"It tugs at the very basic of our emotions by mirroring real life situations"

almost didn't get to see this film. It was a bit of a last minute dash to get to the screening.... I tell you what though, I'm really glad that I got to see it. There is an inherent honesty to this film that I haven't experienced for a very long time, and is something that only ever seems to exist in British films.

Based in Manchester, Looking For Eric follows the life of postman and life long Manchester United fan Eric Bishop, who is struggling to hold it all together, that is until the hallucinatory vision of the one and only Eric Cantona comes into his life. Following the philosophical advice of the enigmatic Frenchman, Eric manages to rebuild his relationship with his estranged first wife, convince his friends he's not a complete loser and save his stepson from falling into the seedy underworld of Manchester.

What makes this film work is the fact that the humour, the emotion, the stress - it's all something that we've had to deal with in our lives, and set in this typical Northern household it is so brutally close to the heart that it is impossible not to be captivated by it. The only thing I can really think to compare it to is the comedy of Peter Kay. There are no outrageous sc, no convoluted stories, just observations on basic human life that are pant-wettingly funny because we can all relate to them.

Looking For Eric is a great film. It's as simple as that. It tugs at the very basic of our emotions by mirroring real life situations, and should be applauded for doing so. This film is living proof that if you stick to the basics, and get them right, everything else follows.