It doesn't take long for director Ken Loach to establish the heart and humor of Looking for Eric's working-class, middle-aged postal workers. Sitting in a loose circle, the beer-bellied blokes try an affirmation exercise, putting their sincere energies into the modern world of self-improvement. In the mix is Eric Bishop (Steve Evets), a man whose own journey of personal discovery will begin satisfyingly sweet and painful, only to lose direction and momentum later.
If this affirmation scene showed up in a typical Hollywood movie, it would be broad and jokey, full of goofy close-ups of the guys in meditative states. But Loach is tougher and more respectful, taking these fellas seriously as they attempt to see themselves differently and share the person they most want to emulate. Mandela. Sinatra. Cantona.
Huh?! It seems our friend Eric has a love for football (soccer, if you will) and a passion for Eric Cantona, "King Eric," the real-life French hero of the 1990s Manchester United club, the inimitable football philosopher turned actor. Cantona, playing himself and co-producing, becomes Eric Bishop's guardian angel, urging him to confront his past and make things happen in his future.
On paper, it's a cheap ploy. On the screen, it's wondrous. With his French accent and stoic attitude, Cantona is a natural -- and just the right foil for Evets's frazzled, lonely dreamer. Eric the postal worker demands that Eric the footballer remember the goals and plays that have meant so much to him as a supporter. But it's clear that the real magic lives in the fan's mind, and Loach uses real Man U. footage to beautiful effect. Evets exudes such powerful sentiment in describing the plays that we're caught right up in the action, folded in to his desire for the days when he could even afford to attend games. The recollection practically brings tears to your eyes.
As does the tender relationship between Eric and his ex-wife Lily (Stephanie Bishop), as the pair reconnects after 20+ years on the skids. Of course, Eric gets all his personal courage from his fantasy conversations with Cantona and, again, Loach makes fantastic use of some unexpected flashbacks showing a happier, more promising couple. The shinier (and younger) they appear, the more heartbreaking it is.
When the screenplay, by Loach collaborator Paul Laverty, steps off the path to concentrate on the volatile troubles of Eric's stepson, Looking for Eric loses its charm. Loach is great at shaking things up, but as the story gets deadly serious, we miss the romance -- and we especially miss Cantona. There's little room for him in this second-act storyline, and the film is less without him.
Even amidst the fantasy, Loach delivers the realism he's brought to past films. A soccer argument in a pub is shot loosely and performed with spontaneity. Loach and Laverty attempt to marry that kind of realism with something far less dramatic in the conclusion, and it's a hit or miss proposition. If Looking for Eric stayed on its original path, the film would score with the impact and beauty of an Eric Cantona goal.
If this affirmation scene showed up in a typical Hollywood movie, it would be broad and jokey, full of goofy close-ups of the guys in meditative states. But Loach is tougher and more respectful, taking these fellas seriously as they attempt to see themselves differently and share the person they most want to emulate. Mandela. Sinatra. Cantona.
Huh?! It seems our friend Eric has a love for football (soccer, if you will) and a passion for Eric Cantona, "King Eric," the real-life French hero of the 1990s Manchester United club, the inimitable football philosopher turned actor. Cantona, playing himself and co-producing, becomes Eric Bishop's guardian angel, urging him to confront his past and make things happen in his future.
On paper, it's a cheap ploy. On the screen, it's wondrous. With his French accent and stoic attitude, Cantona is a natural -- and just the right foil for Evets's frazzled, lonely dreamer. Eric the postal worker demands that Eric the footballer remember the goals and plays that have meant so much to him as a supporter. But it's clear that the real magic lives in the fan's mind, and Loach uses real Man U. footage to beautiful effect. Evets exudes such powerful sentiment in describing the plays that we're caught right up in the action, folded in to his desire for the days when he could even afford to attend games. The recollection practically brings tears to your eyes.
As does the tender relationship between Eric and his ex-wife Lily (Stephanie Bishop), as the pair reconnects after 20+ years on the skids. Of course, Eric gets all his personal courage from his fantasy conversations with Cantona and, again, Loach makes fantastic use of some unexpected flashbacks showing a happier, more promising couple. The shinier (and younger) they appear, the more heartbreaking it is.
When the screenplay, by Loach collaborator Paul Laverty, steps off the path to concentrate on the volatile troubles of Eric's stepson, Looking for Eric loses its charm. Loach is great at shaking things up, but as the story gets deadly serious, we miss the romance -- and we especially miss Cantona. There's little room for him in this second-act storyline, and the film is less without him.
Even amidst the fantasy, Loach delivers the realism he's brought to past films. A soccer argument in a pub is shot loosely and performed with spontaneity. Loach and Laverty attempt to marry that kind of realism with something far less dramatic in the conclusion, and it's a hit or miss proposition. If Looking for Eric stayed on its original path, the film would score with the impact and beauty of an Eric Cantona goal.
