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Looking for Eric
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Eric Cantona, Steve Evets, Stephanie Bishop
Director: Ken Loach
Looking for Eric sees the king of gritty drama making a comedy/ fantasy of sorts.
Ken Loach brings the philosophical genius(cough) of Eric Cantona to a postman whose live has gone down the gurgler since his family fell apart.
Eric, this Man United obsessed postman (played with world weary aplomb by Steve Evets) finds solace in weed and chats with the legendary Eric Cantona as he tries to get his life back on track and tries to bring the family back together.
For the most part, it works - but then director Loach, formerly the king of miserable realises he may have lightened up too much - and halfway through, a big slab of unhappiness is thrown into the mix.
The film violently switches from fantasy drama to kitchen sink melodrama mixed in with gun culture.
And it's this move which endangers the film by making it feel like two flicks tacked together - even Cantona (imaginary or otherwise) disappears when the reality hits.
Granted the film's about the effect soccer celebs and the beautiful game have on the average person; there's a deep vein of very dry English humour running through this - and thankfully this beats out the extreme measures the film takes halfway through.
However, a crowd pleasing comedy finale sees the sunshine overthrow the grime and suddenly like a flash of footballing genius, the film's won over in the dying minutes.
It's an odd mix but Looking For Eric is strangely rewarding.
