Looking for Eric

"To win back the love of his life, Eric's going to need a little training."

2009 1h 56m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 383

DramaComedy

Synopsis

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Middle-aged postman and football fan Eric Bishop struggles with his increasingly chaotic existence, but receives some life coaching from the famously philosophical Éric Cantona.

“To win back the love of his life, Eric's going to need a little training.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Steve Evets
Eric Bishop
Éric Cantona
Éric Cantona
Stephanie Bishop
Lily
Gerard Kearns
Ryan
Stefan Gumbs
Jess
Lucy-Jo Hudson
Sam
Cole Williams
Daisy
Dylan Williams
Daisy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ken Loach
Writers: Paul Laverty
Languages: English, French
Countries: United Kingdom, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 5 countries: United Kingdom, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ken Loach, shot by Barry Ackroyd. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by George Fenton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jonathan Morris shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Steve Evets and Éric Cantona and Stephanie Bishop carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "To win back the love of his life, Eric's going to need a little training.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ken Loach directs. Barry Ackroyd behind the camera. George Fenton scores. Jonathan Morris cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 17 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
3International production across 5 countries: United Kingdom, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain.
4Directed by Ken Loach, shot by Barry Ackroyd. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by George Fenton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jonathan Morris shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Steve Evets and Éric Cantona and Stephanie Bishop carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "To win back the love of his life, Eric's going to need a little training.".
9IMDB entry: tt1242545 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Barry Ackroyd
Original score: George Fenton
Editing: Jonathan Morris
Production design: Fergus Clegg
Stunt coordinator: Paul Heasman
Runtime: 116 min · 1h 56m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $6,000,000
Box office: $11,650,726
Return: 194% of budget
Original language: EN
IMDB: Looking for Eric (2009)

Also by

Ken Loach

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-01-26
★ 7/10
One minute he is telling us about seagulls and sardines, the next he is acting as a glorified counsellor - and that's when he's not helping Manchester United to rule the roost in the English Premier League. Eric is a multi-talented fellow, which is just as well as he has quite a task. It's super-fan "Eric" (Steve Evets) who is part of a dyed-in-the-wool group of postmen-fans of the club who lives with his stepsons "Ryan" (Gerard Kearns) and "Jess" (Stefan Gumbs) who have little respect for the man. Things all start to come to an head when the gullible "Ryan" gets himself involved with local hoodlum "Zac" (Steve Marsh) who gets him to hide a gun under the floorboards. When this is found some home truths have to be shared between these men - truths that lead to violence, a police raid and then maybe the best example of group participation I've ever seen on screen. It's got many of Ken Loach's usual hallmark views on the typical working class, but they don't take front and centre as prominently as in many of his more political films. This one comes across as more a critique on the dynamics of a family, and a largely male one at that, of community and of the almost tribal attitudes and loyalties that passionate following of a football club can engender. Evets handles his role well, especially in his scenes with his footballing icon that appear shot in such a fashion as to look like they are in the same room, sharing a drink or a cigarette, but also looking like they are not. It's Kearns who steals the show for me, though - his performance is engagingly visceral and at times quite touching. There's some gritty humour to be had here, too, and a little dig at those who gentrified football with their 4x4s and their season tickets at the expense of the ordinary fans. It's blunt and brutal, sensitive, funny and worth a watch.

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