| Director | Dexter Fletcher |
|---|---|
| Budget | $23 million |
| Box office | $46.2 million |
From a young age, Michael "Eddie" Edwards harbours Olympic aspirations. When his efforts to compete in the Summer Games fail, he tries out skiing in the Winter Games. Although skilled at the sport, he is rejected by British Olympic officials for being uncouth. Realising he could make the team as a ski jumper, a sport which the United Kingdom has not participated in for six decades, Eddie decamps to a training facility in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, West Germany.
Eddie self-trains, and after completing the hill on his first try, he injures himself on his first attempt at a slope. Bronson Peary, an American former ski jumper who left the sport after a conflict with his mentor, Warren Sharp, decides to train Eddie. With very little time to qualify for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Eddie and Bronson employ various unorthodox methods to refine Eddie's form, and he successfully completes the 40m jump.
To qualify for the British Olympic division in ski jumping, Eddie must complete a jump from a hill. He succeeds and earns himself a place on the British Olympic Team. In an effort to keep Eddie from entering the Winter Games, the officials demand that he jump . Eddie improves and eventually lands a 61-metre practice jump, which unexpectedly qualifies him after he fails to repeat it officially. Bronson advises Eddie to train for four more years and compete in the 1992 Games to avoid embarrassment, but Eddie is undeterred.
Eddie's arrival in Calgary is met with disdain from his British rivals, who get him intoxicated so that he misses the opening ceremonies. Despite finishing last in the 70m jump with a British record of 60.5 metres (198 ft), Eddie's enthusiastic celebrations endear him to the audience, and the media dubs him Eddie "the Eagle". After Bronson criticizes Eddie's lack of seriousness, Eddie apologizes publicly and enters the 90-metre (300 ft) jump, which he has never attempted. Moved by Eddie's dedication, Bronson travels to Calgary to offer his support.
After an encouraging conversation with his idol, Matti "The Flying Finn" Nykänen, Eddie miraculously lands a 90-metre jump. Again, he comes in last, but his performance earns him recognition in the closing speech of the President of the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games. Warren Sharp reconciles with Bronson, and Eddie returns home a national hero.