Looking for Eric – An eOne Films’ Release

http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/looking-for-eric

DVD Release Date: September 14th, 2010

Rated 14A for coarse language and substance abuse

Running time: 117 minutes

Ken Loach (dir.)

Paul Laverty (screenplay)

Steve Evets as Eric Bishop

Eric Cantona as Eric

Stephanie Bishop as Lily

Gerard Kearns as Ryan

Our reviews below:

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Looking for Eric DVD Review By John C.

*** (out of 4)

Things aren’t going well for Eric Bishop (Steve Evets).  Still trying to win back his ex-wife, and struggling with his two teenaged sons, he barely makes enough money at his job delivering the post.  But when Eric smokes a joint, he is able to receive mentorship from his long time sports idle Eric Cantona, who plays himself in an amusing role.  Getting accidentally mixed up with a street gang, Cantona may be the key to helping Eric change his life for the better.

The mix of dramatic tension and comedy make this a darker film than expected, but it makes up for this with likable main characters, a good amount of heart and a rousing finale.  It also runs a little long at close to two hours, but other than that this is an entertaining film with a unique brand of British humour.

The DVD includes a trailer, TV spot and deleted scenes.

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Looking for Eric DVD Review By Erin V.

***1/4 (Out of 4)

Eric Bishop (Steve Evets) is a father whose teenage sons don’t really listen to him, his ex-wife won’t talk to him, and after a car accident he’s also having trouble keeping up with his work at the post office.  His friends try to help, but it is when he is alone at a real low point that he starts to see his idol, football [soccer] player Eric Cantona, appear in front of him and talk with him about how to turn his life back around.

Whether Cantona is really there or not doesn’t matter.  Acting as Bishop’s conscious, he helps him work through his issues with himself and his family.  Two things make this film really work.  The natural feel and balance it has when relating to real life, and the fact that the actors all give strong performances.  It has a very British sense of humour, which I like, as well as heart.

If you liked the trailer, I think you will enjoy the film – it’s a pretty accurate portrayal.  I’d personally recommend checking this one out.

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Looking for Eric DVD Review By Nicole

*** (out of 4)

Looking for Eric is a quirky yet serious British dramedy about one man’s efforts to save his family.  Eric Bishop is a divorced dad who still cares for his ex-wife Lily.  He keeps running into her everytime he picks up his baby granddaughter from his daughter.  Back at home, he is having serious problems with his teenage sons, Jesse and Ryan.  His son Ryan is in particular trouble, as he has joined a gang of dangerous criminals.  Just when Eric’s problems seem too much to handle, he begins to imagine his favourite soccer star, Eric Cantona, as a personal life coach.  Cantona’s “presence” help Eric get back in touch with his ex-wife, as well as inspiring a creative way to deal with the gang boss who is endangering Ryan.

Looking for Eric deals with some pretty heavy topics.  But the film deals with these issues in a sensitive way, without becoming depressing.  The scenes with Cantona are charming, and this film does have a nice message about family. Looking for Eric finds just the right balance between comedy and drama, and is a film worth checking out.

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Looking for Eric DVD Review By Maureen

*** (out of 4)

Many children count on their imaginary friend to help them sort through life’s ups and downs and when they feel ready, let their friends go.  In Looking for Eric, title character Eric Bishop (Steve Evets) is a middle-aged British postal worker who has his share of life problems.  His teenage sons, Ryan (Gerard Kearns) and Jess (Stefan Gumbs) show no respect, Jess is getting involved with crime, daughter Sam (Lucy-Jo Hudson) is a single mother university student who counts on Dad for child care, and Eric wants to right some wrongs with his ex-wife Lily (Stephanie Bishop).  So who does Eric turn to support when he’s down?  While his postal worker buddies try their best to help Eric, it’s his hero, legendary Manchester United soccer player, Eric Cantona who morphs from the poster on Eric’s bedroom wall who offers Eric man-to-man advice, one Eric to another.

Looking for Eric is a charming British movie with a nice balance of drama and comedy.  Steve Evets is believable as the likable but overwhelmed Eric Bishop.  Having the real Eric Cantona play himself adds to the humour and charm.  The scene where Eric’s buddies, the lads, take on the bad guys is really fun to watch.  In the end, things turn around for Eric Bishop and he can finally say thanks mate to his imaginary friend.

Manchester United football fans or those who particularly enjoy British humour will want to check out Looking for Eric.

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Looking for Eric DVD Review By Tony

*** (out of 4)

Looking for Eric may refer both to the main character Eric Bishop (Steve Evets) and the retired Manchester United soccer superstar Eric Cantona (playing himself). As the film opens we see a troubled Eric driving erratically and wrecking his car. His post office foreman “Meatballs” (John Henshaw) takes him home where his two teenage stepsons have been running roughshod with their mates and defying his authority. Since Eric’s work performance has gone downhill, Meatballs attempts to use some of the wisdom of his self-help books in an amusing meditation scene where his workmates are each invited to imagine themselves through the eyes of someone they admire. For Eric the obvious choice is Cantona. That evening in his bedroom in a cloud of pot smoke Eric suddenly finds himself in the presence of Cantona, who in the tradition of Bogie in Play it Again Sam has come to set him back on the right path.  He is forced to confront the source of his pain. Over twenty years prior, overwhelmed by his responsibility as a new parent, Eric had suffered a panic attack and left his first wife Lily, then was too ashamed to ever go back. Now their daughter Sam has asked her parents to help watch her baby while she finishes her studies at college, and the prospect of meeting Lily again has been too much to bear for Eric. Inspired by Cantona, Eric manages to cope with Lily and regain some respect from his boys. When one of them is threatened by a local hood, Eric deals with the problem with a lot of help from his friends, in an admittedly daft way that will have the audience cheering, leading to a predictable but very satisfying conclusion.

Once again I must confess my lack of interest in sports in general, particularly soccer, even during the one month out of four years at World Cup time when North American posers appear to show an interest in the sport. However, just as in other good films featuring athletes, such as The Blind Side, Invictus, and Just Wright, the brief clips in Looking for Eric of highlights from Cantona’s career are just a nice bonus for footy fans in what otherwise is a really good story. The excellent cast that except for Cantona is native to the Manchester location may be a bit hard to understand at times, and their coarse language is not for the squeamish. Cantona himself is even harder to understand, particularly when sharing one of his obscure aphorisms, alternating between English and French like a Canadian political speech. Overall however, even if we don’t get every word and reference, the really human story of courage, forgiveness and the value of friendship will have a wide appeal.

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Consensus: Looking for Eric is an entertaining British dramedy with an amusing performance from Eric Cantona.  Though it is darker than expected and runs a little long at close to two hours, this is one worth checking out. *** (Out of 4)