A snowbound tale of a man attempting to fly in the face of great odds without crashing headfirst into the icy banks of heroic failure, Eddie The Eagle is an unlikely sports movie in the spirit of Cool Runnings, Breaking Away and Seabiscuit. Ski Biscuit, if you will. And ‘spirit' is the operative word in this new clip, as Taron Egerton’s enthusiastic Eddie overwhelms Hugh Jackman’s world-weary coach into helping his quest for Olympic glory. Watch it below.
Edwards, for those not old enough to remember him, was the first person ever to represent the UK in the ski jump at the Olympics. Ranked 55th in the world, Edwards was completely self-funded, working as a plasterer to make ends meet, and was the sole applicant to represent Blighty at the Calgary games in 1988.
Once there, his good spirits and can-do attitude won him fans around the world, leading to a brief pop career and, now, a biopic. Jackman plays a fictional coach with a bit of the Croc Dundees about him, by the unlikely name of Bronson Peary. Is it too much to expect a bit where he points into the distance and says, “That’s not a jump. That’s a jump”? Maybe so, but he’ll definitely be encouraging the young newbie to give up on his dreams, before begrudgingly aiding his cause.
Eddie The Eagle is out in the UK on March 28, with Christopher Walken, Keith Allen, Jim Broadbent and Tim McInnerny in support. Dexter Fletcher is behind the camera on this one, his third directorial gig following Wild Bill and Sunshine On Leith. Have a glance at its official trailer here or read our review here.