Looking for Eric, the British indie import has been billed as everything from “The Next Full Monty” to “The Next Waking Ned Devine,” which is a bit unfortunate. Sure all three are feel good features set in Europe, but the similarities end pretty much there.
Eric Bishop (played by Steve Evets) is a single father raising two delinquents in training and has been in a funk ever since he left his wife. He starts to get visits from Eric Cantona, a legendary player from Manchester United (I’ve never heard of him either, but then again like most in the country I don’t follow soccer). Cantona serves as a life coach of sorts to the Bishop, prompting him to turn his life around and woo back his wife.
The pacing is frustrating slow throughout the first half of the movie, but ultimately pays off to any viewers willing to stick it out to the end of the film. Though not nearly as memorable as either Waking Ned Devine or The Full Monty, Looking For Eric is still a decent independent drama, and you can never have too many of those.
1 DVD/MPI /IFC Films/117 Mins.