Looking for Eric (film) - Which one?
Eric Cantona or Eric Bishop that is the question. Having seen Looking for Eric what I wanted to find was Eric Bishop. To borrow a Manchester Utd chant “who the fuck is Eric Bishop” well he is the suicidal postman who like James Stewart in Harvey Eric Cantona not a rabbit appears to him and him alone. Think back if you will to Woody Allens Play It Again Sam’ were Bogart appears as an apparition distilling advice to Allens character like “I never understood a women who didn’t understand a slap in the face or a slug from a 45” or “you smell like a French poodle”. Looking For Eric is Play it again sam with a social concience.
Is it successful? Not really. Ironically the scenes with Eric Cantona are somewhat fiat. Cantona doles out pop philosophy quotes to Eric Bishop our postman in an effort to rebuild his life. Of course this Loach and Mclaverty life is a quasi fantasy of working class life replete with truth and cliches.
Eric Bishop played excellently by Steve Evets is a postman facing a mid life crisis. Kids from a second wife but his true love is his first wife who he abandoned. She has grown as a person he clearly has not. She had his baby and he shirked responsibility. The daughter grows up aware of him but a university success, aspiration is around Eric feeding into a theme of working class aspiration becoming a reality.
The narrative follows what is a social political side as we meet Eric Bishops postie friends who have deserted Manchester Utd for FC United in protes at the Glazer takeover of Man Utd. A scene is played out were Utd play Barcelona. Well a debate of sorts we clearly get the impression that the film is on the side of David not Goliath. The theme of community is played out in crude form which seeks to recreate the fantasy of working class community around the supporters of FC United. This is in stark opposition to how Manchester United is depicted a club distant from the community. Like Westminster politics?
As Eric Bishop trys to ressurect a relationship with his first love Cantona acts as almost a pyscho therapist. Actually the best gags in the film stem from making fun of Erics philosophical slogans.
In what looks like a latched on episode of The Bill we get Eric Bishops son embroiled in some gangland chicanery. Central to this is a gun and a scene were the police raid his home like they were arresting Bin laden. The police as you would imagine in a loach film are assigned stereotype, full force raid, guns and handcuffs. This scene is reminisent of Ladybird, Ladybird were social workers take a child into care like Herods secret police.
The real centre of the film is the relationship between Eric Bishop and his true love. We see from flashbacks the consequences of youthful decisions. Not that they comeback so much to haunt Eric Bishop but as much to shape his life.
The film culminates in what can only be described as an Ealing Comedy collective action crossed with Youtube. An army of Eric Cantona’s take on the gangster caracitures.
The film is accessible and entertaining in places. Eric cantona the actor lacks presence but Eric the footballer in the incorporated clips from games is exquisite. Eric Cantona in his pop philosophy urges Eric Bishop to use his team of postmen. Cantona in the film plays up the team but would not in reality pass very much to his team mate Andy Cole as he did not rate him. So the result is Eric Bishop two, Eric Cantona nil.
