2009 film by Ken Loach

Looking for Eric is a 2009 British-French film about the escape from the trials of modern life that football and its heroes can bring for its fans. It was written by screenwriter Paul Laverty and directed by the English conductor Ken Loach. The film ‘s cast includes the early professional football player Eric Cantona and Steve Evets, erstwhile sea bass guitarist with The fall. Loach said of the film, “ We wanted to deflate the idea of celebrities as more than human. And we wanted to make a movie that was enjoying the estimate of what you and I would call solidarity, but what others would call support for your friends truly, and the old idea that we are stronger as a team than we are as individuals. ” [ 2 ]

plat [edit ]

Eric Bishop is a football fanatic mailman whose life is descending into crisis. Looking after his granddaughter is bringing him into liaison with his ex-wife, Lily, whom he abandoned after the birth of their daughter. At the lapp time, his stepson Ryan is hiding a gun under the floorboards of his bedroom for a fierce drugs baron. At his lowest moments, Bishop considers suicide. But after a short meditation seance with mate postmen in his life room, and smoking cannabis stolen from his stepson, hallucinations bring forth his footballing hero, the famously philosophical Eric Cantona, who gives him advice. His relationship with Lily improves dramatically. Bishop finds the gunman and confronts his stepson. Ryan admits to his interest with the drugs gang, and Bishop attempts to return the gun to the gangster. He is forced to keep it himself, however, when a Rottweiler is set on him in his car. The gangster then posts footage on YouTube of Bishop ‘s chagrin. The entire syndicate is then arrested by the police on a tip-off but they fail to find the gunman as it is hidden in the electric refrigerator, under a chicken. Eric Cantona then advises Bishop to seek avail from his friends and to ‘surprise ‘ himself. Bishop organises ‘Operation Cantona ‘, sneaking dozens of fellow Manchester United fans – wearing Cantona masks ( including Cantona himself ) – into the gangster ‘s house and humiliating him and his class, threatening to put the television of their operation onto YouTube, in become. The film ends at Bishop ‘s daughter ‘s commencement day, where the family reunites in peace .

form [edit ]

production [edit ]

The film was shot on location in Greater Manchester [ 3 ] by Loach ‘s company Sixteen Films .

publish [edit ]

The film competed in the chief competition at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival. [ 4 ] It had its UK premier on 1 June in Lowry Outlet Mall in Salford Quays, attended by Eric Cantona, [ 5 ] and was the gala display at the open night of the Sydney Film Festival on 3 June.

The film was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 12 June. The film was scheduled to be shown at the Melbourne International Film Festival, but five days before opening night Loach withdrew it because the film festival was “ in receipt of fiscal accompaniment from the State of Israel ”. [ 6 ]

screenplay [edit ]

The ledger for Looking For Eric is published by Route Publishing. It includes the full moon screenplay, extra scenes, colour photograph from the film and on set, and introductions from Paul Laverty, Ken Loach, Eric Cantona and production notes from the shed and crowd .

reception [edit ]

As of January 2020, Looking for Eric has an 85 % rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 99 reviews. [ 7 ] The film won the Magritte Award for Best Film in Coproduction.

Roger Ebert, who had praised many of Ken Loach ‘s former works, gave the film two stars out of four. [ 8 ] He said that he was surprised by the break from Loach ‘s previous social naturalism, although he besides said that Cantona was successful in his function. [ 8 ] Ebert said that “ Steve Evets uses a Manchester stress so thick that many of the English themselves might not be able to understand it. Eric Cantona, who is french, is easier to understand. ” [ 8 ] Ebert had in the past defended Loach ‘s use of Yorkshire dialect in the film Kes, which prevented the film from attaining a publish in the US as it was not widely understand. [ 9 ]

References [edit ]