Looking For Eric - Cantona blowing his own trumpet?

It was always going to be an odd combination. Take one of British films most celebrated, yet gritty social-realists made famous for ‘proper British’ films like Cathy Come Home, Riff Raff and Kes.

Then team him up with the best-loved footballer the Premiership has ever seen, a man that was always controversial, yet always got the fans buzzing with French flair. Yes, from the outset Ken Loach and Eric Cantona aren’t exactly peas in a pod. Yet, as this film proves the combination works particularly well.

Eric Bishop (played brilliantly by jobbing TV actor Steve Evets) is a lonely man in his late forties. He’s struggling to cope with the demands of managing to hold down his job as a postman and be a good father to his two teenage sons. His friend and post office colleague Meatballs (played by John Henshaw of TV’s Early Doors) is concerned about him and offers him a range of self-help advice – of which he is an avid reader. One piece of this is to visualise yourself looking in the mirror at someone who you idolise, someone with buckets of confidence and charisma. Eric Bishop chooses Eric Cantona.

After this Mr Cantona begins to appear to him regularly when he is on his own. They share conversations and advice on women, family and dealing with adversity – as well as a fair few bottles of wine and home-rolled joints. Then, as later plot twists develop, both Cantona and Eric Bishop’s real-life friends come to his aid to help solve a problem that he could never find the strength to get past on his own.

Looking For Eric - Eric Bishop finds Eric Cantona

The whole cast for this film has been chosen extremely well, as you would expect from a director of Loach’s experience. However, in addition to those already mentioned there are also stand-out performances from the two sons Gerard Kearns (Ian from TV’s Shameless) and Stefan Gumbs (last seen in TV’s Survivors) and a very delicate performance from newcomer Emily Bishop as the romantic interest Lily.

As for Cantona himself? Well, if he’s not an inspiration to you already then you could walk out seeing the whole thing as a big ego-trip for him. Or you could walk out thinking that if there is one role that the footballer-turned-actor was born to play it was the role of his at times over-confident yet obviously thoughtful and philosophical self. Personally I thought he was brilliant throughout!

Overall this is an uplifting tale of a man dealing with the everyday problems in life in an extraordinary way. It fits together much how you might imagine from seeing the trailers, but is also surprisingly funny and very very heart-warming.

Looking For Eric plays at the Broadway Cinema until Thursday 25 June 2009.

Looking For Eric website
 

Looking For Eric