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

I thought this was a Richard Curtis movie because I missed the credits - and a bad one at that! It is such a ludicrously plotted film played against a whimsical (almost fantasy) sunny London background that it gives age and romcoms a bad name. There is a market for older players to star in films aimed at an older audience - this does not do so because Dustin Hoffman will not act his age. He is pretending to be around 55 and Emma Thompson pretending to be about 45 ( a little middle age spread around the backside and tum tell you this!). So it is a mainstream romcom about two utter losers who find each other over a weekend in London, where Hoffman's character is attending his daughter's wedding ( a strange affair where she marries in ordinary clothes at a registry office, and then dolls up a wedding dress for the reception!) who has been estranged from him for quite some time. His job is on the line, while Emma Thompson (sounding ever so erudite and sensitive) has a crap survey job and a tiresome mother (Eileen Atkins pretending to be 57!). As the losers head towards the light, direction and script plod, but Hoffman gets to act very very well towards the denouement - something he has not done for ages! It saves the film a little, but pensioners looking for extra pension should not inflict this half hearted, unbelievable stuff on real pensioners and the rest of the movie going public!

This is a movie that keeps on going nowhere, and is in no rush about it. Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson plays well, their characters are credible, yet there's scant reason for anyone to be interested in their credibly boring lives. Might as well watch CCTV of people in a lunch-area - in fact, that might be more interesting. Sorry I watched this, on the presumption that Hoffman would chose an interesting script only.The film gets off to a slow start, Hoffman getting off a plane in London. Then he goes through customs and does all the mundane things of passing through an airport. Emma Thompson is introduced, and she's an as credibly dried up spinster as always, here working in the airport in a boring job. As the film ends, it feels like a good point for it to start. But the intro was the film, and that's it, folks.This is romance for geriatrics. Enjoy.

"Last Chance Harvey" is, to me, a chance to see two great actors at work. That's it. That's all. It's an exhibition game, a free-skate, and it's a movie to be simply enjoyed, not analyzed.The great Dustin Hoffman here plays a middle-aged man, estranged from his ex-wife and adult daughter, estranged from his boss and industry, estranged from life. The enemy in this movie- though never explicitly stated- is mortality. The threat of death is what motivates Harvey to start a relationship with British spinster Kate, played by Emma Thompson. The movie does nicely parallel the true pattern of the aging baby-boomer generation... while only thirty years ago the thought of dating and marrying at age forty, fifty, sixty and beyond was unthinkable today it is commonplace. They are a generation that has never made peace with their own mortality and their solution is to become eternal teenagers.But back to the movie: the joy here is watching Hoffman and Thompson court and spark, enjoying themselves at a wedding and falling in love as they get to know one another. Dustin is so great an actor I could watch him read the phone book, and as usual he never hits a false note. Emma Thompson is good too, walking the fine line between tragic and pathetic, and it's great watching Kate awaken as Harvey spends his time on her.Okay, the plot doesn't offer much. Harvey's interactions with his ex and daughter put me in a coma, and his heart attack seemed contrived and anticlimactic. After all, just because he missed his park date with Kate doesn't mean he'll never see her again- he knows where she works for God's sake! But as I said before, this movie is not about plot... it's about hope, the hope that it's never too late to change your life or to find true love. Isn't that a very fine idea for a movie?GRADE: B-