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Last Chance Harvey (2008)

**** (out of 4)

Dustin Hoffman plays Harvey Shine, a man on his way to London for his daughter's wedding but at home facing problems with his job. When he lands in London he learns that his daughter doesn't want him walking her down the aisle. Hurt, he goes to the airport bar where he meets a woman (Emma Thompson) also facing her own share of problems. The two hit it off and head out for the night hoping they can find comfort in each other. I wasn't sure what to expect walking into this movie but it was certainly very worthwhile and I must admit that this was one of the most memorable movies of 2008. The movie isn't brilliant but I don't think it was trying to be. The movie doesn't have a lot to say about relationships nor is it trying to be deep or thoughtful. The movie just tries to be entertaining and lets two great actors do their thing and the end result is something very moving, touching and at times funny. I was really surprised at how depressing the movie was but the screenplay allows both characters, and for that matter the viewer, to hit rock bottom in depression because the eventual climb up. I give screenwriter/director Hopkins a lot of credit for trying to stay as real as possible without trying to go over the top with any of its subject matter. To me the film felt very real and that's hard to find these days especially for a romantic comedy. Hoffman, one of our greatest character actors, does a masterful job here and really turns in his most memorable performance in several years. It was so much pleasure seeing Hoffman work this character because of the charm and pain he brings to the role. I've always found Hoffman to be a great comic actor and working with charm is a strong suit for him and that's on full display here. That smile of his mixed with his swooning ways were great to watch and he really nails it. The depressing scenes are brilliantly done as well with Hoffman replying a lot on facial gestures and not words. Many of these depressing scenes are done without words so Hoffman must rely on other emotions. Thompson is just as good and keeps up with Hoffman making the two the perfect couple that you really want to see together. Thompson's issues in the film are a lot different than Hoffman's but she too is able to be charming, funny and sad as well. Kathy Baker, James Brolin and Richard Schiff are all very good in their supporting roles. Again, this is the type of film that just lets the actors do their thing and to me it really comes off excellent in the end. I didn't like what happened to Hoffman's character towards the end as I felt the movie should have ended the scene earlier but this is just a minor issue. Seeing Hoffman and Thompson work their magic was great fun even though the more depressing scenes. It's a shame to see this movie not doing so well at the box office but it's true people enjoy more lightweight stuff. Oh well, as it's really their loss.

Yes, it's one of those "nice" movies but Emma Thompson's presence alone raises the worthiness of this movie several notches. We believe everything we see in her wonderful complicated face and that's the hook that will carry you along, it certainly did me. Dustin Hoffman, is the unlikely romantic door that opens to Emma, poor girl. But she sees something in him that I, quite honestly, didn't. At the end of the day if it's okay with Emma, it's okay with me. There are a couple of marvelous moments but that's about it. Another element that helps us enormously to escape the predominant flatness is Eileen Atkins as Emma's mother. All in all I would recommend you to see it, preferably on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

This movie is about a socially awkward American man and British woman who meet in London, get to like one another and may have a future together. The plot has been done a zillion times. I pretty much knew what was going to happen twenty minutes into the film. What saves the film from being one huge predictable snooze fest is that the author is clever enough not to fall into too many clichés so things seem possible if not probable. And there is the excellent casting of Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. Their characters are quirky enough to be believable and both are very sympathetic. And there's no silly Hollywood ending with rockets bursting and doves flying into the sunset. There's a chance they might make it as a couple despite differences in age, culture and countries or they might be in for a huge disappointment and hurt--something both have known in their lives.

If you're expecting a movie that will entertain, be free of gratuitous sex scenes and violence with a charming backdrop of London landmarks, then this film is for you.

While Joel Hopkins' Last Chance Harvey does not break any new ground, it contains some very unusual features for a romantic comedy: lovers who are over fifty years old and estranged family members who treat each other with civility. The film is about second chances and, in this case, perhaps third or fourth chances, and reminds us that it is never too late to turn our lives around or to clean up past mistakes. Dustin Hoffman (who is 71) pursues Emma Thompson (who is 49 and a few inches taller than him) but the relationship neither feels awkward nor strained thanks to the magnificent performances by these accomplished actors who truly inhabit their characters.

Both Harvey Shine (Hoffman) and Kate Walker (Thompson) at this stage in their lives seem to be lost but carry on with determination. Harvey is a wannabe jazz pianist who has settled for work writing jingles for commercials but obviously feels that he has missed his calling. Divorced from his wife Jean (Kathy Baker) and estranged from his daughter Susan (Liane Balaban), Harvey is traveling to London to attend his daughter's wedding but dreads the reunion. Meanwhile, his boss (Richard Schiff) comments about the new young people coming into the company, presumably thinking they can improve on Harvey's performance. When Harvey tells his boss that he is going to London for the weekend for the marriage of his only daughter, he warns him that there will be consequences if he does not return on Monday.

When Harvey arrives at his hotel expecting to find the wedding party, he finds that everyone else is staying at a mansion rented by his daughter's wealthy stepfather Brian (James Brolin). Seething inside, Harvey still manages to show good cheer at the reception, that is, until he receives a double dose of bad news: Susan tells him that she is going to have Brian give her away and a phone call from his job tells him that he is being let go from his job. To perk up his spirits, after missing his flight back to JFK, Harvey meets Kate (Thompson) in the airport bar. Kate (who has never married) works for a statistics company interviewing arriving passengers on incoming flights at Heathrow and had been refused an interview by Harvey when he first arrived.

Both are disappointed in life, Kate's spirits being especially down after she was ignored during a blind date and created an excuse to leave early. The unlikely pair open up to each other, however, and begin a relationship based on mutual need. Their all-night walk around London saves them the awkwardness of having to go to a hotel together and gives the viewer a lovely montage of the city, their conversation only interrupted by phone calls from Kate's mother Maggie (Eileen Atkins) who has recently recovered from cancer and is paranoid about a new Polish neighbor.

Kate convinces Harvey to attend his daughter's wedding reception in a charming scene marred only by a clichéd montage of Kate trying on different gowns in the dress store. When Harvey brings Kate to the reception, he seems to have a new level of confidence and his wedding toast to his daughter is extremely touching. At this point, many things could go wrong but do not. As Andrew Sarris has pointed out, "In these times of institutionalized bad manners on screen and off, it is refreshing to see a movie smoothly returning to an age of courtesy and courtliness leavened by wit and genuine sincerity." While Last Chance Harvey will never be confused with great romantic comedy, it is heartfelt and sincere, and its message that people at all ages have the power to transform the quality of their lives left me with a smile.

Harvey Shine (Dustin Hoffman) is a New Yorker in London for his daughter's wedding. He writes advertising music and he's struggling. His ex-wife is long ago remarried, and his daughter is closer to her stepfather. Kate Walker (Emma Thompson) is an aging spinster working at Heathrow forced to endure blind dates. Kate and Harvey strikes up a conversation in an airport bar.

The story starts slow and really needs Harry to meet Kate. The 30 minutes at the start badly needs a good trim. The movie works best when the two veterans are together. Harvey does have a great relationship problem with his daughter. Other than that, the story is fairly thin, but it's still wonderful to see great actors work. If only they could write another 30 minutes of good dialog and have these guys weave their magic. Nevertheless, this is still a joy.