* * * ½

(Inspirational sports movie)

In all our years, we’ve never seen a movie that starts with the two stars thanking the audience for coming to their movie. We should thank them for a lovely little inspirational story.

Taron Egerton plays the title character, Eddie Edwards, an awkward young Brit who dreams of being an Olympic athlete. Hugh Jackman plays Bronson Peary, a washed-up American ski jumper who missed his chance for glory because of a bad attitude and a passion for the bottle.

We watch a young Eddie try and fail at being an athlete until one day he makes up his mind to be a ski jumper. It seems that no one has represented Great Britain in that winter sport since 1929. Eddie begins training for the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, although he has never jumped in his life. No skills but lots of determination take him to Germany, where he convinces Peary to train him.

There are some great shots of ski jumps and falls, as we watch Eddie work hard to make the cut and achieve his “personal best,” which is a long ride from the other jumpers’ scores.

There are some humorous and poignant moments, as Eddie overcomes many obstacles to qualify for his moment of glory. A good message about the goal of making it to the Olympics being more important than taking home the gold carries through to the end.

Sure, it’s a bit corny, and it looks like the writers have stretched the story, based on the real life Eddie, to the limits. But you’ll leave with a smile on your face, as photos of the real Eddie Edwards are flashed on the screen during the closing credits.

Rated PG-13, with only Bronson’s smoking and drinking to worry about. But he does set a bad example for the kids, as their hero Eddie drinks nothing but milk.