SYNOPSIS
Inspired by true events, Eddie the Eagle is a feel-good story about Michael ‘Eddie’ Edwards, an unlikely but courageous British ski jumper who never stopped believing in himself – even as an entire nation was counting him out. With the help of a rebellious and charismatic coach, Eddie takes on the establishment and wins the hearts of sports fans around the world by making an improbable yet historic showing at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.
Eddie the Eagle is a superb slice of nostalgia, with a good sprinkling of overcoming the odds and believing in yourself. In similar ways to other sporting films, it’s a classic sporting achievement film with the added twist of the protagonist never actually standing a chance of winning the final event – instead the focus is on their journey to prove that they can follow their dreams against staunch opposition.
In this clip Eddie decides to tackle the 70m jump in a bid to train himself up to tackle even larger jumps. Eddie is, however, completely untrained to do the jump and has never experienced a jump of over 40m. Persuading a former ski jumper Bronson to give him ‘permission’ to do the jump, Eddie heads out onto the slopes. Eddie’s jump goes disastrously wrong and he ends up in hospital. A visit from Bronson has unexpected consequences when he discovers a book on Eddie’s bedside. Reading it, Bronson discovers a passage dedicated to his failures and why he never succeeded in becoming an Olympian. Realising that Eddie may possess the necessary qualities to achieve his dream, Bronson (somewhat reluctantly) agrees to help Eddie learn how to land his jumps. It’s the beginning of a great and unorthodox partnership as this leads Eddie all the way to the Winter Olympics.
Show the clip and then discuss:
- Is Eddie brave or foolish in the clip?
- What do you think it is about Eddie that keeps him so determined to succeed?
- Should people always be encouraged to follow their dreams no matter what, or do we sometimes need a Simon Cowell-style reality check?
- Why is Bronson described as a failure in the clip?
Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 and discuss:
- What do you think it means to run so that you may obtain the prize?
- Can you think of some times in your life that you’ve trained / practised really hard to get an outcome - did you achieve it and how did you feel afterwards?
- What might it mean to act as someone who ‘beats the air’?
- Look at verse 27 – what do you think this verse means, and do you agree with it?
- Eddie the Eagle is a positive film that conveys an excellent message of following your dreams and never giving up. If you’ve got the opportunity, it’s an excellent choice to watch in its entirety at a film night.
