TO WIN BACK THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE, ERIC’S GOING TO NEED A LITTLE TRAINING.
Postman Eric Bishop (Steve Evets) is going through a crisis; in his quest to become a better father and perhaps rekindle his relationship with the love of his life, he needs the support of Eric Cantona. What must be Ken Loach’s cutest movie shows that just because a story takes place in a realistic working-class environment doesn’t mean that it needs to be all about misery. It isn’t easy to suffer from a depression and still be expected, as a single father, to care for two rowdy teenage boys… but Eric’s fate takes an unexpectedly delightful turn after a while. Having Cantona appear as an imaginary therapist is a brilliant idea, a perfect lifeline for a man like Eric Bishop.
2009-Britain-France-Italy-Belgium-Spain. 117 min. Color. Produced by Rebecca O’Brien. Directed by Ken Loach. Screenplay: Paul Laverty. Cast: Steve Evets (Eric Bishop), Eric Cantona, Stephanie Bishop (Lily), Gerard Kearns, Stefan Gumbs, Lucy-Jo Hudson.
Last word: “In English football, you have more space for the strong personality, for being yourself. And Eric is not for any compromising in his life or his career. He is always very straight what he thinks about you … he is the opposite of a hypocrite. He had a lot of respect for the stories Ken was telling, and has a vision of life that is very pure. He could feel that Ken was on his side.” (Executive producer Vincent Maraval, The Guardian)
