Eddie The Eagle

This film is based on the story of Great Britain’s first ski jumper to enter the Winter Olympics, Michael Edwards, aka Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards. His exploits made him the most famous ski jumper in British history. The film’s portrayal of Edwards’ never-say-die approach to the sport, celebrates the human spirit and resilience in the face of extraordinary odds and challenges.

During the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, Edwards became a national hero by becoming the first competitor to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping. He was a particular dark horse to achieve this placement, since he had no funding and his farsightedness forced him to wear glasses under his goggles, making him virtually blind during the jumps. The press nicknamed Edwards ‘Mr. Magoo,’ and even though he placed last in the 70m and 90m ski-jumping events, he was hailed as a heroic failure.

The film follows Eddie from childhood to adulthood as he tries to achieve his dream of becoming an Olympian. Eddie endures a painstaking trial and error phase, where he searches for a specific Olympic event that would help him achieve his goal. After being told over and over that he is not Olympic material, he stumbles upon the Olympic ski jumping event. Great Britain had not had a ski jumping team for some time, and Eddie saw an opportunity to achieve his dream of finally becoming an Olympian.

Eddie makes his way to Germany to learn how to ski jump. This is where he finds coach and future friend, onetime American ski jumper Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman). Peary is a man that is haunted by the fact that he never reached his own potential in the sport that he loved, and spends most of his time drinking to forget about his past. After seeing Eddie repeatedly try and fail on his own, Peary takes an interest in trying to help him achieve his dream. Together Eddie and Bronson work to overcome many obstacles that are in their path to the 1988 Olympic Games.

“Eddie the Eagle” is an uplifting film about never giving up on dreams—even when it feels like we will never achieve what we set out to do. Eddie proves to himself, his family, his country, and the world, that when we are determined to reach a goal, it is possible, as long as we do not give up on it. This follows the same classic underdog model that we have seen before in inspiring sport movies such as “Rudy,” and “Cool Runnings.”

Violence: There is mild sport related violence that is seen throughout the movie and one bar fight.

Smoking/Drinking: Hugh Jackman’s character is a heavy smoker and drinker, and other characters in the movie are seen drinking.

Sexuality/ Nudity: There is one portion of the movie where Jackman’s character describes in some detail how ski jumping is like making love to a woman. There is also a sauna scene where one of the ski teams is not clothed. Nothing graphic is shown, but the audience can tell that they do not have on clothes.

Language: The language in the movie is relatively mild—OMG (2), “a**” (1), “hell” (3), and “damn” (2).

As Christians, we can look at Eddie’s story as the way we should approach our walk with God. It is a time old metaphor that we are to be like Olympians that are determined to finish the race, no matter what is standing in our way. Eddie was determined not to let anything stand in the way of his goal to become an Olympian. As Christians, should we not be the same in our pursuit of our Lord?

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, the apostle Paul says,

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

As followers of Christ, we should be determined to reach our end goal, and the prize that waits for us, which is far greater than any Olympic metal. “Eddie the Eagle” shows us an example of what a determined man can achieve in the world when he puts all he has toward his dreams. What can we achieve when we put all we have toward our walk with Christ?

Violence: Mild / Profanity: Mild / Sex/Nudity: Mild to moderate

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.