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"Last Chance Harvey" is a tremendously appealing love story surrounded by a movie not worthy of it. For Dustin Hoffman , after years of character roles (however good) and dubbing the voices of animated animals, it provides a rare chance to play ... an ordinary guy. For Emma Thompson , there is an opportunity to use her gifts for tact and insecurity. For both, their roles project warmth and need.
When "Last Chance Harvey" gets out of their way and leaves them alone to relate with each other, it's sort of magical. Then the lumber of the plot apparatus is trundled on, and we wish it were a piece for two players. One subplot, scored with funny-bumpy-scary music, is entirely unnecessary. And even with the two stars onscreen, there is too much reliance on that ancient standby, the Semi-Obligatory Lyrical Interlude.
But what's good is very good. Hoffman plays Harvey, a failed jazz pianist who has found success writing jingles for TV ads. Thompson plays Kate, an airport interviewer for a British agency. Harvey flies to London to attend his daughter's wedding, and in the space of 24 hours he learns that he has been fired and that his daughter would prefer her stepfather gave her away. At the same time, Kate is ignored on a blind date and has to deal with a mother who fears her new neighbor is a vivisectionist.
They met briefly when Harvey was rude to Kate at the airport. The next day, when both are deep in misery, they find themselves the only two people in a pub. Harvey recognizes her, apologizes and, out of desperation, tries to start a conversation. She resists. But notice the tentative dialogue that slowly allows them to start talking easily. It's not forced. It depends on his charm and her kindness.
Pitch perfect. But then the dialogue fades down, and the camera pulls back and shows them talking and smiling freely, and the music gets happier, and there is a montage showing them walking about London with lots and lots of scenery in the frame. The movie indulges the Semi-OLI more than once; it uses the device as shorthand for scenes that should be fully transcribed. In " Before Sunrise " and " Before Sunset ," Richard Linklater sent Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy talking all through a night in Vienna and all through a day in Paris, and never let them stop, and kept his camera close. Why didn't Joel Hopkins , the writer-director of "Last Chance Harvey," try the same? He had the right actors.
Hopkins gets one thing right. They stay outdoors. Going to his hotel or her flat would set the stage for body language neither one is ready for. They avoid the issue by walking around London, although unfortunately Hopkins sends them mostly up and down the Victoria Embankment and the South Bank, so he can hold the Thames vista in the background. We get more montages of them walking and talking, as substitutes for listening to a conversation we've become invested in.
One subplot works well. After Kate starts Harvey talking about why his relationship with his daughter failed, she tells him he must attend her wedding reception. He says she must go with him. He will buy her a dress. There is a gratuitous and offensive montage of her trying on dresses, including one frilly gown that looks perfect for a fancy dress ball in " Gone With the Wind ." Not only is this montage an exhausted cliche, they're in a hurry, remember? But when they get to the reception, Harvey is touching in a carefully worded speech.
The subplot that doesn't work involves Kate's mother ( Eileen Atkins ). She peers through her curtains at her suspicious neighbor, thinks she sees him carrying a body to the woodshed and speed-dials her daughter every five minutes. Every time we cut to her, we get that peppy suspense music, as the movie confuses itself with light comedy.
"Last Chance Harvey" has everything it needs but won't stop there. It needs the nerve to push all the way. It is a pleasure to look upon the faces of Hoffman and Thompson, so pleasant, so real. Their dialogue together finds the right notes for crossing an emotional minefield. They never descend into tear-jerking or cuteness. They are all grown up and don't trust love nearly as much as straight talk. Hopkins deserves credit for creating these characters. Then he should have stood back and let them keep right on talking. Their pillow talk would have been spellbinding.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.
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Last Chance Harvey (2009)
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language
James Brolin as Brian
Richard Schiff as Marvin
Eileen Atkins as Maggie
Emma Thompson as Kate
Kathy Baker as Jean
Dustin Hoffman as Harvey
Liane Balaban as Susan
Written and directed by
- Joel Hopkins
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Movie Review | 'Last Chance Harvey'
The Clock You Hear? It’s Not Big Ben, Buddy
By Manohla Dargis
- Dec. 24, 2008
Even when they’re walking uneven shoulder to shoulder and hitting their professional marks note for note, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson don’t make a lot of sense as a screen couple. But there’s something irresistible about watching two people fall in love, even in contrived, sniffle- and sometimes gag-inducing films like “Last Chance Harvey,” which means that when he looks at her and she looks at him, there’s a good chance that they won’t be the only ones in the theater falling for all the hokey lines and shy glances.
It takes a while for those bashful looks to start darting around in this film, largely because the writer and director Joel Hopkins initially keeps his two main characters apart in order to milk their respective loneliness for maximum pathos. The story opens with Harvey Shine (Mr. Hoffman), a frustrated jazz pianist who writes jingles for a living, struggling to hold onto his gig while en route to his daughter’s wedding in London. By the time he has landed and breezed past an airline employee who is trying to snare deplaned passengers with a weary smile, a clipboard and a questionnaire, the movie has introduced the woman who will change his life: that conveniently situated clipboard wrangler, Kate (Ms. Thompson).
Harvey and Kate almost meet cute again when he exits a cab that she climbs into, a near-chance encounter that suggests that Mr. Hopkins wants to say something about fate or has watched the romantic comedy “Serendipity,” another story about passing ships. After much cutting between Harvey and Kate’s lonely parallel lives, the rumpled American divorcé and starchy British singleton finally get some face time at a restaurant, where a spark ignites amid several glasses of booze and teasing chatter. They consequently set off on a peripatetic flirtation that takes them along the Thames and to his daughter’s wedding reception, where Harvey delivers a speech about love and forgiveness so shameless, fraudulent and maddeningly effective that I wanted to hurl a shoe at his head.
Instead, seduced by its two wily leads, I reluctantly gave in to this imperfect movie, despite the cornball dialogue, pedestrian filmmaking, some wincing physical comedy and Mr. Hoffman’s habit of trying to win the audience over by simply staring at the camera with a hapless deadpan that says: Look at me, I’m still cute as a button, still cute as Benjamin in “The Graduate,” and I’m still kind of lost and still very much in need of your love. I have a habit of falling for Mr. Hoffman’s puppy dog look even if it’s now worn by a grizzled hound, though the actor, a well-practiced thief of scenes and entire movies, obviously takes very good care of himself, even when cast opposite a formidable opponent like Ms. Thompson.
She may not be as brazen as Mr. Hoffman, but Ms. Thompson can certainly make off with a scene with the stealth of a Riviera jewel thief, as she does in the romantic comedy “Love Actually,” in which her character swallows her pride and stiffens her lip when she realizes that her beloved husband is a two-timing bum. She’s laden with a few similarly noble-masochist moments in “Last Chance Harvey,” which finds her trying to hold onto Kate’s pride even as the screenplay chips away at the character’s dignity. In one wincing sequence Kate ends up on an unlikely blind date with a younger man who quickly starts eyeballing a juicier prospect, a situation that seems strictly engineered for her maximum humiliation.
She may crinkle around the eyes now, but Ms. Thompson exudes such warmth and humor and basic human vitality that it’s hard to buy this Miss Lonely Hearts act. (She invests her character with far more life than does Mr. Hopkins.) But she gives it a go, putting on the mask of a woman who, quietly beaten down by too many disappointments, has assumed the somewhat glazed aspect of polite resignation. Every so often that face crumples and you see all of Kate’s thwarted desires and closely held hurts etched into every fissure. To watch this face fall apart against an onslaught of love, and to disintegrate along with it, may make you feel like a first-class sucker, but sometimes even cardboard valentines have sharp arrows.
“Last Chance Harvey” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). Warning: Wrinkly adults with desires!
LAST CHANCE HARVEY
Opens on Thursday in New York and Los Angeles.
Written and directed by Joel Hopkins; director of photography, John de Borman; edited by Robin Sales; production designer, Jon Henson; produced by Tim Perell and Nicola Usborne; released by Overture Films. Running time: 1 hour 39 minutes.
WITH: Dustin Hoffman (Harvey Shine), Emma Thompson (Kate), Eileen Atkins (Maggie), Liane Balaban (Susan), James Brolin (Brian) and Kathy Baker (Jean).
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Last Chance Harvey Reviews
Sweet. Delightful. Lovely. Romantic. Funny. Hopeful. Take a chance with Last Chance Harvey. It will make your heart smile.
Full Review | Nov 14, 2019
The romantic comedy tends to be one of the most predictable of genres, but Last Chance Harvey has even fewer surprises than most. What it does offer, though, is the chance to watch a couple of old pros do what they do best - charm us and each other.
Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Dec 11, 2018
With a deficit of good characters, a poor script and surprisingly weak central performances, Last Chance Harvey is only for those who have run out of options at the multiplex.
Full Review | Nov 1, 2018
The pleasure of seeing Thompson and Hoffman gamely steal scenes from one another gives the film a chance to entertain.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 8, 2018
Maybe I'm damning with faint praise, but these are two actors I don't mind wasting time with.
Full Review | Dec 30, 2017
Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Feb 18, 2012
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 17, 2011
To fully appreciate it, you need to be on playing-field level with Harvey and Kate. You need some miles on the love odometer.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 28, 2011
Decently avted by Hoffman and Thompson, this is a middlebrow, TV-like melodrama that goes out of its way to show the possibility of new romances and new beginnings at any age.
Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Jun 3, 2011
Full Review | Original Score: 0.5/5 | Apr 4, 2011
Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 3, 2011
Acaba conquistando graças à doçura de sua história e, principalmente, em função do carisma e do talento de seus sempre admiráveis protagonistas.
Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 20, 2009
They don't often make romances like this, so tell your mum - or granny!
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 5, 2009
A delightful confection that leaves you with a great big smile of contentment.
Full Review | Jun 5, 2009
The problem lies in a sloppy screenplay and direction that's too slick to be credible. Added to that, while Thompson often makes acting look natural, Hoffman these days makes natural look like acting.
Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 5, 2009
Undemanding, observant and beautifully performed, this is Richard Curtis-lite with added reassurance: no challenging questions here.
Hoffman and Thompson prove you can never be too old to make memories and their romance is certainly one to remember.
Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 5, 2009
Watching them dance effortlessly through this film is a reminder that two actors at the absolute top of their game can weave magic even in a slightly predictable example of a wholly formulaic genre.
This bittersweet, autumnal heartwarmer about two middle-aged people getting a last chance at love and happiness exceeded my personal tolerance factor for gloop and gush - but not by too much.
Last Chance Harvey is a funny little thing - a perfectly sincere July-to-September romance with barely an ounce of irony in its DNA, just a lot of optimism and good-humoured smiling. It's refreshing, in its unforced way.
Last Chance Harvey
By Peter Travers
Peter Travers
The Golden Globes people actually did something right for a change: They nominated Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson as best actor and best actress in a comedy for Last Chance Harvey. The movie itself, written and directed by Joel Hopkins, is so light a whisper could blow it away. But acting this richly funny and touching is too good to resist.
Hoffman, in his best screen performance since 1997’s Wag the Dog , plays Harvey Shine, a New York jingle writer barely holding on to his job. Even worse for the divorced Harvey is his arrival in London to attend the wedding of his estranged daughter (Liane Balaban). His ex-wife (Kathy Baker) and her tall, annoyingly handsome husband (James Brolin) smile brightly and do everything they can to lower the already chilly temperature between father and daughter, who announces her stepfather will be the one to give her away.
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After being odd man out at the rehearsal dinner, Harvey is ready to chuck it and head back to Manhattan. That’s when he meets Kate Walker, a survey taker at Heathrow Airport who persuades Harvey to stay in London for the reception. The act of persuasion, coming after some sly, charmingly nasty give-and-take between the American and the Londoner at a bar, is a lesson in the seamless blend of acting styles.
After a shopping expedition for Harvey and his insistence that Kate accompany him to the reception, the movie hits a comic peak when Harvey and Kate are seated at the kids’ table. The emotional high point comes when Harvey interrupts the toasts to make a toast himself. Hoffman reportedly wrote much of the speech, a poignant blend of joy and regret, and he delivers it with the timing and subtlety expected from an actor audiences have taken to since The Graduate and Midnight Cowboy. And when cuteness and contrivance get too much, as in the film’s ending, the radiant Thompson can be counted on to put a tart spin on sentiment. British director Hopkins likes to mix it up, playing the romance old school ( Brief Encounter ) and new ( Before Sunset ). He does well. But Hoffman and Thompson work the necessary magic. It’s the pleasure of their company that makes this an affair to remember.
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- DVD & Streaming
Last Chance Harvey
- Drama , Romance
Content Caution
In Theaters
- Dustin Hoffman as Harvey Shine; Emma Thompson as Kate Walker; Eileen Atkins as Maggie Walker; Liane Balaban as Susan; Kathy Baker as Jean; James Brolin as Brian; Bronagh Gallagher as Oonagh
Home Release Date
- Joel Hopkins
Distributor
- Overture Films
Movie Review
His name may be Harvey Shine. But for this sixtysomething composer of commercial jingles, life long ago lost its luster. Dreams of becoming a jazz pianist never materialized. Divorce left him broken. And as Harvey prepares to jet to London for his daughter Susan’s wedding, his boss warns that any more mistakes on the job will mean the end of his professional road.
“There are no more chances, Harvey,” he says.
An intercontinental change of venue hardly brightens the horizon. Susan’s cool response—and an even frostier one from his ex-wife, Jean—remind Harvey of his failures as a father and a husband. His penchant for social gaffes, like taking business calls during the rehearsal dinner, doesn’t endear him to anyone either. And Susan’s news that she wants her stepfather, Brian, to give her away during the ceremony hits Harvey like a final sucker punch to the gut.
But Harvey isn’t the only one slogging through a disappointing life. Fortysomething Kate Walker spends her days attending to passengers at Heathrow Airport (including, briefly, a very rude Harvey when he first gets off his plane). Romance novels, white wine and dreams of a writing career offer momentary diversions. But love has eluded Kate, despite the well-intentioned attempts of her friends and the suffocating concern of her mother.
Harvey’s path crosses Kate’s again when he skips Susan’s wedding reception to catch a plane for an important meeting. Harvey misses the plane, of course, and promptly gets fired over the phone. Assuming residency at a nearby airport bar, the beaten-down American loudly tries to drown his sorrows. And it’s Kate who informs him that the strategy likely won’t get the job done. Never mind that she’s doing the same thing—a fact Harvey helpfully points out.
In that brief encounter, both recognize a spark of honesty and zest neither has felt in a long time … and an unlikely romance begins to bloom.
Positive Elements
Despite the many setbacks he’s experienced in life, Harvey recognizes an opportunity with Kate as the two begin to connect, and he seizes it. Kate initially tries to talk him out of pursuing her. But his determination to woo her gently overwhelms her meager defenses. Harvey is willing to keep taking risks, even though there’s always the possibility of further hurt. He reassures Kate that he’s up to doing whatever it takes to make their relationship work.
As Harvey and Kate begin to tell their stories to one another, Harvey describes the hurt he’s just experienced by essentially being rejected by his daughter. Kate convinces him that he must return to the wedding reception, where Susan is visibly relieved that her father has come back.
Harvey’s losses in life have also taught him significant lessons about what matters most. In an awkward-yet-poignant toast to his daughter, he acknowledges that the children of divorce suffer the most, and he compliments Susan on having become a strong, determined and sensitive woman despite the “fracture of her birth family.” He graciously recognizes Susan’s stepfather for shouldering the fathering load that he couldn’t. The looks he shares with Susan and with his ex-wife in this scene seem to communicate forgiveness and acceptance that’s long been absent.
In one of their conversations, Kate confesses that she had an abortion in college. “I was pregnant once,” she says. “I didn’t have it. I didn’t think twice about it. That’s what all the smart girls did.” But years later, the act still haunts her as she thinks about who her child would have become. She tears up wondering if her baby would have grown into someone who was “clever.” Obviously, Kate’s abortion was a much bigger deal, one with long-lasting emotional consequences, than she realized at the time.
Sexual Content
Oonagh tries to set Kate up with a friend of her boyfriend. He turns out to be much younger than Kate, which prompts Oonagh to say that he’ll have “more energy,” presumably for sex. She also points out, suggestively, his large hands. Kate’s mother, Maggie, calls her daughter incessantly, asking for updates on what Kate is doing and who she’s with. Oonagh says of Maggie’s penchant for up-to-the-minute news, “She’s like a human contraceptive. Honest to God, she’s ruining your sex life.” It’s therefore implied that lonely Kate would be open to a casual sexual encounter, though the film suggests such encounters have been very rare for her.
Kate and Harvey share a single quick kiss. Susan and Scott’s wedding kiss is also shown. A few characters display a bit of cleavage. Kate jokingly tells her mother that she’s wearing a “boob tube and a miniskirt.” An elderly man reads a ridiculously over-the-top passage from a story he’s writing about a violent, sex-crazed psychopath; the tale relates his love for the smell of sex and the taste of blood. Kate tells Harvey how her father left her mother and went to France with his secretary.
Violent Content
None, really. But Kate’s mother does witness a neighbor carrying something wrapped in burlap into a backyard smokehouse. The shape resembles a body, and she thinks the man is a killer disposing of his victims. (He isn’t.)
Crude or Profane Language
A dozen uses of the s-word (half of which take place in one conversation). One abuse of Jesus’ name and two of God’s. “Bloody” pops up.
Drug and Alcohol Content
Harvey and Kate both tend to use alcohol to wage war on their woes and calm their nerves. Harvey has a drink on the plane and tells the woman next to him he needs it to fight off his fear of flying. After he misses his return flight, he quickly downs three drinks at an airport bar. Kate and Harvey also drink socially. Other folks drink pints and wine, and several empty beer bottles are visible on a table. Champagne shows up at Susan and Scott’s rehearsal dinner and again at the wedding reception.
Other Negative Elements
When he misses his flight, Harvey rudely cuts in front of others and demands service from the airline. Kate makes a meanspirited, sarcastic comment to her mother.
As implausible as their quickly kindled romance might seem, Harvey and Kate are about as regular and down to earth as anyone you’re likely to see on the big screen. That’s one of the things that drew actress Emma Thompson to the story. “I want to see people who I actually believe to exist, who are vaguely like me, falling in love,” she says. “People who aren’t perfect, who aren’t so beautiful that anyone would go for them. You don’t see love stories about that, you just see very beautiful people falling in love with each other, and I’m just bored, I’m bored witless [of that].”
Even more unusual is a story in which the starring couple never even hints at jumping into bed. Indeed, Harvey and Kate share but one modest kiss. (Booze, yes. Sex? No.) Combine that carnal restraint with affirmation of marriage and a reflection on the costs of divorce and abortion, and Last Chance Harvey feels decidedly old-fashioned.
Dustin Hoffman says of the marital themes, “I think one of the things that happens when a marriage fails is that you realize you don’t know what you think you know. You knew that this person was the one for you—or you thought you did—and it shatters your belief system, and you shut down. What makes this film interesting is that these are two people who are no longer in the flush of youth. They’ve been so pained by the expectation of what they thought they were going to have that they very much do not want to get involved with each other, and I think that gives the film tension.”
Less old-fashioned, of course, are the script’s s-words, the interjection of Jesus’ name and a bit of suggestive banter. And I’ve already mentioned the liquor—which is old-fashioned, but not in a positive way.
Last Chance Harvey still surprised me, though, with its honest-feeling attempt at elevating the ordinary along with the importance of family and forgiveness, humility and even the basic value of life.
Adam R. Holz
After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.
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Last Chance Harvey
Last Chance Harvey is the kind of movie that probably wouldn't get much attention if it were released at any other time in the year. An unambitious romance aimed at grown-ups, it deserves the handful of champions it will find, but probably not the Oscar campaign it's heading into. Featuring a lovely performance from Emma Thompson , with slightly less impressive Dustin Hoffman in the title role, it's a small movie of simple pleasures that's easily forgotten when it's over.
The heavy-handed title refers at first to a deal Harvey is trying to work out with the music recording studio that employs him. Just before he heads off to London to see his estranged daughter (Liane Balaban) get married, his hard-nosed boss (Richard Schiff) hints that he shouldn't bother to hurry back. Harvey, not getting the clue, rushes awkwardly through the rehearsal dinner and ceremony, alienated by his ex-wife (Kathy Baker), her suave new husband (James Brolin) and even his daughter, who asks her stepdad to walk her down the aisle. Skipping the reception to get to the airport, he gets one more cell phone call from the boss to tell him, pointedly, that he's fired.
In the meantime we're also spending time with Kate (Thompson), who spends much of her life fielding phone calls from her loony mother, who's convinced her neighbor is a serial killer. As Harvey suffers through the rehearsal dinner, Kate bumbles through a blind date set up by a co-worker at the airport census office. The date goes badly, of course, so when Kate runs into Harvey in the airport bar the next day, they both have something to complain about.
Harvey's flight is delayed until the next day, Kate helps him find a hotel, he accompanies her to her writing class, and gradually these two middle-agers have the kind of whirlwind, up-all-night romance more familiar to teenagers. The night is mostly devoted to helping Harvey work things out, as the new couple attends the wedding reception after all and harvey gets to make the father toast. Kate, despite both Thompson's and writer-director Joel Hopkins' efforts to make her a well-developed character, unfortunately falls into the "supportive female" stock character trap.
When the sun comes up there are obvious obstacles Kate and Harvey need to deal with-- the distance between New York and London being just one of them-- but Hopkins instead throws in an emergency room visit to create third-act drama. It doesn't necessarily betray the movie's emotional honesty up to that point, but it is a fairly cheap trick for what's otherwise a mature and low-key film.
As the central character who goes through the movie's main arc, Hoffman is a bit of a letdown. He's good as Harvey the beaten-down schlub, as well as Harvey in the flush of new romance, but the transition between the two doesn't exist. Thompson is empathetic and lovely, as ever, but she's not helped by the script or her hammy co-star. Last Chance Harvey offers many pleasures that may be overshadowed by the high expectations that come with a December 26 release date. It's a shame, but this is the kind of movie probably destined to perform better on DVD anyway.
Staff Writer at CinemaBlend
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Last Chance Harvey
Time out says, release details.
- Release date: Friday 5 June 2009
- Duration: 93 mins
Cast and crew
- Director: Joel Hopkins
- Screenwriter: Joel Hopkins
- Dustin Hoffman
- Emma Thompson
- Eileen Atkins
- Kathy Baker
- Liane Balaban
- James Brolin
- Richard Schiff
Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.
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Last Chance Harvey (United States/United Kingdom, 2008)
Last Chance Harvey is a standard-order romantic comedy with a couple of unusual ingredients that make it worthy of notice. It is common, of course, for movies of this genre to focus on young, photogenic individuals. While not unheard of, romantic comedies featuring post-menopause women and AARP-eligible men are a rarity. In addition, when the principals of such a movie are both multiple Oscar winners, one can hardly ignore such a production, no matter how formulaic the premise and execution might be. Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson bring credibility to Last Chance Harvey merely by their presence. The result is a holiday parfait.
Harvey Shine (Hoffman) is a TV commercial jingle writer who is fired by cell phone while he's in London for the wedding of his daughter, Susan (Liane Balaban). Things go from bad to worse for Harvey - not only is he jobless, but Susan informs him that she would prefer to be given away at the altar by her step-father, Brian (James Brolin). Harvey takes this as well as can be expected, which is to say, not well at all. Then, to further exacerbate an already awful situation, he runs into traffic on the way from the wedding to Heathrow and misses his flight. He's in an airport bar drowning his sorrows when he meets Kate (Emma Thompson), who's not experiencing the best of times either. Her mother (Eileen Atkins) believes the new neighbor is a serial killer and Kate's blind date the night before did not go well. When Harvey tries to make small talk, she is initially unreceptive, but his persistence pays off and they are soon spending the day together wandering around the city. He accompanies her to her drama class and she agrees to be his date for the wedding reception.
By echoing the motif that made Before Sunrise so popular among a segment of romantic comedy fandom - the concept of having two people fall in love as they tour a city - Last Chance Harvey provides viewers with ample opportunity to see Harvey and Kate interact. This in turn gives Hoffman and Thompson a chance to revive and enhance the on-screen chemistry they displayed in their few shared scenes in Stranger than Fiction . It's a pleasure to see them interact and to hear the way they utter some of the wry one-liners provided by writer/director Joel Hopkins' occasionally witty screenplay.
There are two primary subplots populating the sidelines in Last Chance Harvey . The first involves Harvey's attempts to show his true feelings to a daughter to whom he was not, by his own admission, a good father. There's some emotional resonance to this element of the movie and, while it doesn't stray into the realm of heavy drama, it has more heft than one might expect from this sort of frothy motion picture. Kate's secondary story, which focuses on her mother's unwillingness to sever the late-life umbilical cord, isn't as interesting. Apparently recognizing this, Hopkins plays it primarily for comedy, thereby wasting the not inconsiderable talents of Eileen Atkins.
Although the idea of Hoffman at a wedding might immediately call to mind The Graduate, Last Chance Harvey has no tangible links to the Mike Nichols classic. Emma Thompson's character, on the other hand, calls to mind her portrayal in The Tall Guy (they even have the same first name). Any baggage brought on board by either actor does nothing to detract from the essential elements of the film. Hopkins understands the conventions of the romantic comedy and lets the storyline play out in a largely predictable manner. This is a film of small pleasures that come through dialogue and character interaction, but there are few (if any) surprises. It's a romantic comedy for an older generation, arguing that the fantasy of falling in love isn't just for the young, no matter how much Hollywood seems to believe differently.
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Last chance harvey, common sense media reviewers.
Midlife love story is sweet, but may not appeal to teens.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
A father tries to patch things up with his daughte
Tense conversations, but no physical fights.
A sweet kiss between two people falling in love.
Some brief outbursts of profanity, primarily "
Some visible signage and product placement -- incl
Some drinking, mostly social -- though one scene s
Parents need to know that this sweet romance about middle-aged lovers deals with some mature themes -- family dysfunction, for starters -- in a low-key way that likely won't lure too many younger viewers. But those who do see it, especially older teens, will be greeted with strong storytelling about a very…
Positive Messages
A father tries to patch things up with his daughter, putting his already endangered job in more peril. A woman comes to a man's aid and not only befriends him but also helps him through a rough patch, as he does for her. A daughter grows increasingly exasperated with her needy mother but still stays patient and giving.
Violence & Scariness
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Sex, Romance & Nudity
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Some brief outbursts of profanity, primarily "s--t."
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.
Products & Purchases
Some visible signage and product placement -- including but not limited to Johnnie Walker Black Label, Air Berliner, and Marriott -- but not an overwhelming amount.
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
Some drinking, mostly social -- though one scene shows a man ready to drown out his sorrows in hard liquor.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this sweet romance about middle-aged lovers deals with some mature themes -- family dysfunction, for starters -- in a low-key way that likely won't lure too many younger viewers. But those who do see it, especially older teens, will be greeted with strong storytelling about a very realistic relationship. There's some strong language (mostly "s--t"), and few scenes involve drinking, primarily in a social setting (at pubs, for instance) -- though one character sits at a bar seemingly ready to drown his sorrows. It may feel like a downer at first, but it's ultimately a hopeful film. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .
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Community Reviews
- Parents say (4)
- Kids say (1)
Based on 4 parent reviews
Good but not great
One of those beautifully, rare films you gotta see, what's the story.
Harvey ( Dustin Hoffman ), a composer who makes his living writing commercial jingles, has hit a series of wrong notes. His estranged daughter is about to get married in London, and he's determined to prove himself worthy of her trust by being there for the weekend. His boss threatens to fire him if he's not back on Monday, so Harvey promises to return in time. But there are challenges ahead: Once he gets to London, he finds out that his daughter has asked her stepfather to walk her down the aisle instead. And Kate ( Emma Thompson ), a government statistician whom Harvey meets at Heathrow and winds up spending the weekend with has given him pause ... as well as the courage to change his fate. But Kate isn't sure she can trust in a virtual stranger when life, up to this moment, life has disappointed her so.
Is It Any Good?
LAST CHANCE HARVEY plays on a low register but achieves maximum impact with a simple story that feels achingly authentic. As two souls who've lost their way in middle age, Hoffman and Thompson play their characters subtly but with tremendous empathy. And their chemistry is lovely; they're like two puzzle pieces meant to fit together very well.
Kate and Harvey's relationship -- which mostly unfolds in a series of languid walk-and-talks that make the most of the London setting -- is a grown-up pairing that relies less on sizzling sex appeal and more on an unexplainable, but very real, feeling of connection. It's a sweet movie -- a mite predictable, yes, and not exactly groundbreaking, but a joy to watch, even if only to witness two acting masters at work.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what makes this movie different from many Hollywood romances. Does the central relationship seem more or less realistic than in other romances you've seen? Why? How do most movies define "love"? How does that compare to real life? Also, what does the movie say about the power of forgiveness -- not only of others, but of yourself?
Movie Details
- In theaters : January 16, 2009
- On DVD or streaming : May 5, 2009
- Cast : Dustin Hoffman , Eileen Atkins , Emma Thompson
- Director : Joel Hopkins
- Studio : Overture Films
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 99 minutes
- MPAA rating : PG-13
- MPAA explanation : brief strong language
- Last updated : March 24, 2024
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Before Sunrise
An Affair to Remember
Romantic Comedies
Best high school movies.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
Last Chance Harvey Review
05 Jun 2009
Last Chance Harvey
A difficult sell, mature romantic-comedies demand heavyweight stars. With two Oscars apiece, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson are certainly that. Having barely brushed shoulders in Stranger Than Fiction, the pair have a chance to get cosy in this comedy-drama that takes place over the course of a couple of days.
Initially, it’s not the best phase in Harvey’s life. In London for his daughter’s wedding, he’s been instructed to “take his time” by his boss — younger composers are fast filling his shoes. Then comes the big blow: daughter Susan (Liane Balaban) wants her stepfather, not Harvey, to give her away.
Desperate to cling onto what little he has left, Harvey tries to fly back to save his job, but ends up wallowing in Scotch at the airport. “That’ll help,” quips nearby Kate (Thompson) sarcastically, and so an afternoon of gently flirtatious banter is born. The world-weary pair find comfort in each other, his ambition, persistence and near-desperation cutting through her dry despondency. It’s the American Dreamer versus the self-deprecating Brit — and in the land of romantic comedies, they make a good pair.
Hoffman is an enjoyable lead, gleaning laughs from trivial misfortunes such as a security tag still attached to a suit jacket. But it’s Thompson that really shines, imbuing every line with depth and pathos — lines that could have been thrown away by other mouths. There’s a telling early scene in which Kate has a blind date in the pub with a younger man, Simon (Patrick Baladi). She readily admits defeat when his lively friends arrive, babbling a language she doesn’t understand. But Kate’s hangdog manner is offset by a quick wit and a desire to learn. Like Harvey, Kate is underestimated by people who judge by age.
All this, of course, positions Last Chance Harvey as ideal for older audiences who feel overlooked. The message is clear: there is life after divorce, and there is hope for a single woman approaching 50. Last Chance Harvey is a brief but slow-paced film with no grand romance, no tension, no tragedy. It recalls Sleepless In Seattle and Four Weddings And A Funeral, but it doesn’t have the suspense or energy to compete. It’s cute, but it’s not compelling. In fact, like Hoffman himself, Last Chance Harvey is short, but very sweet.
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Last Chance Harvey
- In London for his daughter's wedding, a rumpled man finds his romantic spirits lifted by a new woman in his life.
- Harvey Shine (Dustin Hoffman) is in London for the weekend for his daughter Susan's (Liane Balaban's) wedding. His work in New York City preoccupies him: he writes music for ads, and he knows his boss Marvin (Richard Schiff) is pushing him aside for younger talent. With family, he's also on the sidelines - long divorced, his wife Jean (Kathy Baker) remarried, her husband Brian (James Brolin) is closer to his daughter than him. His path crosses that of Kate Walker (Dame Emma Thompson), 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 talks to Kate at a Heathrow bar. She's not interested. Where can this conversation lead? Back at his daughter's reception, Brian rises to give a toast. — <[email protected]>
- Harvey Shine's (Dustin Hoffman's) life is in a shambles, but he doesn't realize exactly how bad it is until the weekend of his daughter Susan's (Liane Balaban's) wedding. His dream job would have been to be a jazz pianist, but realizing he was not talented enough, settled into working as a New York City-based commercial jingle writer. As Harvey is about to head off to London for the wedding, Marvin (Richard Schiff), his boss, roundaboutly implies that he has one last chance to modernize his work for the digital age or else be out of a job. And once in London, Harvey, although long ago feeling like his ex-wife Jean (Kathy Baker) and her second husband Brian (James Brolin) took over the parenting of Susan, understands that he truly is an inconsequential part of Susan's life now, in large part, his own fault. Similarly, single Kate Walker (Dame Emma Thompson) leads an unhappy life. She works as a survey interviewer for the British Airport Authority at Heathrow Airport. She is unable to transfer her professional Public Relations skills to her social life, where she only knows how to push men away rather than engage them. Kate's mother, Maggie (Dame Eileen Atkins), has far too much time on her hands, telephoning Kate several times a day, in her concern both in believing her new Polish neighbor is some crazed criminal, and in Kate's single status, not understanding, in the words of Kate's colleague and friend, Oonagh (Bronagh Gallagher), that the telephone calls are more effective as a contraceptive for Kate. As Harvey reaches what is probably the lowest point in his time in London, he encounters Kate for the second time. On his initiative, they both decide to take a chance on the other in making a connection. They will have a lot of emotional baggage to get through in the other to make that connection truly meaningful beyond Harvey's short scheduled stay in London. — Huggo
- Struggling New York jingle writer Harvey (Hoffman) and lonely British bureaucrat Kate (Thompson) meet by chance in London at a wedding and transforms one another's lives. Kate, for reasons which become clear, refuses to commit to a relationship; she lives in London, he's based in New York, so how can they turn this into anything more than a fun interlude?
- Harvey Shine (Dustin Hoffman) works as a jingle writer for television commercials in Manhattan, a job not in keeping with his one-time aspiration to be a jazz composer and pianist. We see him at work and he is very good at what he does. However, his boss does not seem impressed with his latest output. As Harvey departs for London to attend his daughter Susan's wedding, his boss actually suggests that he spend more time there than he had originally planned. Harvey declines, making the point that he needs to be back for an upcoming pitch to an old client. His boss insists that it is being done by other musicians, and that Harvey's latest work was his last chance to keep his job. On the plane, Harvey tries to chat up a fellow passenger, but she is having none of it. He is left sitting there with egg on his face and we come to regard him as even more of a loser. Meanwhile, we witness the mildly strained relationship between Kate Walker (Emma Thompson), a single Londoner, and her mother, whose husband left years earlier. Kate tries to reassure her mother that despite being single, she may yet find a man. Further, Kate tells her mom to quit worrying about the new Polish neighbor who has moved in next door and seems to be stacking a lot of firewood. Upon arrival at Heathrow Airport in London, Harvey encounters Kate at her job collecting statistics from passengers as they pass through the terminals. She attempts to question him about his reasons for visiting the UK. Tired and anxious to get to his hotel, Harvey brusquely dismisses her when she approaches him to ask questions. Harvey heads for the hotel to check in and discovers that he is the first one to arrive. Upon calling his daughter to double check where everyone else is when they were all supposed to be staying together, he learns that his ex-wife Jean actually rented a house to accommodate family and friends from the States and he is the only one at the hotel. After a brief nap, he showers and hurriedly dresses. On the way to the rehearsal dinner in the taxi cab, he realizes the anti-shoplifting device is still attached to the sleeve of his jacket. And to make matter worse, he has worn a white suit (thinking this was requested) while all the other men wore black. During the meal, it becomes increasingly clear Harvey is considered a mere guest and the role of father of the bride has been delegated to Jean's husband Brian. To add insult to injury, Brian stands to give the toast, and recollects the vacation they all spent in Rome, and his stepson-in-law-to-be embraces him and calls him Dad. Just before leaving back to his hotel, when Harvey tells Susan (with whom he has shared a strained relationship since his divorce) that he will be attending the ceremony but not the subsequent reception because he needs to return to the States for an important meeting, she informs him she has asked Brian to give her away. Meanwhile, Kate is set up on a blind date by a well meaning co-worker that does not go well. When she returns to the table after taking yet another call from her mother, she discovers her younger date has invited some of his younger friends to join them. Feeling unwanted and excluded from the conversation, she eventually excuses herself and goes home. As it turns out, Kate's increasingly neurotic mother seems convinced that her Polish neighbor is some kind of murderer because she sees him toting strange looking, lumpy packages into a shed in the back yard. The following morning Harvey attends Susan's wedding, but heavy traffic delays his arrival back to Heathrow, and he misses his plane. When he calls his boss Marvin in NYC to inform him he will be returning a day later than planned and that he will try to get there as soon as possible, he is told that he is fired. In his glum mood, Harvey makes his way to the airport bar and starts slugging down scotch, determined to drown his sorrows. Kate is sitting in the lounge reading a novel and drinking wine when she notices Harvey. She makes a barb to him about the drinking being a big help to whatever is bothering him and he fires back about her reading a trashy novel and drinking chardonnay not being so much better. They gradually warm to each other over the course of their salads. After an awkward goodbye at the exit, where Harvey wistfully watches Kate walk away, he decides to follow her to the Heathrow Express and upon arrival at Paddington station, asks if he can walk her to her writing class on the South Bank. She accepts his offer and is pleased when he offers to meet her after class. As they stroll along the River Thames, Harvey mentions he is missing Susan's wedding reception, and Kate urges him to go. He finally relents, but only if she will accompany him. When Kate insists she is not properly dressed for such an occasion, Harvey buys her a dress and the two head to the Grosvenor House Hotel, where they are welcomed warmly by Susan and her new husband Scott. When the father of the bride is called upon to make a toast, Brian rises and begins to speak until Harvey taps his glass and reminds him who the real father of the bride is. He then delivers an eloquent speech that redeems him with his daughter and endears him to Kate. Following the reception, Harvey and Kate walk and talk until dawn. They exchange a single, gentle kiss and agree to meet again at noon at the same place, a cafe near a water park. They are both excited about the upcoming rendezvous, but after running up the hotel stairs too quickly, Harvey suffers an attack of arrhythmia! Paramedics rush him to the hospital, where he protests to doctors that he is fine and must leave to meet someone. The doctors insist that he must stay for further tests. Kate buys some flowers and does her makeup in anticipation of seeing Harvey again. She waits at the cafe where they agreed to meet, yet he is still in the hospital, unbeknownst to Kate. After a long time waiting, she leaves alone, crushed and rueful. Harvey immediately attempts to contact Kate after he is released from the hospital, but is surprised to receive a call from his ex-boss Marvin, who explains how his superiors like Harvey's latest work so much that he wants him to return to his job right away. Harvey pauses and then tells Marvin that he no longer wants the job. Kate visits her mother again and discovers that the Polish neighbor has left a rather large smoked ham. Turns out that he is not a killer after all, just a meat smoker. Kate then returns to her job taking surveys at the airport, and when Harry calls her there, she refuses to take his call. Harvey rushes to the airport to redeem himself with Kate but she has left for the day. Her workmates are suspicious of him at first but know that she likes him, and let him know that she is at her writing class. He tracks her down after class and reveals why he missed their rendezvous. Overly cautious about romance because of so many past disappointments, Kate initially resists his suggestion that they see what the future might bring them, but finally agrees to give things a chance. When she asks Harvey how it will work, he replies that he does not know, "But it will, I promise you that." As they walk away, Kate takes off her shoes to make her closer in height to the shorter Harry. He says, "I think you're my kind of girl." When he recalls that she never did ask him the questions from her airport survey, she asks for his name and residence, to which he replies, "I'm in transition." Over the end credits, we see that Kate's mom has gone to visit her Polish neighbor to thank him for the ham. The neighbor invites her to come into his house, and after some feigned hesitation, she agrees to enter.
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"Last Chance Harvey" is a tremendously appealing love story surrounded by a movie not worthy of it. For Dustin Hoffman, after years of character roles (however good) and dubbing the voices of animated animals, it provides a rare chance to play ... an ordinary guy. For Emma Thompson, there is an opportunity to use her gifts for tact and insecurity. For both, their roles project warmth and need.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review ashley h Last Chance Harvey is a terrific film. It is about a man who finds his romantic spirits lifted by a new woman in his ...
Directed by Joel Hopkins. Drama, Romance. PG-13. 1h 33m. By Manohla Dargis. Dec. 24, 2008. Even when they're walking uneven shoulder to shoulder and hitting their professional marks note for ...
Last Chance Harvey: Directed by Joel Hopkins. With Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Eileen Atkins, Kathy Baker. In London for his daughter's wedding, a rumpled man finds his romantic spirits lifted by a new woman in his life.
November 9, 2008 2:27pm. Imagine Paddy Chayefsky's "Marty" saddled with more sentimentality and sprinkled with a few more laughs and you pretty much have "Last Chance Harvey.". This ...
Last Chance Harvey is a 2008 American romantic drama film written and directed by Joel Hopkins.The screenplay focuses on two lonely people who tentatively forge a relationship during two days. Dustin Hoffman plays the title character, Harvey Shine, an American television commercial jingles composer who travels to England for his estranged daughter's wedding and promptly loses his job.
Tim Robey Daily Telegraph (UK) TOP CRITIC. Last Chance Harvey is a funny little thing - a perfectly sincere July-to-September romance with barely an ounce of irony in its DNA, just a lot of ...
The Golden Globes people actually did something right for a change: They nominated Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson as best actor and best actress in a comedy for Last Chance Harvey. The movie ...
Movie Review. His name may be Harvey Shine. But for this sixtysomething composer of commercial jingles, life long ago lost its luster. ... Combine that carnal restraint with affirmation of marriage and a reflection on the costs of divorce and abortion, and Last Chance Harvey feels decidedly old-fashioned. Dustin Hoffman says of the marital ...
Last Chance Harvey is the kind of movie that probably wouldn't get much attention if it were released at any other time in the year. An unambitious romance aimed at grown-ups, it deserves the ...
7/10. Nothing much but the elegance of restraint. Chris Knipp 8 February 2009. On the face of it Last Chance Harvey, helmed by the virtually unknown English director Joel Hopkins, is a mere piece of frippery, a little tale of a chance encounter in an airport between a man and woman of a certain age on the rebound from disappointment, something ...
Retooling the romcom for an ageing audience is hardly a new idea: Woody Allen's mid-'90s output sports a few deft examples, while, more recently, Jack Nicholson
Last Chance Harvey is a standard-order romantic comedy with a couple of unusual ingredients that make it worthy of notice. It is common, of course, for movies of this genre to focus on young, photogenic individuals. While not unheard of, romantic comedies featuring post-menopause women and AARP-eligible men are a rarity.
Spangle. Sep 23, 2017. Cute and fluffy, Last Chance Harvey is unchallenging cinema with two fantastic leads as Emma Thompson generously gives geriatric Dustin Hoffman one last shot at love in spite of the fact that he is a horribly neglectful father. Fortunately, as a Manic Pixie Dream Middle-Aged Woman, Thompson's neurotic, always ...
Our review: Parents say ( 4 ): Kids say ( 1 ): LAST CHANCE HARVEY plays on a low register but achieves maximum impact with a simple story that feels achingly authentic. As two souls who've lost their way in middle age, Hoffman and Thompson play their characters subtly but with tremendous empathy. And their chemistry is lovely; they're like two ...
Last Chance Harvey Review. Divorced American composer Harvey Shine (Hoffman) arrives in London for his daughter s wedding to discover her stepfather is giving her away. Single Brit Kate Walker ...
In London for his daughter's wedding, a rumpled man finds his romantic spirits lifted by a new woman in his life. Harvey Shine (Dustin Hoffman) is in London for the weekend for his daughter Susan's (Liane Balaban's) wedding. His work in New York City preoccupies him: he writes music for ads, and he knows his boss Marvin (Richard Schiff) is ...
Thankfully, there are movies like Last Chance Harvey to remind us that all types of stories can be made into good movies so long as the right elements are at work. The film, no doubt a romantic-comedy if you've ever seen one, carries broad appeal that will reach far beyond its genre's token audience if allowed the chance. ... -Danny Baldwin ...
Movies & TV Review. Last Chance Harvey Movie (2008) Hop to. Scores; Many people may not have heard of 'Last Chance Harvey' as it came and went in the UK Cinemas almost unnoticed in the early part of 2009. It seems very strange as a movie with a cast including Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Eileen Atkins, James Brolin and Kathy Baker should have ...
LAST CHANCE HARVEY is bittersweet, humorous and charming. The centerpiece is the chemistry between Hoffman and Emma Thompson, who plays Kate. The couple seems both oddly matched, but also oddly paired. They work well together, and the story, while a bit predictable, moves along at a good pace. This is a small movie about a couple of days in the ...
Movie Reviews. Last Chance Harvey (2008) Emma Thompson is 50. I hadn't realized that Dustin Hoffman is 71. He doesn't look it, I'd have guessed mid-sixties. They are both wonderful actors, and it's a pleasure to see them working together in a romance. The script is pretty sharp, too, most of the time.
Kate and Harvey aren't completely rounded characters, but they're reasonably close, much more than usual for these types of films. I am unquestionably grading on a curve. Last Chance Harvey is not a masterpiece, nor a great film, not anything but a genial, satisfactory waste of time. But hey, when you're in the mood for that kind of thing, you ...