Last Chance Harvey (2008)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Absolutely Fantastic

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Not that infamous Harvey, who doesn't merit a last chance at any rate, this is his fellow American, the amicable Harvey Shine (Hoffman, who ironically, has been mired in his own misconduct scandal in the MeToo era), a divorced, middle-aged musician specializes in writing jingles for commercial use, who plans to spend a weekend to attend his daughter's wedding in London, but ends up extending his stay indefinitely when romance beckons. Contemporaneously in London, Kate Walker (Thompson), an unmarried airport staff, is the cynosure of her mother Maggie's (Atkins) idle life (save for suspecting her new Polish neighbor is a corpse-hoarding killer), buffeted with the latter's unremitting phone calls, and just when Harvey comes in for a politely reserved reception in the dinner before the wedding, Kate is subjected to an awkward blind date that doesn't go anywhere, their binary trajectories are self-evident in verging together later (actually they had a short encounter in the airport and an odd chance as sequential passengers of a taxi), but before that comes to the fore, British director Joel Hopkins has something to flog to death.So, everything must plunge to the absolute nadir for Harvey before it bottoms out, he is wantonly secluded from the rest of the wedding guests, apparently under the behest of his ex-wife Jean (Baker), and is dwarfed by the latter's current hubby Brian (a none other than James Brolin, the silver fox and Mr. Barbra Steisand himself), both in appearance and in close affinity with his daughter Susan (Lapaine), who does have the temerity to ask Harvey to waive his fatherly right of leading her to the alter; across the Atlantic, his boss Marvin (Schiff) twists the knife in his wound by firing him on the phone when Harvey misses the plane after a low-key presence of Susan's wedding ceremony. If one can survive those aforementioned heavy-handed and cookie-cutter build-up, everything definitely lightens up from the chance meeting between Harvey and Kate in the airport bar with a quirky stiff-upper-lip mimicry as the icebreaker, whereupon, in the successful mode of Richard Linklater's BEFORE... trilogy, their growing interaction plays out through incessant but significantly less philosophical small talk, until Kate encourages and accompanies him to attend Susan's wedding reception in the evening, a fairly pleasant familial reconciliation is chalked up, but the next day, a hiccup nearly ruins their budding romance, and guess who has the say-so in the end? Both Hoffman and Thompson sustain their roles brilliantly with either a fish-out-of-water awkwardness meld with affable sincerity or a touching vulnerability that only hints at past baggage, and their niceties of vamping up even the hoariest happenstances pay dividends in this workmanlike love story for grow-ups who might look for a second chance or a fresh start.

I recorded to watch this film which I had remembered seeing some years ago and I found I enjoyed it even more this time round. I could 'freeze-frame' it at any moment and every time I stopped it both Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson remained perfectly in character in their facial aspect and gesture. A masterclass in film acting. Every time I freeze-froze a scene. Almost any moment in the film could have provided an excellent 'still'.This is in some respects a film about the cruelty of social embarrassment, as well as, of course, the romantic yearning of quiet, shy but genuinely good people who haven't yet had a fair shake in life. You might consider the story a trifle but it has a few deeper resonances, too, ably delivered by two outstanding actors. One wonders about the backstory. You sense, well, I sense, that Dustin Hoffman's Harvey Shine really tried to be a good husband and father but it was the women in his life who misused him, not the other way around. The way his daughter treats him initially at her wedding ceremony and reception is almost unforgivable unless he really hurt her and there is no suggestion in his character that he had. He seems a very gentle and caring guy who deserved far better from his women. You could call the story a trifle but these are two very attractive actors giving just the right spin of sympathy to their characters. You really feel for both of them. They put up stoically with being socially embarrassed by unfeeling others. It is the sensitive who suffer at the hands of the insensitive and often suffer quietly. Both convey that very well. It is good and right that they find each other in the end. I love schmaltz well put together and this is well put together and London never looked lovelier. London is for lovers, too.

Enhanced by sensitive performances by two Oscar-winners, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, "Last Chance Harvey" rises above its flaws. An aging, socially awkward American travels to London for the wedding of his only daughter, where he is upstaged by his ex-wife's husband, who has evidently become more father than stepfather. Meanwhile, a socially awkward English woman with an annoying intrusive mother stumbles through blind dates between classes in creative writing and a day job taking airport surveys. Harvey Shine is the American, and Kate Walker is the English woman, and the pair have coincidental, credibility-stretching close encounters at Heathrow and with a London taxi, before the third meeting at a restaurant finally breaks the sugar-glass barrier. The story of unlikely romantic matches is older than movies, and nothing new emerges here; the ending is written at the outset, although getting there provides some distracting fun.While most of the supporting cast fails to register, Kathy Baker makes the most of her brief scenes as Harvey's ex-wife, and Eileen Atkins is excellent as Kate's addled mother, who thinks her Polish neighbor is a serial killer. However, the film provides a star vehicle for Hoffman and Thompson, who excel in their roles. Hoffman quietly under-plays Harvey, who develops from an unlikeable "ugly" American into a sensitive man seeking affection and companionship; facing an estranged family and the end of his career, Harvey literally reaches for what he sees as his last chance. Although 20 years older than Thompson, Hoffman looks younger than his years, and the age difference quickly fades, as does the height difference. Thompson's Kate has been disappointed in love, and she fears more frustration and pain; she initially rebuffs Harvey, citing mother and job as excuses, but, empathetic to Harvey's situation with daughter and stepfather, she melts and friendship ensues.Written and directed by Joel Hopkins, "Last Chance Harvey" has many nice touches. Harvey's family relationship is wordlessly spelled out; he is lodged in a hotel, while everyone else is staying at the family home, and his daughter warmly greets and hugs her friends, but stands coolly detached from her father. While silly coincidences and a melodramatic health event undercut, Hoffman's simple toast to his daughter and Thompson's teary revelation of her fears warm the film. With lesser talent above the title, the defects in "Last Chance Harvey" would likely have drowned the proceedings in sentimental clichés. However, with Hoffman and Thompson in fine form, the film becomes worthy, if predictable viewing.

A cute, bit of nothing romantic drama about two unlucky in love middle agers. Dustin Hoffman plays a new York jingle writer in London for his daughters wedding and Emma Thompson is a British government worker. They meet at an airport bar and manage to transform each others life.This was so well acted that the beginning was actually painful to watch; both characters are so uncomfortable and socially awkward, that you really feel sorry for them. Hoffman is excellent as his world crumbles, doing his best to hide his devastation over several life crises. This also managed to stay away from any movie clichés while providing a fun tour of London. 11.13