Looking For Eric (directed by Ken Roach)

I did claim on here a while back that I would review some films, but I've never really got round to it despite seeing some absolute crackers ('Benjamin Button'...'In The Loop') recently. What better time to start with the film reviews than when there is a dearth of new music releases?

By some miracle, our local cinema are showing 'Looking For Eric', the new Ken Roach film feauturing Monsieur Cantona, so we went to see it yesterday as it will almost certainly be gone within a week. The cinema was disasspointingly empty, save for a few lads who I think expected 'Looking For Eric' to be some kind of updated version of 'Escape To Victory'.

Instead, it is a warm hearted comedy that follows 'flawed postman' Eric Bishop as he attempts to rebuild his life following a period of depression and a failed suicide attempt. Bishop still loves his ex-ex wife (Lily), who he walked out on after a panic attack thirty years ago and at his lowest point he starts to have visions of his hero Eric Cantona, who proceeds to give him life-lessons in the form of some cod-philosophy, helping him attempt to win back Lily and help his stepson escape some shady gangsters.

Bishop is played by Steve Evets, a bit-part actor previously, who once played guitar in The Fall. Evets is superb and makes Bishop entirely believable, giving the impression that he is not really acting. His shouts of "fuck, fuck...oh fucking hell" when things go wrong for him are full of realistic frustration and very empathy-evoking. Cantona, of course, plays himself too, although sometimes I thought he was playing the public's perception of himself, which must have been quite a challenge. He dominates the film really, you are always keen for him to return, simply because he is very cool and has some great lines ("I am not a man, I am Cantona"). He does sometimes mumble these lines and often it is difficult to tell if he is speaking in French or English but of course, this is simply because he is so enigmatic...

The film is really about friendship. Bishop has to call on his mates to help him out, just as Cantona needed his team-mates. Cantona spells this out for us, by explaining that his favourite moment in football was not a goal of his own, but a pass to create a goal for someone else (surely the only time un-sung Irish fullback Denis Irwin has been mentioned in a cinema film?).

Take out Cantona and you would have had a straightforward 'man seeks redemption and tries to win back lover' type film, but still a superior and very funny one. Cantona adds an extra dimension, but in many ways Evets is the star of this warm hearted and enjoyable film. Well worth a couple of hours of your time.

8.5

['Looking For Eric' is showing at all decent cinemas now]