Review of Looking for Eric (2009) by Magnus H — 06 Sep 2009

Looking for Eric â?? 4 stars.

From looking at the poster for this film, you would be forgiven for thinking that the film may be some kind of documentary/biopic about Eric Cantona, the brilliantly talented French soccer player who played for Manchester United in the 1990s. You would get half marks for that assumption. It is about a character named Eric, and Cantona does feature throughout, but the Eric of the title is not a high profile sport star. He is Eric Bishop, played by Steve Evets. A simple yet engaging man, his performance is remarkable. Made all the more so by featuring in practically every single scene of the film.

This is a heart-warming tale about a worn out postal service worker who summons the strength to overcome his problems in the most unique of ways. It is a distinctly British film, directed perfectly by Ken Loach, featuring distinctly British characters, settings and a big serve of humour. Eric Bishop is a real battler, sharing his home with two stepsons from an ex who remains incognito for the entire film. These bludgers afford him no respect. His first wife cannot bring herself to be around him since he walked out on her and their baby girl years earlier. Full of regret over this and loathing for his current situation, he finds himself in a depressive spiral. He suffers from panic attacks and is emotionally distant.

On the other hand, at work, he is surrounded by true friends who share his passion for English football, a pint and a laugh. There are elements of bro-mance in this film but the characters are so real, it is refreshing and not schmaltzy or clichéd. Bishopâ??s passion for football is representative of such a large proportion of the British population and I think his character would speak volumes to that audience (more so than an Australian one â?? although, it is perhaps translatable to AFL). Manchester United football is in his blood. Most of his fondest memories revolve around Man U games. Especially his idol, Eric Cantona. The hot-blooded Frenchmen who dominated the game in the mid-1990s.

This is where the film starts to hit its straps. Cantona begins appearing to Eric, acting as a quasi-spiritual guide. He helps Eric to find the strength within to face up to his past wrongdoings. To move on from his life full of regret. To seek forgiveness. Possibly inspired by smoking leaf, he begins to turn over a new leaf. The scenes with Cantona are brilliant. He shares a unique French humour to complement the British sense of humour. He encourages Eric to reconnect with his first wife, his true love. His use of proverbs, motivational sayings and sports-related mantras frames his advice to Eric and are truly hilarious at times.

The sub-plot revolves around one of his adolescent boys finding himself under the influence of a two-bit suburban gangster. This story ties in well with Ericâ??s resurgent character. He starts to take charge of his family and personal life; and to stand up for himself.

Without giving too much away, the filmâ??s climax is an absolute riot (literally and figuratively). â??Looking for Ericâ?? is a laugh-out-loud story of friendship, love, respect and most importantly English football. I highly recommend this film to all comers.