10 Years Later, Hugh Jackman's Underseen Winter Olympics Movie Is Worth Watching At Last

The 2026 Winter Olympics are well underway at this point. And if you can’t get enough of the actual sports taking place right now, movies depicting what happened at previous games are another opportunity to experience these events, whether they’re based on true stories or place fictional characters into real history.

Hollywood has made a habit of turning these global sporting events into movies over time, giving a long list of potential titles to watch during the 2026 Winter Olympics. But one really deserves your attention right now. It stars Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton in an inspiring true story that occurred 38 years ago.

Eddie The Eagle Is A True Story Winter Olympics Movie Starring Hugh Jackman & Taron Egerton

Released in 2016 by 20th Century Fox, Eddie the Eagle takes viewers back to the 1988 Winter Olympics. It follows Michael “Eddie” Edwards, an aspiring skier who wants to represent the United Kingdom at the upcoming event. The movie follows his journey to qualify for the Olympics as a ski jumper, where he became Britain’s first participant in 60 years. It’s through his celebrations that he earns his nickname of Eddie the Eagle.

Egerton takes on the lead role of Eddie for the movie, which is directed by Dexter Fletcher. Jackman enters the story as Bronson Peary, a former American ski jumper who begrudgingly agrees to coach Eddie so he can qualify. From there, the movie focuses on the bond that is formed between mentor and mentee as they attempt to defy all expectations about how Eddie will perform on the biggest stage.

Eddie the Eagle was warmly received at the time of its release, receiving an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes (ScreenRant‘s Ben Kendrick gave it a 7/10 in his review), but it was largely overlooked by the public. It only made $46.2 million at the box office. And without a large presence on streaming, it remains criminally underseen a decade later.

Why Eddie The Eagle Is Worth Watching

If you’ve never seen Eddie the Eagle (and even if you have), its aboslutely worth checking out now. The timing of it feels perfect with the Winter Olympics currently happening, with the ski jumping events still underway. However, Great Britain does not have anyone representing them this year.

That arguably makes it an even better time to go back and experience a really endearing true story about the country’s history in this event. Eddie the Eagle is a true feel-good sports dramedy with excellent performances by Egerton and Jackman. You’ll laugh, smile, and possibly even cry as Eddie’s inspiring story to achieve his dreams plays out in one of the best Olympics movies ever made.

The only “bad news” for anyone wanting to watch Eddie the Eagle is that it is not currently streaming anywhere. You can rent it on Amazon, Apple, and Fandango for $3.99, though.

So if you’re in the Winter Olympics mood and want to see a great story tied to a previous year at the event, Eddie the Eagle is the worth seeking out and watching, especially if you’ve overlooked it previously.