Last Chance Harvey

Last Chance Harvey

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, James Brolin, Liane Balaban, Eileen Atkins

Directed by: Joel Hopkins

Reviewed by: Conor Flynn







Last Chance Harvey displays one thing you don’t often see in film. Sadly Hollywood has an incredible bias towards actors over a particular age. Roles are limited in certain fields after a while, particularly in the case of romances. Sure, there are actors, such as Jack Nicholson (Something's Gotta Give), who can demand whatever part they want, but for most, these roles are limited. It’s an even worse scenario for older actresses; starring roles tend to be few and far between, normally going to younger women. It might be a flash in the pan, but Last Chance Harvey attempts to rectify this stigma…

Hoffman plays Harvey Shine, a failed jazz pianist and writer of television commercial jingles. Harvey travels reluctantly to London to his estranged daughters wedding, only to learn that she would prefer to be given away at the altar by her step-father. To make matters worse, Harvey is asked to return to work, but misses the return flight and soon finds himself without a job. He chooses to get drunk at an airport bar. It is here that he meets Kate (Thompson), someone with troubles of her own…

Last Chance Harvey is a film which lacks substance. The main problem is that there is an uneven balance between the story of Harvey Shine and the story of Kate. The main focus is on Harvey, whereas Kate always feels secondary. Her story feels far too light-weight; she works at an airport gathering travel statistics, she looks after her neurotic mother and occasionally goes on blind dates which end in disappointment every time. And that’s it. Together these two stories feel underdeveloped and routine .The film is hindered by the aforementioned subplot with Kate’s overanxious mother (Atkins); it is inconsequential to the main storyline. Another turn-off is that the humour is flimsy, making the film slightly dour to watch at times.

Thankfully the saving grace, and pretty much the only reason for seeing this film, is the excellent performances by Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. They settle into their roles with relative ease and, despite the looseness of the material offered, the two make relatively mundane conversations interesting. The performances are understated yet thoroughly engaging and should leave you smiling before the end credits role.

Last Chance Harvey is pleasant but slight. It’s commendable to find a romantic film out there that isn’t specifically marketed to a younger audience, though it is equally disappointing that the two excellent leads haven’t better material to work with.