Last Chance Harvey (2008)

director: Joel Hopkins

writer: Joel Hopkins

starring: Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson

genre: Drama, Romance

After the classical Hollywood romantic comedies of “the Proposal” or “He’s Just Not That into You” here comes something completly different that makes us remember why we love seeing two people fall in love on the big screen. Because they are flawed, troubled, depressed and looking for happiness again. Last Chance Harvey is a touching story which makes for a great viewing.

The story is about Harvey (Dustin Hoffman) and Kate (Emma Thompson) even though the title just says Harvey it’s her film as well. Both of them are miserable and alone. Harvey is about to lose his job and makes a trip to London to see his daughter get married as he also comes to see that he is the fool of the family. Kate is an airport employee who has to deal with her loony mother and her bad luck at not finding connection to somebody. Chance brings them together and finds them a way to change their lives for the better.

What the film does so well is treating the characters as ordinary people. Flawed, depressed and hopeless from the start, you feel sad for these people. We get a lot of time to meet them and see their misery at first hand and then see why these two people click together. They make each other happier. All of this is do too good writing bringing some great situations for the both like their first meeting and their ever gradualistic chemistry. And of course not to forget the spot on performances by Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson who just still show off their wonderful skills and is sad we don’t see them in enough in films lately.

The film is not without its flaws. Despite its great characters there are some clichés in the film that could have been avoided. The cliché of the two characters to so happen pass by each other to signify their connection was unnecessary. Also the subplot of Kate’s mother thinking her neighbor was a murder was pointless, comic relief that was out of place with the depressed atmosphere that the film had. Instead of these two things we could have had much more backstory to how they got to this sad state morose state or even more time of the two together just having fun.

In the end I applaud the film for its seriousness, performances and its good emotional story. It’s not the best romantic film I’ve seen, I still have the Before Sunset at the top of totem pole. But you get a very good film which anybody with a touch of romance in them is going to enjoy this for sure. Also it’s not a bad alternative to the usual programming of romantic comedies and the popcorn extravaganzas of the summer.

Personal Rating:

Review by Paul