If you are old enough to have been cognizant back in 1988, you might have vague memories of a British winter Olympian called “Eddie the Eagle.” I know I did. I recalled a British ski jumper with an unorthodox style who made the news more for chutzpa than for athletic prowess, but I thought it might have been because he was older than the other athletes, and although well past his prime, willing to give it a shot anyway.

Eddie the Eagle is based on his true story, and I’ve never had so much fun being corrected. Oh, the real Michael “Eddie” Edwards (played by new-to-American audiences actor Taron Egerton) was indeed known more for his chutzpa and wacky antics than for his athletic prowess, but it was because he was young and green and just thrilled to be there against all odds, rather than because he was old.

Edwards, who grew up with the dream of competing in the Olympics despite the fact that he wore a leg brace for most of his childhood, finagled his way onto the British team using the most fascinating plan — he would become an expert in a sport in which no Englishman had ever competed–ski jumping. With little more than hope and an old pair of boots, Edwards left his home in England and moved to an Alpine training facility, where he met up with a rebellious coach (Hugh Jackman) and proceeded to make the Olympic team and set a national record.

Of course you can Google him and find out what happens, if, like me, your memory is shoddy. But why not just go see the film and indulge in a big old helping of feel good? Eddie the Eagle is not about the joy of victory or the agony of defeat. It’s about the pleasure in participation and doing your personal best. That’s a message our kids don’t hear nearly often enough these days. Helmer Dexter Fletcher, who has worked a lot more as an actor than he has as a director, has done the subject proud.

My advice is to load up the truck with as many generations as you can, and enjoy this film together. There’s a warm good  time for everyone waiting up on those snowy, slippery slopes.

Rated PG-13

1 Hour 45 Minutes

Get times and tickets at Fandango.com

https://youtu.be/qlrTEUFOzAo

EDDIE THE EAGLE REVIEW — Family Fare that Soars