Looking for Eric

Release Date (UK) - 12 June 2009

Certificate (UK) - 15

Country - UK

Director - Ken Loach

Runtime - 116 mins

Starring - Steve Evets, Eric Cantona, John Henshaw

Ken Loach's latest film made a big fuss at Cannes and is a heart warming tale of middle aged postman Eric Bishop (Steve Evets). Eric has a minor breakdown after his daughter asks him to meet up with her mother (so that they can hand over the childcare of her child, their grandchild, whilst she is studying) but he hasn't seen her since he walked out on her many years ago. Eric seeks advice from a poster of his hero, Eric Cantona, and Cantona himself appears in Eric's house to counsel him.

Right from the start the jokes pour in and the film is almost too funny as lines are drowned out by the laughter of the audience. Eric's friends rally round to help him trying to cheer him up and John Henshaw as 'Meatballs', one of his friends, reads from self help books to solve all life's problems with hilarious results. Cantona's pearls of wisdom also translate into funny one liners although he is slightly incomprehensible at times.

The film concentrates on the relationship between Eric and his ex wife Lily (Stephanie Bishop) as they slowly meet for longer and longer and reminisce their life together and Eric finds the courage to explain that he abandoned her due to panic attacks. Meanwhile at home Eric struggles to exert any control over his step sons who live with him and their illegal activities spiral out of control and start to take over his own life.

There are some sad moments with constantly brilliant acting throughout as Loach once again delivers an excellent film. There's also plenty of football scenes for Cantona fans but there not too long, its not really a film about football or Cantona but more about Eric's personal relationships. Perhaps the success of the film is due to Loach's unusual sell out for an optimistically happy ending, but in the current climate you aren't going to get audiences in to the cinema with sad films about the harsher realities of working class lifestyles. Its definitely worth seeing and you will leave the cinema smiling.