It’s not about winning all the time; sometimes just participating at the world stage is enough — Dexter Fletcher’s underdog film Eddie The Eagle is about one such individual whose aim was to represent England at Olympics and he did that in style.

The film’s first half revolves around the (mis)exploits of Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards (Taron Egerton), a milk-drinking Brit who wears glasses; has been deemed unfit for sports by his father and has just one purpose in life — to become an Olympian. Despite the hardships he faces, the rules that were made to stop him from moving ahead and without any guidance, he manages to appear on the radar of one Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman) the disgraced skier who was once considered the best in the world.

Together, the two pull out a Chariots of Fire but with comic touches that will make you laugh out loud; Eddie doesn’t have the brains of a sportsman nor has the physique of an Olympian, yet he manages to do everything right with his will power. The story is set in 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics where Eddie Edwards’s gestures became international news because 1) he was an underdog and 2) he didn’t care about the result. He wants to register himself as someone who mattered and that’s what he ended up doing!

Eddie’s parents (Jo Hartley and Keith Allen) had separate views about his ambitions but when he does it, they are the happiest. It is the journey from a nobody to being mentioned in the Closing Ceremony of the Olympics that is covered in Eddie The Eagle.

Hugh Jackman is at his usual best and if you loved him in Real Steel, you will love him here. Taron Egerton plays a different character from Kingsman: The Secret Service and does exceedingly well as he models his facial expressions, talking and walking style on the real Eddie Edwards. Must watch for fans of sports films, especially since the Olympics are just around the corner!

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 14th, 2015