie from sullying the Winter Games with his amateurish skillset, decide change the rules and demand that he jump at least . Though discouraged, Eddie decides to continue training and performs on a circuit, his jumps increasing in length each time, but unable to meet the Olympic requirements. During a practice jump at the final event before the cutoff date for qualification, he lands a 61m jump exactly, but on his official jump, he falls, and is disqualified. Eddie is devastated and resolves to return home to his father as a plasterer, but he receives a letter claiming that his qualifying practice jump is valid, and he happily tells Bronson that he's eligible to compete in the Winter Olympics. Bronson tries to dissuade him, promising that he will make a complete fool of himself and his country if he goes, but Eddie is undeterred, noting that competing in the Olympics was always enough for him.

Upon arriving in Calgary, he receives instant scorn from the other British athletes, who haze him and nearly provoke him into fighting after he is subsequently absent from the opening ceremonies. Despite placing last in the 70m jump with , Eddie sets a British record. Eddie's triumphant celebrations win the audience over, the media embrace him as Eddie "The Eagle". Over the phone, Peary criticizes Edwards for not taking the sport seriously. Edwards publicly apologizes to the press for his antics, and wanting to ensure he does not leave the games as little more than a novelty, he enters the jump, which he had never attempted before. Bronson decides to travel to the games and support him. After an encouraging conversation with his idol Matti "The Flying Finn" Nyknen on the lift to the top of the hill, Eddie barely manages to land a jump. Once again, he scores last in the event, but is nonetheless cheered by the audience as well as millions around the world. British Olympic officials grudgingly accept him.

Sharp reconciles with Peary, who was present, and Edwards' returns home a national hero to the cheers of his fans at the airport, among them his mother and father.

Cast

• Taron Egerton as Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards
• Hugh Jackman as Bronson Peary
• Christopher Walken as Warren Sharp
• Mark Benton as Richmond, a BOA official
• Keith Allen as Terry
• Jo Hartley as Janette Edwards
• Tim McInnerny as Dustin Target
• Edvin Endre as Matti "The Flying Finn" Nyknen
• Jim Broadbent as a BBC commentator.

Production

Development

In March 2015, it was announced that 20th Century Fox had acquired the film, with Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman starring and Dexter Fletcher directing, from a screenplay by Sean Macaulay and Simon Kelton. Egerton would portray Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, while Jackman would portray Bronson Peary, his coach; Jackman's character was confirmed as fictional by Eddie Edwards. It was also announced that Matthew Vaughn, who produced Kingsman: The Secret Service, would reunite with the studio, serving as a producer on the film, while Adam Bohling, David Reid, Rupert Maconick and Valerie Van Galde would also serve as producers. That same month, it was announced that Christopher Walken had joined the film, portraying the role of Jackman's character's mentor.

Filming

Principal photography took place in Garmisch Partenkirchen in southern Germany, Pinewood Studios, and London from March 9 to May 3, 2015.

Release

In March 2015, it was announced 20th Century Fox would distribute the film in the United States. The studio set an April 29, 2016, release date for the film. That same month, it was announced that Lionsgate had acquired United Kingdom distribution rights to the film, with a spring 2016 release planned. In October 2015, Lionsgate UK set the film for April 1, 2016. The date was then moved forward to March 28, 2016. The same month, it was announced that the film had been pushed up to February 26 in the United States. The film had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival as a "Surprise Screening" on January 26, 2016.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack album, created by Gary Barlow, was announced, with new songs from Tony Hadley, Marc Almond, Holly Johnson, Paul Young, Kim Wilde, Andy Bell, Midge Ure, Nik Kershaw, ABC, Go West, Howard Jones, and Heaven 17.

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, pre-release tracking suggested the film would gross $7-9 million from 2,042 theaters in its opening weekend, trailing fellow newcomer Gods of Egypt ($10-15 million projection) but similar to opener Triple 9. The film made $175,000 from its Thursday night screenings and $1.9 million on its first day. It went on to gross $6.1 million in its opening weekend, finishing 6th at the box office.

Critical response

Eddie the Eagle received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 76%, based on 103 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's consensus reads, "Eddie the Eagles amiable sweetness can't disguise its story's many inspirational clichs - but for many viewers, it will be more than enough to make up for them." Metacritic gives the film a score of 53 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.

Alonso Duralde of TheWrap wrote, "Eddie the Eagle is designed for audiences who will throw their weight behind the film"?s schmaltz and sentimentality. Anyone unwilling to commit to the movie"?s shamelessness will feel like they"?ve hit the ground headfirst."