Arguably primarily of interest to Manchester United fans, Looking For Eric concerns itself with the life of a washed-up middle-aged postal worker, who made a mess-up of a relationship in his younger years and now wants to make things right. Thanks to a bunch of loyal mates and a platitude-spouting illusional Eric Cantona brought on by way too much crack smoking, he may have his chance...
It's a pretty entertaining film, with lots of stuff going on involving gangsters, footie jokes and a surreal climax you'll never see coming (unless you've spotted the screenshots on the back of the DVD box). But Ken Loach can definitely do better... I'm thinking of movies like Kes for example, where he balances his social commentary with down-to-earth comedy with pitch perfection.
Here, it just seems the entire plot is so is awe of Cantona and his no doubt impressive legacy, that everything else is almost a second thought. The conflicts and interactions feel a bit half-arsed, with almost everything dominated by the former soccer star who just exists in the picture as a delusion of this guy's drug-addled mind.
And while Eric is charming and occasionally funny in the role of playing himself, it seems to be to the detriment of the rest of the more dramatic scenes. There are plenty of good moments away and the last few minutes are a true delight in their imaginative oddness, but this ain't vintage Loach by any stretch. If you're a rabid Reds fans, it's a must see. For anyone else, you may want to have second thoughts. 6/10
It's a pretty entertaining film, with lots of stuff going on involving gangsters, footie jokes and a surreal climax you'll never see coming (unless you've spotted the screenshots on the back of the DVD box). But Ken Loach can definitely do better... I'm thinking of movies like Kes for example, where he balances his social commentary with down-to-earth comedy with pitch perfection.
Here, it just seems the entire plot is so is awe of Cantona and his no doubt impressive legacy, that everything else is almost a second thought. The conflicts and interactions feel a bit half-arsed, with almost everything dominated by the former soccer star who just exists in the picture as a delusion of this guy's drug-addled mind.
And while Eric is charming and occasionally funny in the role of playing himself, it seems to be to the detriment of the rest of the more dramatic scenes. There are plenty of good moments away and the last few minutes are a true delight in their imaginative oddness, but this ain't vintage Loach by any stretch. If you're a rabid Reds fans, it's a must see. For anyone else, you may want to have second thoughts. 6/10