Looking For Eric - Back of the net!

Looking For Eric  (15)

Dir. Ken Loach, 2009, UK, 116 mins

Cast. Eric Cantona, Steve Evets, John Henshaw, Stephanie Bishop

Films about the beautiful game have had a troubled history. From the undoubtedly bizarre thrill of watching Sylvester Stallone lining up alongside Bobby Moore and Pele in The Great Escape to lacklustre debacles such as Fever Pitch or When Saturday Comes, cinema has struggled to capture the sport’s emotional intensity, passion and endless possibilities. More recently the depressing sub-genre of hooligan film (Green Street, The Football Factory) has overshadowed the game itself on the screen.

Thankfully, with Ken Loach’s (himself a follower of non-league titans Bath City) masterful feel good character study Looking for Eric, footy fans finally have a film to be proud of.  And this is by no means at the exclusion of audiences more at home in the cinema than on the terrace. Football references are kept to a broad minimum and should not put off anyone unfamiliar with flat back fours, the offside rule, or relegation dogfights.

Steve Evets’ (think, Mancunian Harry Dean Stanton) terminally depressed and damaged postman Eric Bishop is in the middle of a nuclear strength mid life fall-out. We first meet him as he drives his van the wrong way round a busy roundabout oblivious to the oncoming traffic. As a compelling visual metaphor for his sad existence it grabs us from the off and doesn’t let go.

He left his first wife (Stephanie Bishop) 30 years ago in the grip of doubts and fears about becoming a father and remains painfully in love. The stepsons (Gerard Kearns, Stefan Gumbs) from his second marriage treat him with contempt and rule the roost at home.  On top of this he can’t afford to go and see his beloved Manchester United anymore. To be blunt, life for Eric sucks.

And where is the wayward genius Cantona in all this misery? Well, at the height of his despair Eric turns to his bedroom poster of the legend and asks him where it all went wrong.  To his understandable surprise the former Old Trafford hero appears, languidly stepping forth in a puff of spliff smoke (‘borrowed’ from the troublesome step-kids) and beguiling bon mots.

And from that point on King Eric acts as advisor, fairy godmother and personal trainer, constantly popping up offering sage advice and typically oblique poetics; cleverly sending up his public persona (I am not a man…I am Cantona, he announces, tongue firmly in cheek) and showing a nice gift for subtle comedy.  Eric’s desire to explain and understand his failings and goal of reuniting with the love of his life is carefully plotted by his charismatic namesake and together they make a genuinely winning double act.

Great support is provided by Eric’s workmates (particularly John Henshaw’s splendidly named Meatballs); the scene in the postal depot where they try to raise a smile from Eric by telling him god-awful jokes is a peculiarly British comedy gem.  Loach’s (at 73, surely worthy of ‘national treasure’ status) love of gallows humour is always near the forefront but it is without doubt his lightest film in tone; the ending is brilliantly upbeat and will leave a quiet grin on the face for many weeks afterwards. Some aspects of the crime sub plot in the second half of the film don’t always work but these are minor quibbles and as a plot device it necessitates the superb climax. A genuinely entertaining, funny and emotive British movie that fully deserves the many accolades that are sure to come its way. A film to be proud of… back of the net!

Looking For Eric is released on June 12

 

Anything For Her - released 5 June

A superlative French thriller that draws favourable comparison to Guilliaume Canet’s 2007 crossover success Tell No One, in Anything for Her (Pour Elle) Fred Cavaye explores similar themes of obsession and love while progressing with a tightly scripted plot at breakneck speed.

Lisa (Diane Kruger) and Julien (Vincent Lindon) lead a happily married life with their young son. This state of bliss is turned upside down when armed cops knock down their door and arrest Lisa for murder. Julien cannot bear to be without her and sets out to break her free - even if it means that he has to kill in order to do it.

The film’s strength largely lies in Lindon’s performance. He is solid, charismatic and believable as the average Joe schoolteacher pushed to his extremes by love and the possibility of that love being lost.  There is never the sense that events are implausible; out of control and mad, yes,  but always believable. The film constantly asks: what would you do in the same position?

 

Tormented. out May 22. take it away. please ! please!

Oh dear. Essentially Hollyoaks with blood or an episode of Skins meets Scream, Brit- high school horror Tormented has its target audience firmly in view. Sadly this does not seem to include anyone a; over the age of 15 or b; seen more than a handful of decent movies (horror or otherwise). Even the basest teen soap has more wit and vigour than this frankly embarrassing offering.

The plot, such as it is, concerns the suicide of bullied teen Darren Mullet and his apparent re-appearance as a vengeful zombie ghost thing eager to get back at the cast of gormless, braying good looking bastards who did for him in the first place.

Displaying varying degrees of idiocy, the clichéd bunch of Emos, slappers, geeks and jocks get bumped off in disappointingly boring fashion. The final ‘twist’ is laughable and seeks to act as some sort of get out clause for the mirthless crap that preceded it.

Avoid like the plague. It’ll probably be huge.

Note: Incredibly Empire magazine which I enjoy and respect gave this pile an extremely generous and good review. Why ??! Seriously, any horror  fan (or sentient being) will be switched off by this. The fact that it's rated a 15 should tell you that it's not in the so shit or rank that it's good category...whatever.... 

Blog updates

Have been a bit quiet on the old blog front lately... apologies to the warm souled few for this...updates a plenty everywhere coming up x 

Is Anybody There? - Rel. 1 May - Michael Caine on top form

10 year old Edward (Bill Milner) lives a lonely existence in a sea-side retirement home with his stressed out parents (David Morrissey, Anne-Marie Duff) and a cast of eccentric geriatrics. Bored and increasingly obsessed with death, he is abruptly brought out of his morbid shell by the arrival of “The Amazing” Clarence (Michael Caine) an anarchic retired magician.

Mining similar territory to last year’s Brit-hit ‘Son of Rambow’ (also featuring rising child star Milner) ‘Is Anybody There?’ is a charming and often very funny slice of 80’s family nostalgia that – thanks to Peter Harness’ terrific script – always manages to ring true.

Unsurprisingly, Caine lights up the screen whenever on it and he and Milner develop a chemistry that imbues the drama with a real depth of emotion and credibility. Backed up by a strong supporting cast of familiar faces (Leslie Philips, Sylvia Syms) this is a quintessentially English story that should find itself a wide audience.

7/10