Last Chance Harvey Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
Harvey Shine is in London for the weekend for his daughter's wedding. His work in New York preoccupies him: he writes music for ads, and he knows his boss is pushing him aside for younger talent. With family he's also on the sidelines - long divorced, his wife remarried, her husband closer to his daughter than he. His path crosses that of Kate Walker, unmarried, her life becoming that of a spinster, set up by friends on blind dates leading nowhere. After Harvey's no good terrible day, he chats Kate up at a Heathrow bar. She's not interested. Where can this conversation lead? Back at his daughter's reception, the step-father rises to give a toast.
| Dustin Hoffman | Harvey Shine |
| Emma Thompson | Kate |
| Kathy Baker | |
| James Brolin | |
| Eileen Atkins | |
| Richard Schiff | |
| Liane Balaban | Susan |
| Michael Landes | Pete |
| Alex Avery | Andrew |
| Patrick Baladi | Simon |
| James Currie | Cyclist |
| Rhydian Jones | |
| Masato Kamo | Waiter |
| Mark Kempner | Argumentitive cab driver |
| Daniel Lapaine | Scott |
| Joel Hopkins |
7.30 out of 10 (1692 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Plodding
posted on 31 Aug 2009(1.) I figured out why Hoffman (Harvey) seems to always be in movies about dysfunctional males. In fact, he's now typecast to do similar voiceovers in children's animations. It's because when the cliched story is old and tiresome you need someone who is a natural sounding bumbling character. That makes the movie and character believable and thus easier to swallow.
(2.) The movie as a whole is one unrealistic scene after another that includes Harvey in a parking garage where a phone call from his boss says he lost his job; he lost the love of his wife and older daughter for reasons not clear; he makes everyday decision mistake after mistake as the movie plods on. And Emma, an attractive, engaging, intelligent middle age woman has never had a serious relationship - sure! It's difficult to have any empathy for a story about misfortune that reads like a cheap romance novelette. You keep waiting for some unique and interesting development to occur to mark it as different from all the similar movies but you keep waiting and waiting while the slowly evolving improbable chain of events unfold and the monologues continue to be simplistic and predictable. OK, there is the predictable feel good ending.
A CLASSIC!! Hoffman is superb!
posted on 31 Aug 2009I thought this movie was fantastic. I saw it twice at the movies, and maybe it's because I grew up watching Dustin Hoffman, and can appreciate his character in the movie, but I thought it was great. Dustin Hoffman is such a great actor, and he plays this character perfectly, and you'll fall in love with him. Thompson is perfect as well, for her roll, and they have a great chemistry in the movie. It's a very believable movie, with very real actors. Of course, you find yourself rooting for Dustin, the lovable loser character, and even though you know it will turn out in favor of the good guy, you'll just feel good when it's over. Definitely a movie for those over 45 or incurable romantics. Watch it, you won't be sorry.
Dustin & Emma
posted on 31 Aug 2009LAST CHANCE HARVEY is a totally predictable, yet very charming romantic comedy that works because of the immense likability of its two stars, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson.
New Yorker Dustin and Londoner Emma are two strangers who lead lonely, unhappy lives. He's a frustrated composer, musician, making a good living writing jingles for commercials, while she conducts polls at the London airport, while dealing with a dotty mother (Eileen Atkins) who thinks that her new neighbor is a serial killer.
When Dustin, his job hanging by a thread, flies to London to attend his somewhat estranged daughter's wedding, he and Emma meet by chance.
There is instant chemistry between them and, over the course of a day, they have such an effect on each other that both their lives are completely turned around.
As previously stated, there's nothing particularly unique about the story. This is just a "feel good" movie.
Kathy Baker, James Brolin and Richard Schiff co-star in the picture, written and directed by Joel Hopkins.
The 2-disc set includes audio commentary by the director and stars, a "Making of" featurette and more.
© Michael B. Druxman
A Quiet Little Movie About Nothing
posted on 31 Aug 2009That was once an observation about my preferences in movies, that I enjoyed stories that seemed like they might happen to you, could happen, and were just about nothing really. And after spending the afternoon in Camarillo, CA in an art theater of very senior citizens in audience I think many felt it might happen too, because they gave a nice small gentle applause.
Even with their canes, assistants and wheelchair gear (noted to me by my companion holding up my poorly performing leg so I could hobble in) we were an older crew.
What was the movie? Hum. The story of a man, a jazz piano commercial jingle writer, coping with a pressure sounding job nightmare in a digitizing universe, going to London to see his daughter be married. His name is Harvey Shine, that is interesting because of course he is just Dustin Hoffman reprising himself as a romantic duffer, struggling with the job, with the marriage of a daughter he's lost to a divorce long ago, as she folded into her mother's remarriage. He's put up at a hotel, away from the entire family, apart, odd wheel. It carries so well those outsider feelings of this man, that has a daughter who doesn't seem to know him too well, that he later will say in a conversation in the film she always seemed a bit embarrassed by him, as he notes he had a child within something that never was quite right. Never right. It took a toll, one he obviously regrets,it hurts, but he knows another price had to be paid by his child who has almost become another man's child. Hard, impossible to verbalize. We miss in life on many things. In a series of hits and misses he then at this same time runs into Emma Thompson, oops Kate Walker I think, working for the airline, struggling with her own anxieties about her own scene of awkwardly attempting meeting someone, with nervous apprehension-anxieties over this. And as it seems to happen sometimes, he rebuffs her (ironically on his plane flight he was rebuffed by a passenger not interested in his chat) turns from her and some airline survey, only later to find himself after a horrible day running back into her at the airport as he fails to get the plane and get out of there to an essential work meeting. And finding a rapport then, a shift in the mind and heart, I think he can see her now. See her. After he's lost enough to understand when he is found.
Or has found. Seeing.
It reminded me somehow of years ago when I was in my early twenties.Just a vague familiarity. A Cuban man drove me from the airport to a hotel down close to the Modern. A nice cabbie that talked and calmed a very fear-filled kid trying to figure out her life. Just a kind man. That's all. I was very nervous, unsure where I was, he was a great help, and I must have just told him I was afraid of not having too much money so I couldn't afford to pay more than thirty dollars. I was afraid of being overcharged. I know he didn't do that, my funds were so limited. I told him that. And I tipped him. I think he helped me get a room at a place I could afford. There is a point. A few days later I ran into him at Central Park at a festival. He and I just happily chatted like friends as he played some gaming thing on a day I needed to feel safer. It's a small world but this movie reminds me of how sometimes life hugs you in a very small corner. It allows you to listen to the tune played on the jazz piano. It gives you the blessing of a nice glass of rose.( I cannot figure out the accent on that e) And someone might actually wait for you to finish your class, as this new acquaintance does for Kate, or even walks with you all night or takes the risk to follow where someone leads.Or takes a hand or asks a favor.
Actually I've read the plot summarized here and at on-line movie sites ten times or more, when debating whether or not to risk my going out walking with such serious problems going on underfoot, so it isn't what I'd want to say-another synopsis. It wouldn't get it anyway. He goes to the wedding, is hurt by being replaced by the step dad told by the daughter in walking her down the aisle, meets this interesting, wary and lovely woman, loses his job, takes a risk, suffers a arrhythmia, almost misses a chance that he needs, she needs. And then there is her mom, calmly wondering if the neighbor is smoking bodies in the shed.
It's a little cozy movie about the lovely warmth of holding a hand and strolling into the life of another, because it's just righter than retreat.
I loved the littlest things. That there is some very old man in her writing class reading his sexual passages, that Harvey collapses when made to walk the kazillion flights of stairs at his hotel in London, both elevators off, that Emma Thompson wears this lovely silk lined raincoat so beautifully, that he goes to the pre wedding dinner with a white linen suit, crumpled with the tag not removed by the store, you know those inky ones, that they allow us to feel all the awkward staring discomfort, that Kate rolls up a little jacket or sweater to put under a child's head when they are belatedly seated at a child's table after the wedding at the reception. That he plays her a tune on the piano and asks her to stay, calming her discomfort knowing his own. That he gives her, and she him, the benefit of the doubt. That Kate goes to the rail with such anxiety when he tells her he's there, going to be there, why he missed her, and she sits and looks and admits to all the real fear of being hurt.
And he just absorbs that, and says he won't let her down.
I wish I could write to do it justice. It's small and it's everything. Lovely film.
Father of the bride
posted on 31 Aug 2009
On any list of proposed pairings for a romantic comedy, would you expect to see Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson? No, probably not. But Last Chance Harvey puts these troupers together in London and the results are a bit surprising. The story: New York jingle-writer Harvey Shine (Hoffman) is on his last legs in a job that's passing him by, and he tears himself away from the daily crisis to attend his daughter's wedding in London. Long divorced, Harvey hasn't been close to his daughter and he's very much on the outside among the wedding party. His daughter has asked her step-father (James Brolin) to give her away. Harvey bags the reception, misses a plane home, gets fired over the phone, and takes refuge in a pub.
Meanwhile Kate Walker (Thompson) is cruising toward spinsterhood, at her quirky mother's beck and call; she has bagged a bad blind date and is--oh, can you guess?--taking refuge in the same pub. Overture, rebuff, repeat.
These two lonely souls somehow, in spite of a script full of lame repartee, get together and tell their stories. Kate is horrified that Harvey is missing his daughter's reception and insists that he attend. He tows her along. Harvey, although seated at the children's table, rises to the occasion and all is happy.
Well, it's not quite that simple, but nearly. The lead actors give their usual excellent performances but the romantic tension just isn't there. Writer/director Joel Hopkins delivers a movie that's pleasant enough but not memorable, except for the recurring scenes in which Kate's mother spies on her new neighbor of whom she is highly suspicious. Don't leave before the credits roll, or you will miss the final scene in this play-within-a-play.
This was not a terrible way to spend ninety minutes on an airplane, but it's not a movie I'd yearn to see again; just a little too wordy and lacking in plausibility. But I WOULD like to watch the wedding scene one more time, to find out if my brain at sea level would once again channel "The Graduate" while watching Dustin Hoffman at his daughter's wedding.
Linda Bulger, 2009
A classic of its time?
posted on 31 Aug 2009Beautifully acted, a well crafted story and film, Last Chance Harvey may well become a classic of its time.
Other reviews will give you the bare bones of this story. Many will be somewhat disappointed. There are no crash, bang, wallops, no magical special effects, no deaths, no wild sex scenes, and no wacky out-of-this-world crazy characters. The emotions of Last Chance Harvey lie subtly between the lines, behind the façade; in the traditions of English and French literary cinema. Last Chance Harvey comes from the stable of such classics as Notting Hill, which successfully cross over to an American audience. After the 'B' movie disaster films of Hoffman's mid-life career, it is good to see Dustin back, again, in a character deserving of his acting skill.
Look for instance at the gentle nostalgia. 'Hello lamppost what you knowing?' Last Chance Harvey gently acts the feelings of many baby-boomers who missed or got emotionally screwed the liberated 60's and now face their last chance of finding happiness in their golden years. Watch the flower growing. Last Chance Harvey is a maturely romantic comedy. Dig out the gem of Simon and Garfunkel's 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters.' If you are not old enough to do that, then read on and learn to avoid the mistakes of your generation.
Every generation repeats the patterns and mistakes of the past. Men sell their creative souls to the commercial machine. Dustin Hoffman's character dreamt of being a jazz pianist but instead spent a life writing advertising jingles. The kind of music John Lennon disparagingly described as 'musac'. Competing in a stressful demanding world, such men neglect the relationships that are most important to all. Their children. Last Chance Harvey stands as a judgement by a generation on the `gift' of easy divorce. Sacrifices made for a career, only to find oneself dumped on the scrap heap of ageism.
Emma Thompson's character is a spinster whose life is ruled by a demanding dependent mother. Thompson's mother is a cancer survivor crippled by the psychological effects of impending death. Seeing death everywhere, she is fearful of time apart from her daughter.
Surely in this age, intelligent independent women are liberated from such self-sacrifice. Surely there are treatments, places to care, for the aged? Reality is different, even today. Can any generation abandon its parents?
Sometimes the chains of dependency are self-imposed. Thompson's character is just as dependent on her mother. It protects her from repeating the greatest mistake of her life.
Last Chance Harvey is story of loss. Loss of loved ones, of unborn children; loss of career; self-concept; the loss of innocence, loss of the romantic dreams of adolescence, and the loss of a caring society. `Don't leave me here', is Dustin's unspoken plea to a perfect stranger. Not in this place in life.
In the days of instant gratification, uncontrolled consumption, thoughtless greed and instant celebrity, Last Chance Harvey even laments the loss of skills and the pleasure of craft. The writer's group is not just a device to create anxiety in the separation of characters falling in love; it is also a device to illustrate a theme. A world that thinks creativity exists without the hard earned skills of craft.
In these recessionary days, when so many dreams are shattered, Last Chance Harvey tells us all there is still a chance if only we get our priorities right.
Last Chance Harvey may not make you shed a tear, but it will give you hope. The hope we all need to believe we will see our way out of the gloom and despondency of recession. For that reason, Last Chance Harvey may become a classic of its time. And Emma Thompson continues to show she is one of the greatest English actresses of our time.
just Jack, waffling on again.
A modest but nonetheless poignant and charming romantic comedy
posted on 31 Aug 2009
By no means do I damn with faint praise when suggesting that this is a "small" film. Rather, only to suggest that it covers a brief period of time (a few days), in a single setting (London), focuses primarily on only two characters, and there few plot developments. Briefly, Harvey Shine (Dustin Hoffman) is employed by an advertising agency in Manhattan as a jingle writer when we are introduced to him. Almost immediately we sense that he is dissatisfied with both his career (he would prefer to earn a living as a jazz composer and performer) and with the current state of his life (he is divorced and apparently alienated from his adult daughter, Susan, who is about to be married in London). The title refers to both situations: Charley is advised by his boss Marvin (Richard Schiff who played the character Toby Ziegler on the television program, The West Wing) that his job is in jeopardy. After a very brief encounter upon arrival at Heathrow Airport with Kate Walker (Emma Thompson) seeking to obtain travel information from passengers, Harvey is saddened to learn from Susan (Liane Balaban) that she has decided that her stepfather Brian (James Brolin) will accompany her down the aisle. Of course, Harvey encounters Kate again and then....
The acting is outstanding. The setting is especially appropriate for what happens to a troubled New Yorker, among strangers in a strange city, at a time when he is running out of options in all areas of his life. Kate has concerns of her own but seems less troubled, probably because she fulfills at least some needs by comforting and reassuring her mother Maggie Walker (Eileen Atkins) who calls her constantly throughout the day (and evening), concerned about trivial matters. We know almost nothing else about Kate's private life, other than the absence of romance and few (if any) chances of finding it. She clearly does not wish to be hurt and is sensibly reluctant to become involved with anyone, even a stranger who is clearly unhappy, feels rejected, and in need of attention and kindness.
Five Star ratings of films should be reserved for "classics" and that is especially true of romantic comedies such as It Happened One Night, Little Shop Around the Corner, Sleepless in Seattle, and You've Got Mail. Last Chance Harvey is not in their class. However, I think Hoffman and Thompson are not only superb but have charming chemistry, the film is well-made, respectful of awkward adult situations with potentially serious consequences, and arrives at its happy ending with a pleasing plausibility.
They missed the most intriguing storyline
posted on 31 Aug 2009"Last Chance Harvey" is a tale of redemption on many levels. Harvey Shine (Dustin Hoffman) is about to lose his job in advertising to a younger hand, he's also about to lose his daughter Susan (Liane Balaban) to her new husband, and he's getting close to losing himself as well.
It's kismet that he meets Kate Walker (Emma Thompson) a British woman in similar circumstances. And it's literally his third chance to do so that he recognizes her.
They strike up a friendship despite their mutual angst and Kate helps Harvey by attending Susan's wedding reception. This is the story that the film's trying to tell. I honestly can't say why they didn't quite score a hit with it. I love both Thompson and Hoffman and I wanted to like this pairing, but nothing about the two of them together really made me think they were a couple at all. Perhaps if they played this as more of a British comedy than an American and created more tension between the two of them, it might have worked better.
The subplot, Kate's senior Mom (Eileen Atkins) who drives Kate crazy by calling dozens of times a day, had me riveted to the screen each time she came on. This woman's obsession with her new Polish neighbor who she watches out her back window is fascinating. The Easter Egg at the end of the credits showing the two of them finally meeting was worth sitting through hte whole film listening to the two senior guys behind me snoring. This is the plot I wished they'd pursued and it's the funniest part of the whole film.
Rebecca Kyle, March 2009
the stars outshine their material
posted on 31 Aug 2009**1/2
Like the far superior "Something's Gotta Give," Joel Hopkins` "Last Chance Harvey" is that rare movie romance in which the main characters have less time ahead of them than they have behind them. This means that they come loaded down with far more serious baggage than their whippersnapper counterparts in most such stories.
Harvey's burden is that he's a songwriter who's pretty much hit the bottom-of-the-barrel in his professional life - he writes jingles for television commercials - and who's long since given up his dream of ever becoming a world-class jazz pianist. He's also a failure as a parent, finding himself all but estranged from his twenty-something daughter who so prefers her stepfather to her real father that she's chosen the former to walk her down the aisle at her wedding. Kate is an employee at Heathrow Airport who spends most of her free time taking care of her high maintenance aging mother and being roped into going on pathetic blind dates that invariably leave her feeling unfulfilled, crushed and vulnerable. It is when Harvey travels to London to attend his daughter's wedding - where he is treated like a virtual outcast - that his and Kate's paths eventually cross. Discouraged and lonely, Harvey and Kate begin a tentative friendship that promises to bloom into a full-fledged romance by the end of the picture.
Since love stories centered around later-life couples are indeed such an anomaly, it becomes doubly sad to have to report that "Last Chance Harvey" turns out to be a decidedly innocuous, low-wattage affair overall. Although the movie runs for a scant ninety minutes, literally a full half hour passes before Harvey and Kate share any real screen time together. This means that the entire romance has to be crammed into a mere hour's worth of time, a feat that no actors - not even two of the caliber of Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson - could reasonably be expected to pull off. The script deserves credit for not over-dramatizing its scenes and for being willing to allow the romance to unfold without a great deal of hoopla and fanfare. But the result, paradoxically, is that this very lack of urgency and energy winds up draining much of the life out of the film.
Lucky for us, we do have two old pros like Hoffman and Thompson to make the movie seem better than it is - though it's a bit farfetched to try to pass the lovely and witty Thompson off as a woman who can't land herself a man. It's also a bit unfortunate that the final scenes begin to seem like "The Graduate: Forty Years Later," as a now much older Hoffman races around the city trying to get himself back in the good graces of the woman he loves.
Hoffman and Thompson make for an inspired pairing, but beyond their performances, "Last Chance Harvey" evaporates from memory not too long after we've seen it.
3 1/2 - Charming and Imperfect
posted on 31 Aug 2009Harvey (Dustin Hoffman) is a mess. Fearful he is about to lose his job, he rushes to the airport to catch a plane to London; his daughter is getting married to her fiancée and he can't miss the wedding, his relationship with his daughter is already strained to the point of bursting. When he arrives, he realizes he has been relegated to 'Guest' status and his cell phone continues to ring at inopportune times. But the real blow comes when his daughter announces her step-dad (James Brolin) will give her away. Harvey can't stand it and leaves the wedding before the reception. Returning to Heathrow to miss his flight, he sits down in an airport bar and finds Kate (Emma Thompson), an airport employee enjoying a glass of wine, her nose buried in a new paperback. They strike up a reluctant conversation and Harvey is intrigued. It takes a while, but Kate is just as intrigued and they start to talk and walk around London.
"Last Chance Harvey", written and directed by Joel Hopkins, is a charming romance, a good showcase for the talents of the two leads and a very, very imperfect film saved only by Hoffman and Thompson. Ultimately, it is a nice little bit of fluff that you will no doubt forget. You'll have one of those conversations in a few months. "Did you see that film with Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson?" "No, which one? "Love, Actually"?" "No, Hoffman wasn't in that. The other one."
The saving grace of the film are the performances from Hoffman and Thompson. I read that both insisted there be limited rehearsals, allowing for the characters to improvise and seem even more natural. Hoffman plays Harvey, a real mess of a guy who is about to lose his job and his daughter and makes a real botched effort trying to save his relationship with both. He rushes to London for her wedding, making the return flight for two days later. When he tells his daughter he will miss the reception, it seems to be the final straw and she drops a bombshell on him. Her step-dad will give her away. When she tells Harvey this, you can tell she is heartbroken because her relationship with her dad is so strained. When he hears the news, you can almost see Harvey's heart break, as Hoffman's face registers a wave of emotion, the feelings briefly flashing across his face.
As soon as the wedding is over, he bolts, rushing back to Heathrow, but he also seems relieved to be away from the crushing emotional memories. When he realizes he has missed his flight, he finds himself in a weird purgatory; he can't do anything about his job and doesn't feel like doing anything about his daughter and the disconnect from her life. He slumps into an airport bar and orders a drink. Airport employee Kate (Emma Thompson) is enjoying a meal after her shift and the two begin talking. Kate, younger than Harvey, is intrigued by the American and he offers to walk with her to her next appointment.
Let's backtrack a bit and look at Kate's life for a few moments. She works at Heathrow, managing a group of women who greet incoming passengers and get statistical information for them. Each of the women she works with desperately wants her to find a companion, so much so that one of them asks her to go out on a blind date. She and her boyfriend will be there, so she doesn't have anything to worry about. But Kate's life, and her love life in particular, are hampered by her mom (Eileen Atkins), a needy single woman who seems to have her finger poised above speed dial at all times. She calls Kate constantly and interrupts many conversations she has with others, including potential mates. The blind date doesn't go well and Kate becomes particularly unhappy. But she puts on a stiff upper lip and goes to work and continues to deal with her mom, bottling up her emotions and pushing on.
What makes this work, and elevates the material above television movie status, are the performances from the two leads. Both Hoffman and Thompson are such good actors that when they receive material like this, they know how to make every moment seem real and believable. Hoffman really seems to lose himself inn the role and we see fifty years of Harvey's life factor into every conversation and decision he has and makes throughout the film. When he arrives in London and takes a taxi to the hotel, he calls his daughter. "Where are all of you?" "Oh. Your mom rented a house." "No, I'm OK. I'll be fine here." We don't need to hear the other side of the conversation to see all of the pain and conflict Harvey experiences or to understand the thoughts racing through his head as he tries to make his daughter feel OK. Why couldn't your mom put her feelings aside for a few days and include me in this momentous part of your life? Why couldn't you say something about it? But I love you too much to make a fuss and will stay put here at the hotel.
In every scene, Hoffman does similar things with Harvey, revealing new things about him, his relationship with his ex and his daughter, about his life. Each of these revelations is revealed through facial expressions, or the lack of, brief little looks, his eyes, and body language. What is really interesting about this character is that Hoffman reveals so much by contradicting what Harvey is saying with little movements, or ticks, or gestures that tell us he is trying to make everyone else feel OK and he doesn't care about his feelings and wants his daughter to think everything is OK.
Thompson is Hoffman's equal and she brings as much depth and interest to her character, Kate. We get the sense there is great pain in Kate because her ever present smile seems greatly strained, ready to plaster a smile across her face to keep her mom from asking too many questions and to keep her co-workers and friends from getting too involved in her life.
When Kate and Harvey meet, each seems to loosen a little bit and Kate's defenses seem to crumble. She is intrigued by the forward American and agrees to walk with him. Each time she tries to pull away, he insists that they continue walking or talking and she gives in. What makes this so poignant is that she doesn't really put up a fight. She is merely protesting for appearances sake.
As they walk and talk, Kate learns a lot about Harvey, and vice versa, and what brought him to this stage. She asks "Is the reception still going on?" And he immediately decides to ask her to go. As they spend more and more time together, they realize the unconventional aspects of their relationship, everything that should make it not work, are the reasons they are each intrigued by the budding relationship.
It is really a delight to watch two actors, each so accomplished in their craft, at the top of their skills, create two people who are so intrigued by one another.
There is a subplot involving Kate's mom (Eileen Atkins), which seems wasted. She is a big part of Kate's life and calls her on a constant basis. Then, she begins to have suspicions about a new neighbor. These moments seem to point to a fairly funny subplot. When that part of the story fails to payoff, you have to wonder what was the point in investing so much time in this character. It seems misleading somehow.
And the film has a very small scope. This isn't a bad thing, in and of itself, but when you begin to experience the depth of Hoffman and Thompson's performances, you begin to hope for more. Eileen Atkins' character promises something funny, but when this fails to materialize, what else is there? Because so much of the film concentrates on the two characters, it begins to feel like a film adapted from a play. We have seen films adapted from plays before. Some seem better than the play because they take advantage of the new medium, film, and present a story more expansive than the original material. And others seem too restricted by the source material, presenting many dialogues between two or three characters, never leaving the confines of a 'stage'. When a film that wasn't based on a play seems like it was, that is a problem.
And this problem makes the otherwise enjoyable "Last Chance Harvey" problematic.
A Pleasantly Wholesome Romance Movie
posted on 31 Aug 2009I, too, went to a pre-release screening of this movie. Nobody would say this is a great or classic romance movie, nor would anyone say it is particularly innovative. However, it does have a few qualities in its favor. I don't see why it is rated PG-13 because there is refreshingly little bad language, and the closest to a sex scene is a short kiss in a public park. For 'traditional values' families this should be a big plus. It is almost a relief to see a movie where the couple merely agrees to keep seeing each other rather than running to the nearest hotel for sex. One scene that should appeal greatly to Roman Catholics and most Protestants is a scene where Kate laments for having had an abortion while still in university. How often have you seen that in a modern movie?
If you want to see a classic romance or a life-changing movie, this is probably not a good choice. However, if you would like to spend a pleasant ninety minutes for entertainment that only occasionally, and then mildly, contravenes traditional family or religious values, then you probably won't be disappointed. A romance this wholesome doesn't come along too often these days.
Finding Love in a Foreign Land
posted on 31 Aug 2009Watching "Last Chance Harvey," I began to think about other such films and realized that I usually referred to them in my reviews as classic romantic comedies. But what exactly do I mean when I say that? In all likelihood, I mean that readers should go easy on the film because we're used to those movies following a very specific formula, and never mind the fact that they're contrived and cliché. I could very well call "Last Chance Harvey" a classic romantic comedy, because goodness knows it adheres to a tried and true structure. In spite of that, this is the one romantic comedy of 2008 that works the best, in large part because of stars Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson; whereas other filmmakers would cast young, energetic actors in a story about sex, writer/director Joel Hopkins has cast two older actors in a story is about love. Because they're more experienced, they actually bring something to the table. They seem genuine as people.
But more importantly, they have chemistry, not necessarily as lovers but definitely as companions. In other words, it seems plausible that such people could meet in real life and fall in love. Hoffman plays Harvey Shine, a jingle writer from New York who always wanted to be a jazz pianist. It was easy for me to empathize with him, a somber, soft-spoken man who always feels ignored in a large crowd. Maybe there's a part of him that wanted it that way; he's been known to embarrass himself and those closest to him, so at a certain point, it's better to just stay out of the way. He openly admits that he wasn't the greatest father or husband, and while there's no hostility between him or his daughter and ex-wife, there is a quiet yet prominent sense of disappointment on all accounts. And now, no one at his music company seems to be taking him seriously. More to the point, he's on the verge of losing his job.
When Harvey flies to London to attend his daughter's wedding, he meets a Heathrow employee named Kate Walker (Thompson), who, as it turns out, is stuck in her own emotional rut. She says she would like nothing more than to meet someone and start a relationship, but since she's been let down so many times, she may be getting used to it. Later on in the film, she admits that being disappointed is more comfortable that being hurt. Much like Harvey, she also feels ignored in crowds, as when she's on a blind date that starts off well but ends up as a social gathering that leaves her off in the sidelines. Her only social outlets are her coworkers and her mother (Eileen Atkins), an interesting character herself; she calls Kate constantly, pretty much to the point of insanity, and she seems to think her Polish next-door neighbor is a mass murderer who burns his victims in a large barbecue shed.
Harvey and Kate spend a wonderful afternoon together, and this is despite the fact that they don't know very much about each other. We don't know if a love is developing at this point, but it's clear that a friendship is. While a bit quiet and reserved, Harvey is kind towards Kate, and he seems genuinely interested in what she has to say. Kate is willing to go along with it, although her nervous smiles and hesitant laughter suggest that she has absolutely no idea why any of this is happening. From out of nowhere comes a charming American man, and even though he has a lot of emotional baggage, there's the sense that she's interested in helping him deal with it. Most likely, that's because she has baggage of her own; after convincing her to join him at his daughter's wedding reception, there comes a point when she feels exactly the same as she did the night of her blind date. It's up to Harvey to make her feel like she can be a part of the crowd.
There are some interesting moments between Harvey and his daughter, Susan (Liane Balaban). Even though they love each other in the strictest sense, they are more good friends than they are father and daughter, which is why she wants her stepfather, Brian (James Brolin), to give her away at the wedding. Harvey is understandably hurt, but he can't stay mad at Brian forever; after all, he did take over for Harvey when his marriage failed, giving Susan the stability and attention she needed. This would be a tiresome story were Brian made to be vindictive and hostile. Thankfully, he isn't--he's decent and accommodating, a fact Harvey most likely has trouble accepting. There are few things worse than disliking someone without having a reason.
So yes, I guess I can call "Last Chance Harvey" a classic romantic comedy. But that doesn't automatically make it a bad movie. What really made it work well was the thoughtful relationship between Harvey and Kate, which isn't based on physical attraction so much as it's based on the need to be loved. We don't get too much of that in romantic comedies these days. Even the entertaining "Definitely, Maybe" and "My Best Friend's Girl" were only committed to catering to younger audiences, which is a shame because the filmmakers missed some great opportunities to develop the characters at a more mature level. "Last Chance Harvey" gives its characters some degree of believability, and this is in spite of the story's formulaic elements. I greatly enjoyed this film, and I'm sure most audiences will also.
Looking for Love After 50.
posted on 31 Aug 2009While watching the world premier of this film at The Denver Film Festival over the weekend, two questions came to mind. How is it possible that Academy Award winning talent like Dustin Hoffman (Midnight Cowboy; The Graduate; Rain Man) and Emma Thompson (The Remains of the Day; Sense & Sensibility; Howards End) could ever make a film this awful? And why would a Hollywood studio ever want to tell this same old story again? I would prefer getting poked in the eyes with sharp objects rather than sitting through this painfully mediocre film ever again.
I expected so much more from Hoffman, Thompson, and British writer-director Joel Hopkins. Last seen together in Stranger Than Fiction, Last Chance Harvey reunites Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson in an optimistic romance which seemingly struggles to combine elements of Before Sunrise and Father of the Bride into one film about finding love after age 50. The film tells the story of New York commercial jingle writer, Harvey Shine (Hoffman), who travels to London for the weekend to attend his estranged daughter's (Liane Balaban) wedding. After missing his return flight, Harvey meets Kate (Thompson) in the airport bar at London Heathrow. While Harvey is drowning his sorrow with Johnny Walker Black Label, straight-laced Kate is reading a romance novel at a nearby table. Harvey strikes up a conversation with Kate, which leads them to ponder whether this chance encounter might be their last chance at romance. Harvey and Kate then spend their night ambling around London together, immersed in conversation which lacks any of the brilliance of Linklater's Before Sunrise/Before Sunset film series. Unlike Linklater's characters, Jesse and Céline, at sunrise Harvey and Kate are no wiser when it comes to love. One of the things that makes Before Sunrise such an extraordinary film is that Linklater's characters experience self-fulfilment and self-discovery through their stream of consciousness dialogue. Harvey and Kate's all-night conversation never reaches that transcendent quality. They are hardly significant others.
The plot of Last Chance Harvey is predictable and plagued with clichés. Hollywood has reworked this same old story at least a million times before. Despite the film's premise that their characters fall unbelievably in love, there is no real on-screen chemistry between Hoffman and Thompson. While Last Chance Harvey may appeal to fans of Hoffman and Thompson, it will appeal mostly to sentimental, old grown-ups who prefer their love stories on DVD rather than in the theater, and who prefer lots of scenery rather than lots of engaging dialogue, passionate sex scenes, or unexpected plot twists, all from the comfort of their Lazy Boys. Despite its Academy Award winning talent, great cinematography, and fab London scenery, Last Chance Harvey is an easily forgotten film quickly destined to find its "last chance" on DVD.
12/12/08 Update: Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson received Golden Globe nominations this week for their performances in this film.
G. Merritt
Well done nothing, no comedy, no action
posted on 31 Aug 2009This short (93 minutes) movie is like watching a bit of dull, depressing reality. The acting is very good, it's completely believable and realistic. However it's not funny, there is no action and unless you have a morbid desire to watch other people's depressing lives there isn't much point to watching this.
It's enjoyable to see Dustin Hoffman's character take the downward spiral of his life and still muster up enough bravery to try a new romance and start a new life.
Mostly it's nice to sit on your comfortable sofa and know that your life isn't as pitiful as the main characters in this movie.
Real people
posted on 31 Aug 2009Harvey and Kate both wear their disappointments on their faces. Not intentionally, of course, but because the years of disappointment have taken their toll. For Harvey, it's losing the things he had, for Kate, it's never having had the things she wanted. They manage. They live their lives. And when they meet, they seem to understand each other instinctively.
In the hands of two less capable actors, the characters of Harvey and Kate would have been cliches, but Hoffman and Thompson are such pros, that you suffer with them through embarrassing and painful moments like Harvey's daughter telling him she wants her stepfather to give her away at her wedding, or Kate on a blind date being overwhelmed by a group of people who she doesn't know and with whom she has nothing in common. Thompson's face, her body language, even the expression in her eyes was so familiar to anyone who has found themselves feeling like the odd person out. Hoffman truly becomes the man who is so battered by bad luck and bad choices that the look in his eyes says that he's nearly been crushed by life. His walk is a shuffle, and there is an air of bewilderment about him as if he can't quite figure out where and how he went wrong.
And yet somehow these people, who are not so much wounded as just lost and alone, manage to meet and connect in a way so profound that though neither truly believes in the magic of love, they both allow themselves to be driven by the hope of it. They truly seem to like each other, and perhaps the recognition that this is the best and most reliable basis for any relationship is what makes them take that leap of faith.
The film, in fact, revolves around the idea of connections. Harvey's job hinges on being able to connect with clients, Kate's mother is obsessed with her new next-door neighbor, Harvey's daughter is getting married and Harvey has just one last chance to connect with her and her new husband in some meaningful way. It's a very human film and a humane one because no one is the butt of jokes or easy humor. They're all just trying very hard to connect.
One of the things I loved about the film is that everyone in it looks like a real person, like someone you'd meet on the street. They're dressed that way, too. There's no glam to the cast, no toothpaste ad smiles or designer duds, no makeup to make you wonder why a stunner like Thompson can't seem to find her man. The women in the background are real-looking women in all shapes and sizes. They're dressed like normal people and they live like normal people, not in fancy homes which make you wonder how on earth they can afford such upscale real estate. This is a film the audience can connect with too.
Bittersweet
posted on 31 Aug 2009I chose this movie thinking it was a comedy, but it wasn't. Although there were a few funny moments, this story is largely bittersweet. Harvey Schein (Dustin Hoffman) is an outsider at his own daughter's wedding, as well as at the company he works for. He meets Kate, a greeter at the airport in London, when he travels there for his daughter's wedding. Harvey and Kate (Emma Thompson) make it through a few false starts to find that they are warmly attracted to one another. The acting in this movie is excellent, the movie was rather charming, and the ending was hopeful, but the story suffers from too many painful moments and background music that lends a melancholy air to it. While I loved the actors and the acting, I felt the story was too sad through most of the movie and the humor was too minimal and far between. Would like to see the sequel, because if the characters put all their difficulties behind them, the sequel might be more fun to watch.
Thoroughly predictable but still enjoyable
posted on 31 Aug 2009The plot of Last Chance Harvey is standard. An American (Hoffman) travels to England for the marriage of his daughter. Meanwhile, a Brit (Thompson) struggles to find a personal life despite the constant presence of her mother (who believes that her neighbor might be a serial killer). As the film begins, Harvey's life is a mess. His career composing commercial jingles seems to be on its last legs, and his relationship to his daughter is strained. In fact, she tells him that she wants her stepfather to give her away at the wedding.
Kate Walker (Emma Thompson) goes on a blind date only to have her mother call constantly, though that fact seems less salient than the fact that her date just doesn't go well. She has, more or less, given up on love. The two meet once when Harvey arrives in England and Kate tries to get him to take a survey at the airport, pass briefly in a scene reminiscent of You've Got Mail or a dozen other romantic comedies, and the meet again at the airport when Harvey's flight is (of course) delayed.
The film is, as I noted, completely predictable. If it were only a script, I'd recommend skipping it or, at most, reading ten pages and then inferring the rest. But films are more than their scripts, and here the film is saved by its two stars. Neither performance is great or groundbreaking, but there is truth in them, enough to make me enjoy watching the actors and forget about the predictability and implausibility. I should, I think, add one note about the implausibility.
When a daughter decides to have her stepfather give her away at her wedding, there's probably something wrong with the relationship between the father and daughter, something that probably won't be fixed in a few days before a wedding, especially after the years during which the problem has festered. If I had stopped long to think about the plot, I'd have enjoyed the film less. But the film is more of a character study than a calculated tearjerker, and the plot difficulties did not sink the film for me.
I absolutely FLOGGED myself...
posted on 31 Aug 2009To make it through 52 minutes of this absolutely hideous movie.
This thing sucked so bad it could suck-start a Harley!
Two bo-o-o-o-o-oring losers, portrayed bo-o-o-o-o-o-oringly by Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, play out their tedious stories in a bo-o-o-o-o-ringly filmed London.
"Romantic comedy"? WHAT comedy? I kept waiting for something funny to happen... maybe something worth even chuckling at... something to even stimulate a fleeting smile???
It was like watching water while waiting for it to come to a boil. Without the stove turned on....
"Comedy" takes at least some energy for it to be successful. This was the anti-energy movie. The black hole of energy. It should be classified as an energy disaster and a drain on the world's energy resources. The EPA should ban it.
If time flies by when you're having a good time, then I felt like a fly trapped in amber.
I kept thinking that at SOME point this molasses-slow mess would start picking up. Nope! Never happened! After feeling like I'd spent over half my life staring at the screen, I saw that 52 minutes of the approximately 1.5 hours of this bomb had gone by without ONE DARNED THING happening, and that's when I decided I'd rather suck car exhaust or watch my lawn grow than put up with any more of this waste of the planet's resources.
A good environmental steward am I!
Avoid this mess at all costs! Minus 5 stars!