Jumpers For Goalposts is a four-day event that runs from Thursday, October 22nd, to Sunday, October 25th.

Beginning from the moment he picked up a guitar, Ed Sheeran sets goals. At first, it was simply to book at least one gig. As time passed and his popularity grew, it was to play stadiums. But on February 17, 2015, the singer’s birthday, Ed set perhaps the greatest goal of his career: play not one, but at least two nights at London’s famous Wembley Arena. And sell out each show. To put things into perspective, that’s a combined audience of about 180,000. Despite the singer’s worldwide success, Ed’s managers and even family told him he was insane. Wembley selling out for days at a time wasn’t the issue, but without a backing production or band the odds were slim. Such a big venue required a big sound.
Ed didn’t end up selling out two shows at Wembley. Over the days of July 10, 11 and 12, he sold out three.

Enter Jumpers For Goalposts, a documentary that follows Ed’s three nights at Wembley. Directed by the same man responsible for One Direction’s Where We Are doc, Paul Dugdale, the film displays Ed’s live performances from every night. In between songs, we receive input from Ed, such as how he feels regarding the first, second, and last show.

The first night begins with Ed’s alarm clock going off, tuning into a radio broadcast celebrating the singer’s first show booked for later that night. This becomes a routine for the next two nights.

Afterwards, we get an interview with a sleepy Ed Sheeran, usually recovering from the wild night before. There are cuts of car rides to the stadium, cameos from ‘Let Her Go’ singer Passenger, English rapper Example, and, yes, Elton John. We even get a few scenes of Ed reading his journal entries aloud.

Perhaps what shines the most in this film, aside from his voice, is Ed’s humbleness. It doesn’t require the generous comments from Ed’s friends and family to realize this man is truly grateful for his success. A scene that sticks out most in my mind is where Ed talks about the premise of his hit, ‘Thinking Out Loud’. “I wrote it with my good friend Amy, who I actually wrote one of my first EPs with.” Ed said, speaking to the camera. “At the time she was going through financial troubles and had asked if she could visit me and have our co-written songs on my deluxe album so she could get some revenue and maybe pay off her mortgage. We just ended up writing a new song that eventually became ‘Thinking Out Loud,’ and now she never has to worry about anything again. It’s great.” Jumpers For Goalposts doesn’t just capture Ed’s voice, but his heart. It’s a driving element, and perhaps something we can all take away from.

Of course, this film wouldn’t be complete without the breath-taking performances. Ed performs a full set, comprising of his most successful songs like ‘Sing’, ‘The A-Team’, and ‘Photograph’, as well as the more underground ones like ‘Afire Love’ and ‘You Need Me I Don’t Need You’. There is an even a surprise duet with sir Elton John, performing ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’.
Over all, Jumpers For Goalposts is a tour documentary that captures Ed Sheeran’s magic, both within his personality as well as his voice. I’ll be honest, at the movie theater I was wedged between two girls who couldn’t keep their mouths shut and a young couple who found something funny every five seconds. But as soon as the plucking of guitar strings sounded and Ed’s voice filled the theater, everyone went mute, literally. They silenced mid-sentence, eyes widening at Ed’s raw talent and passion. When a film holds that much power, it earns the title of a must-see.