REVIEW: Looking for Eric (Cert 15)
IT sounded a most unlikely departure for Britain's master of social realism to team up with charismatic former Manchester United star Eric Cantona, but the big surprise in Looking for Eric (Cert 15) is how much it turns out to be a quintessential Ken Loach movie.
Few will need telling that it is the story of a suicidal Mancunian postman who is visited by the vision of his hero, the Gallic footballer turned actor, who proceeds to offer sage advice which helps him resolve the many troubles in his life.
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Eric Bishop (Steve Evets), as a desperate ordinary joe fighting against the thugs threatening his family, is reminiscent of the character played by Corrie's Bruce Jones in Raining Stones, while the banter and solidarity of the postal workers (many played by stand-up comics) evoke the builders in Riff Raff and railway workers in The Navigators.
The presence of Cantona makes it different, of course, and certainly the scenes where he shares enigmatic advice and spliffs in little Eric's bedroom are a delight, largely thanks to Cantona's readiness to send himself up. "I am not a man, I am Cantona!," he declares at one point, leaving a pause before breaking into a grin.
The story really revolves around Eric's tentative attempt at reconciliation with ex-wife Lily (Stephanie Bishop) while extricating his two wayward stepsons from the grip of a local gangster. Cantona tells him to look to his mates.
The violent resolution (though it provides a great surreal image of an army of masked Eric Cantonas) followed by a feelgood denouement may seem a little out of place but it is probably the ending most people would want.
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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