Ken Loach has been making films about gutsy working class people struggling with unpromising lives for decades; but his movies can have a same-y feel about them. Of his recent films, my favourite is 'Bread and Roses', perhaps because it took him abroad, outside his comfort zone. 'Looking for Eric' has it's own uniqueness; an unlikely cameo from Eric Cantona, footballer turned occasional actor, but who here features as himself, or at least, as a popular version of himself, appearing magically to a postman who considers him a hero and who is thereby inspired to turn his life around. In spite of this twist, the overall plot arc is more typical of Loach, although it's hard not to enjoy the surreal (though not fantastical) climax. It's not the director's greatest work; but as always it's honest, and is also (in a way not all his films are) fun.
Review of Looking for Eric
