Eddie the Eagle is a feel good movie about Eddie Edwards who suffers paralysis as a child but refuses to lose sight of his dream to be an Olympics skier. I am so glad I chose to take both my son, age 8, and my nephew age 11 to the screening hosted by TheMoms, Melissa Gerstein, and Denise Albert, along with a talkback with Eddie himself. The story proves the most important thing in life, despite what other say, and how they feel your dreams are achievable if you work hard.
Having the dream to participate in the Olympics was big enough for Eddie, who had a deformity at a young age, which made his dreams more fantasy than reality. By qualifying to participate in the Olympics Eddie had already defied all odds. Despite the cruelty inflicted upon him leading up to the jump itself by his teammates, Eddie uses it as fuel for him to overcome
After Eddie takes his first step to making Olympic history by qualifying to compete in the Olympics for England, he makes an odd, strange dance for the crowd and waves his arms in a motion much like a soaring eagle. Hence the press calls him “Eddie the Eagle.”
The boys and I enjoyed the movie as well as the talkback with Eddie himself. However I really enjoyed the conversation with the boys when we were on the way home. They both felt Eddie was a role model, because they seen it as he was being bullied by the other athletes, who continuously were putting him down and discouraging him from achieving his dream to participate in the Olympics.
Have you seen the movie? What are your thoughts? Do you think Eddie is a role model?
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