Last Chance Harvey
Release Date:
December 25, 2008
Limited release
On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 55/196 |
Max Braden |
A decent, straightforward romance, but the pairing is odd. |
If life begins at 40, you'd barely know it from watching Hollywood movies. Baby Boomers rarely get to see themselves onscreen getting romantic, unless you count Brad Pitt in old-timer makeup. Last Chance Harvey reaches out to the market for older romance with two Academy Award winners, Dustin Hoffman (who's now in his 70s) and Emma Thompson.
Hoffman stars as Harvey, a divorcee who heads to London to see his daughter get married. Disappointed over her choice of her stepfather to give her away, his weekend is made worse when he's fired over the phone. Seeking some relief in the airport bar, he meets Kate (Emma Thompson) reading alone. She's a local and a loner, and Harvey convinces her to join him make something decent out of lousy circumstances. Turning defeat into opportunity, together they make a go at a second chance for happiness.
Last Chance Harvey was written and directed by Joel Hopkins, who won a newcomer BAFTA award in 2001 for his cultural crossover romance Jump Tomorrow, his debut. This season the BAFTAs passed on Last Chance Harvey, but both Hoffman and Thompson earned acting nominations at the Golden Globes.
Both are unquestionably excellent actors, but they're a curious choice of casting. For all their talent neither one would normally be thought of as romantic. And the material doesn't offer much in the way of big laugh moments. But if you're looking for an easygoing underdog romance, this looks like a solid choice. (Max Braden/BOP)
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