Exclusive interviews: Duncan Jones (Director of Moon) - Andrew Barker (Director of Straw Man) - Tony Grisoni (Screen Writer of Red Riding Trilogy, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) - Michael Marshall Smith (author of Spares, Only Forward, The Straw Men etc) - Alejandro Adams (Director of Canary) - Ryan Denmark (Director of Romeo & Juliet vs The Living Dead) - Neal Asher (author of the Cormac series, The Skinner etc) - Marc Robert & Will Stotler (Able) - Kenny Carpenter (Director of Salvaging Outer Space)

Press Conference - Public Enemies - Johnny Depp, Michael Mann, Marion Cotillard

NEWS - REVIEWS - TRAILERS - POSTERS - INTERVIEWS - FORUM - CONTACT


FEATURED REVIEWS - Public Enemies - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Moon - The Hurt Locker

LFF is on Facebook - Twitter - Friend Feed

Friday 19 June 2009

Looking for Eric, 2009 - Movie Review

Director: Ken Loach
Starring: Steve Evets, Eric Cantona, Stephanie Bishop, Gerard Kearns, Stefan Gumbs
Running Time: 115 Minutes
Score: 7 / 10

This great review is by Jason O'Mahoney.

Loving both movies and football, I'm constantly disappointed that the beautiful game invariably goes down like a lead balloon or like Ronaldo in the penalty area when it makes the transition to the silver screen. Movie gods and football stars are like oil and water, seldom mixing and big screen adaptations of the game often end in tears, even with players of the caliber of Pele and Bobby Moore playing footballers, as they did in ESCAPE TO VICTORY (1982).

Paradoxically some footballers have gone on to become more successful as actors in non-football roles, most notably Vinnie Jones, who burst onto the scene in LOCK, STOCK & TWO SMOKING Barrels (1998). He was, apparently, paid more for his role in GONE IN 60 SECONDS (2000) than he made in his entire football career!

So as a Manchester United fan and one time devotee at the church of Cantona, it was with a mixture of excitement and trepidation that I went to see LOOKING FOR ERIC the new film from Ken Loach starring Manchester United legend, Eric Cantona.

The story follows Eric, a Manchester postman, played by Steve Evets, whose life is slowly slipping out of control. His second wife deserted him, his stepsons are out of control and the house was chaotic even before a cement mixer appeared in the front garden. Life is crazy enough, but it is Eric's own secret that is driving him to the brink. How can he face up to Lily, his first wife and the woman of his dreams? He once loved her deeply, only to walk out on her as soon as they had a child together. Despite the comical efforts and misplaced goodwill of his mates, Eric continues to sink and is becoming more and more depressed.

In desperate times, he takes a spliff and a special friend turns up to help him find his way. He turns to his hero, footballing genius, philosopher and poster boy, Eric Cantona. As a certain Frenchman says, "He who is afraid to throw the dice, will never throw a six," so Eric the postman, under the watchful tutelage of Eric the legend, learns how to laugh in the face of insurmountable odds and starts to play the game of life again.

The movie was shot entirely on location in Manchester and has a grainy and at times almost grim look to it and, while Loach's true to life directing style has never been known for its comedy, the film is a bitter-sweet and often hilarious look at life. It's a lovable film and a rousing crowd pleaser and both leads put in outstanding performances, particularly Evets as postman Eric. Die-hard football fans may be disappointed that the game is given relatively little screen time but the moments from Cantona's career that are presented are mesmerizing and a reminder, if any were needed, that football is truly a beautiful game! Film fans will love the picture, it's the most entertaining thing Loach has done in years, it's just a pity that it's impossible to bring back King Eric to Old Trafford. It's high time a true genius and footballing great were in control of the coveted number 7.

Discuss in the forum or leave a comment below.

HOME

20 comments:

IAmCantona said...

Saw Loach's latest achievement over the weekend in NYC, and I was left speechless. The comedic dialogue provided by Eric Bishop's (played by Steve Evets) friends, as well as the surprising ending of the film made this one of the most enjoyable flicks I've seen in some time. Even Eric Cantona's presence with Evets makes him even more believable as an actor. Evets also deserves recognition for his chops serving as the lead character role. When I visit my relatives in D.C. this Fri., I plan on seeing it a second time when the film opens there. There could be no better timing for the films' release in the U.S. just prior to the FIFA World Cup games. http://tinyurl.com/ybmn4km.

Anonymous said...

order diazepam valium us pharmacy - do generic valium pills look like

Anonymous said...

zolpidem no prescription zolpidem 10mg image - zolpidem usage recreatif

Anonymous said...

zolpidem without prescription ambien side effects liver - ambien side effects gi

Anonymous said...

xanax no prescription cheap legal xanax - xanax 2mg info

Anonymous said...

ativan drug high dosage of ativan - ativan withdrawal how long does it take

Anonymous said...

ic zolpidem tartrate zolpidem 10 mg side effects - лекарство zolpidem tartrate

Anonymous said...

lorazepam no prescription ativan j code - ativan vs. xanax differences

Anonymous said...

cheap lorazepam recovering from ativan overdose - 10mg ativan overdose

Anonymous said...

buy generic ativan ativan dosage strengths - how to buy lorazepam online

Anonymous said...

diazepam 10 mg le diazepam (valium) - diazepam rectal gel

Anonymous said...

cheap soma soma medication dosage - how to buy soma online with no prescription

Anonymous said...

soma online carisoprodol 350 mg description - best buy soma

Anonymous said...

cheap carisoprodol generic china somatropin - generic soma wiki

Anonymous said...

buy ambien online ambien overdose signs symptoms - symptoms of ambien overdose

Anonymous said...

order carisoprodol online carisoprodol good - carisoprodol 5513 dan

Anonymous said...

buy ambien online safe to buy ambien online - drug interactions topamax ambien

Anonymous said...

buy ambien online ambien side effects during pregnancy - ambien cr overdose

Anonymous said...

buy valium online valium vs xanax addiction - half life of valium in dogs

yanmaneee said...

hermes handbags
golden goose outlet
nike hyperdunk
balenciaga shoes
fila
yeezy boost 350 v2
cheap jordans
mbt shoes
yeezys
christian louboutin shoes