Considering its fairly original premises, "Looking for Eric" ends up disappointingly predictable. That said, the performances even from Cantona are solid, and it has moments of genuine warmth and humour. Worth a watch, but sadly as a whole quite forgettable.

the worst thing in this movie was the role playing of Eric Cantona as himself. but after around half time of the film, i got even used to him.

Ken Loach probes the middle class once again, this time through a football fan whose biggest idol appears from out of nowhere to guide him through hard times. Steve Evets is brilliant.

25/7/9 - Second Viewing. Funny, touching, really well shot and involving story. Cantona is superb.

Really enjoyed the first half of the film. Witty, original and quite heartwarming. Then, for some reason, it does a complete U-turn halfway through and turns into something altogether different. Once the sub-plot with the gun was introduced I completely lost interest - it just left an unpleasant taste in my mouth. The ending was pretty horrible, too.

Looking for Eric tries to appeal to two different crowds: those that are looking too see a modern iteration of British social realism and those that are interested in English football. Unfortunately it doesn't really deliver enough to any of those two crowds to be a truly good movie. And while it seems like an original idea behind the movie, it ends up being pretty predictable, even cliched. Fortunately the movie is still enjoyable despite this. And Eric Cantona is not a man. He's Cantona.

10 aralik 09.

This British kitchen sink realism is really not my thing. Of course there is Cantona to brighten the day, but I found his precepts for life shallow and, well, too obvious.

oooh ahh, can-to-na!

A bit too feely-good for my taste, on the point of being clicheed and Eastender-like.

The magnificently-named Steve Evets, playing at first glance an unambitious loser, turns into one of the most likeable and sympathetic characters in this year's releases - someone you can root for just as passionately as he roots for his beloved football team. A masterful drama of complex human emotions by Ken Loach.

not in the same vein as loach's previous work, looking for eric is a much more accessible, feel good kind of movie. the transformation theme is good but side plots involving family troubles makes the movie into a tv series episode. some good acting, and a nice little critique of modern football industry in between.

Some superb work in this film that means you don't resent the slightly convenient and twee resolutions.

It takes too long to start being interesting, but once you are into the story and really know what's going on and what's the purpose of what they're telling you it gets better (but it takes probably more than 30 minutes of pure boredom). It should be shorter, almost 2h is too much for this. Not one of the best Loach's, but a light comedy with a big drama component you won't regret watching.

A good and fun movie. Cantona is really fun :). All about friendship and family and that kind of stuff.

A phantom image of someone's idol mentors him with corny life advice, such time-tested pearls of wisdom as "take more risks" and "learn to say no". Where have I seen this concept before? Oh yeah, "Play it Again Sam", "No Retreat, No Surrender", "True Romance", "High Fidelity" and of course "Wayne's World 2" spoofing the cliché. A new low in Loach and Laverty's fast descent into mediocrity.

Hmpf. The movie could have been much better - it starts really well, but the tempo is kind of lost in the middle, and the ending came to me completely out of the blue. Seriously, if you're portraying a social drama, why make an end so cliche. I must approve the main actor though - brilliant performance! All in all, I didn't find the movie to be comedy at all, and I think it could have been done better. It's still a solid Britain social drama though.

Great acting and direction in this enjoyable social realist tale of lost love, frienship and football with some Cantona philosophy and humour thrown in.

Eric Cantona is the best actor in the world. It's Loach by the numbers though.

"Ken Loach worms beneath sooty surroundings to examine the dreamy undercurrent of idealism that facilitates conflict in his Thatcher-ized milieu." - Joseph Jon Lanthier

Funny, touching, and sweet; but, not Ken's best.

Good film.

I found it hugely disappointing, but what's worst: it is very forgettable. And it is too much that the plot just takes a magical happy twist every god damned time Cantona has had a line. Makes it extremely predictable.

That's a kind of movie that you feel happy at the end, I wasn't expecting that from a Ken Loach movie:) It is fun to watch and have some very bright moments for a football fan. I couldn't help remembering the old Turkish movies: A lot of bad things happen... And in the end they turn up to unite the family ties. The main difference, of course, there's no Cantona in Turkey.

- What was the sweetest moment in your life? It has to be a goal, isn't it? + It was a pass.