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Looking For Eric - DVD Directed by: Ken Loach Year - 2009 Running time: approx 116 minutes Certificate: 15
'Orse went t bar - bar-man said why the long face?' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two brass monkeys for the budget of this English cinematic experience, several lets get the local bar in on the act scenes, a run-down house full of wood-worm tiny cubby-holes and dirty sheets, a washed-up ex-Manchester legend feeling his way around Socrates, not the Brazilian Soccer star. A load of best mates with semi funny gaffs, and there you have it a Director Ken Loach in his local pub watching Sky Sports.
This is so 'Brassed Off' styled that all that was missing was a trombone and a triangle. It may take longer to read this review than to get grasp of the Ken Loach story-board. Loach a Football supporter himself could easily have mistaken his diary as the narrative concept when he sent it off to Steve Evets to read; who plays the leading role as Eric Bishop.
Bishop, is a do not mess with me, especially when I've had 25 pints of Fosters which I gulp down in halves kind of guy. It does take a while for the penny to drop down and hit the Pacific sea-bed with him; but he is a loyal man, hard working and does nothing selfless. He is existing, just about, he his at the baker's
door asking for piece of spam. He has hit rock bottom. Depression has resided within Bishop, whose only escape apart from rocking back and forth in a Postal sorting office is his beloved Manchester United; and even attending a match at Old Trafford has become a distant memory for him. Locked in the 1992 -1996 era with the likes of Hughes, Kanchelskis, Irvin, Keane, McClair and of course the magician Cantona. He searches for solace; and it comes in the form of Eric Cantona. I was half expecting Clair Raynor with a blue rinse, hence the budget and all, but alas we were graced with the eloquent David Niven of Englishness, Kung-Fu kicker Eric Cantona. All bearded up and with the seagulls still.
Loach was feeding bar snacks to the seagulls, I thought when he came up with this piece of inspiration in adding Cantona to the script; even though he is football mad about 'Bath' I felt he did hold back on the amount of football footage; so you can you're your better halves and not feel guilty at prosecuting them to some footie action. - You may even be surprised at hearing their chants of 'Oh ahhh Cantona, oh ha Cantona......oh ahhh Cantona' and repeat; quite a catchy tune, if your tone deaf, from being in the terraces week upon week. Loach's mix of slight undertones of political stances and deprivation combined with fanatical language is stomach worthy for all social groups.
Clever glances of humor stroked with hardships, is a notable ingredient within the script. Bishop's relationship with his ex-missus 'Lily' played by Stephanie Bishop was like watching blossom on a tree. Delicately, awkward, wondering if anything was going to materialize. Evets portrayal of a man, who once ran away from his problems, now had to confront them; mainly due to the fact they had all come home to roost in his home; in a mist of cannabis smoke, and his step-sons teenage reality checks, by mixing with wrong crowds with fierce dogs and big threats that put Eric and his step-sons at risk. Bishop induced with cannabis and away with the fairies, he confided in his super hero Eric Cantona. - Loach's approach on mental illness is well informed and his use of turning the split-personality caused by such drugs to a positive means is typical of Loach for going beyond what is actually there. A seriousness of the condition is a testimony to this piece of work. On one hand you have the bulbous jovial language of pub life in the lounge, with Manchester United playing on a 72" screen with true comrades and mickey taking that goes too far after a few bevies and then the stark contrast of resolving problems by wanting to express his feelings to 'Lily' and be on par with the great French Philosopher 'Cantona'. Suppose you have to be on some type of chemical to understand him.
Bishop's departure from reality is seen as refreshing and by viewing hardships via a different perspective is deemed as a positive move. What I admired about Cantona's role is he looks now to have forfeited his grave poetic license, and embraced dark-humor in abundance. Not that he was a Lord Byron of literacy, you got the impression he saw 'Looking for Eric' as a turning point in his route to find other ventures. ' A seagull, can always change course to find the salmon.' - His interpretation of Eric Cantona the life-coach, was like watching a Rom-Seal advert. 'It does exactly what it says on the tin'. His parables were used as gospel for Bishop and saw him through his disillusioned period.
John Henshaw acted as 'Meatballs' and was Bishop's best friend. Brashly and in a controlling manner, along with banter and one liners that would grace all the bars across 'workingmen clubs' in the UK, John Henshall ticked all the right boxes. Loud, Heavy-handed, 18 stone and a true gritty lad, with Beer and Comradeship tattooed on his meaty brain. This year has been a busy year for him work-wise as many Directors have been seduced by the immense size of his talent. Lock-up the 'Pukka pies!! - If there ever would be a film about 'John Prescott, out on a lash, playing away from home' - Henshaw is the man. Pure genius. _ Now you know lasses this isn't a footie film. There were more pork scratching and pickled eggs than there were scenes of Ronaldo's greased locks.
Escapism is rife, everywhere you turn, yet the focus swaps around as Bishop meets his tormentors head-on with some help from his friends, spurred on by 'Meatballs'. - Loach's message ' A problem shared is a problem halved'. - the strength of realism across the scripts is supreme; bad language deplored petty violence, the love and understanding of a timid women, life extremities and the loyalty of comrades. And I've not mentioned Eric. - Cantona, appeared to be the lettuce in a BLT, for me. A little limp but overall not the main substance. Meatball's is my stapled diet. Humanism is a pledge for Loach's work; he would make a librarian's life crossed with a brothel interesting. Wafer thin Evets' a legend, though I would prescribe a dietary requirement of 'meatballs'.
copyright - 07 - 2009 - 1st2thebar
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 1995 - Drama - Director: Ang Lee - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Greg Wise, Hugh Laurie, Robert Hardy
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Fantastic review - I quite fancy watching this now. Informative and witty - 'E' from me
jesi 22.07.2009 00:09
Well, I don't think this is really the right sort of film for me ~ I've no aspirations to become a footy-fan ~ TMS commentary on BBC Radio 4 LW is about my sporting limit (complete with double-decker buses and chocolate cake discussion)
. . . . ♥ jes ♥
Advantages: Can switch off the commentary, split into manageable sections, moves are easy to pick up Disadvantages: Music can get a bit boring and repetitive
exceptional by (18%):
very helpful by (82%):
