I go to see... LOOKING FOR ERIC

film: Looking For Eric
director: Ken Loach
where and when: Cameo until 25 June


There are two Erics in Ken Loach's latest film: Eric Cantona plays Eric Cantona (method acting at its outermost limit), while Steve Evets plays depressed Mancunian postman Eric Bishop. This second and Lesser Eric has a helluva lot on his plate: a deep and guilty love for the first wife he abandoned, stressful childcare duties for their grandchild, contemptuous stepchildren in thrall to the local villain, plus a self-esteem so low that he could easily limbo under a doormat while balancing a bottle of beer on his pale and undernourished belly.

At the beginning of the film, Lesser Eric's near encounter with his first wife has him succumbing to a panic attack and driving the wrong way round a roundabout, smashing up the car and putting himself in hospital. Things go downhill for him from there. Fortunately he starts filching his stepson's dope to get some relief, which allows Greater Eric -- yes, renowned Kung-Fu expert, philosopher of seagull axioms and sometime footballer Eric Cantona - to start making pithy cameo appearances within Lesser Eric 's disintegrating consciousness.

Cantona's gnomic encouragements - on self-esteem, love and teamwork - are at times so incomprehensible that I couldn't tell if they were in French and English or some other language (Cantonese), but they educate Lesser Eric in how to respect himself and deal with all the problems that beset him; ninety minutes later, helped out by scores of like-minded working-class chums, Lesser Eric has won his woman back, solved the small matter of his stepson being viciously blackmailed to look after a gun, humiliated and neutralised the psycho who owns the shooter, transformed his deeply dysfunctional family into The Waltons, and become a real man just like Greater Eric - although not such a dab hand at football.

If I sound less than convinced, it's because I'm more than sceptical. The film reminded me of the more simplistic offerings of Radio Four's Thought For the Day, those ones in which an earnest cleric ends up saying that life's a bit like a game of football, isn't it, when you think about it, and God's like the referee...

Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed Looking For Eric for its entertainment value and the great performances, and I suppose that when viewed purely as a comedy-drama -- rather than the serious social commentary it also aspires to be -- it's a qualified success...

For a thumbs-up-high review, try Film4; for a 'this is a stinker', The Independent delivers.