This movie is a must-see for the entire family. Caution: there are some pretty straight forward spoilers ahead!

I’ve never been so surprised at a movie. Eddie the Eagle stars Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman, and provides the audience with a glimpse into Michael “Eddie” Edwards’s life as he tries to go to the Olympics. If you’re not familiar with his story, he promised himself he’d become an Olympian. He had to go through a number of sports before he eventually settled on ski jumping, and represented Great Britain at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

I won’t give anymore of his story away (just in case you’re not familiar with it) mainly because telling you about what ended up happening to him in the Olympics is basically what happened in this movie. What I can tell you is I was impressed by the film. The acting was superb. Hugh Jackman as Bronson Piery (Eddie’s coach in the film) is fantastic, and he really takes on the self-depreciating role well. He’s funny, he’s a risk-taker, and he clearly takes shit from no one in this film. Sometimes, not even Eddie.

At first, I didn’t recognize Taron Egerton – then I realized he was in Kingsman: The Secret Service (which is a fantastic movie – if you haven’t seen that, either). The link: Matthew Vaughn produced both Kingsman and Eddie the Eagle. Egerton is definitely an up-and-coming talent. I love his acting; he’s fresh and really owns the character in both movies. In this particular one, however, he nails Michael Edwards to a ‘t.’

The story is full of humour, heart and inspiration. Also – a bonus for the very eighties sounding music! It was fitting for the journey. I wouldn’t actually mind seeing this again. For non-sports fans, you’ll be able to relate to Eddie’s issues, the lack of faith people had in his efforts, and the Piery character is a good contrast for that.

I had to knock the movie for once scene, however: (warning: SPOILERS!) the CGI in the portion where Piery makes one of the longer jumps is laughable. In fact, some of the CGI really cheapened the film. I know it’s tough to reconcile when you have actors who aren’t actual ski jumpers, but I don’t think the audience is that dumb.

My verdict: it’s a movie that won’t bore you to death, is exciting, and allows you to celebrate the spirit of doing your best.

A solid 3.5 ski jumps out of five.

Check out the trailer for Eddie the Eagle below!