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Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Kathy Baker, James Brolin, Eileen Atkins ... see more see more... , Liane Balaban , Richard Schiff , Timothy Howar , Wendy Mae Brown , Bronagh Gallagher , Jeremy Sheffield , Daniel Lapaine , Patrick Baladi , Adam James , Michael Landes , Jamie Sives , Kate Harper , Angela Griffin , Alex Avery , Tim Ahern , Charlotte Lucas

A disastrous trip to London proves to have a silver lining for a middle-aged American jingle writer in this romantic slice-of-life drama starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. Harvey (Hoffman) is ... read more read more...about to lose his unfulfilling dead-end job writing jingles when he boards a plane to attend his daughter's wedding in London. He hasn't turned out a memorable tune in some time, and should Harvey fail to come up with something catchy during his trip overseas, he knows that his boss (Richard Schiff) is ready and willing to let him go. Upon arriving in London, Harvey is devastated to learn that his daughter (Liane Balaban) has opted to have her stepfather (James Brolin) walk her down the aisle instead of him. And things are about to get worse, too. Harvey realizes that he won't be able to suppress his sadness through the whole reception, and makes a quick getaway in hopes of catching a plane back home. Perhaps if he can attend an important meeting on Monday morning, his boss will have some sympathy and grant him a momentary reprieve. No such luck, however, because when Harvey misses the flight and calls his boss to explain, he is fired over the phone. Later, at the airport bar, Harvey is drowning his sorrows when he strikes up a conversation with no-nonsense Office of National Statistics employee Kate (Thompson). Kate doesn't have much of a social life; most of her time outside of work is spent suffocating under the love of her smothering mother (Eileen Atkins). She's just gotten through a humiliating string of blind dates, and something about Harvey's situation and demeanor strikes a sympathetic chord in the lonely civil servant. Likewise, Kate's intelligence and compassion prove unexpectedly invigorating to Harvey. Both Harvey and Kate had always assumed that love had passed them by -- could this middle-aged romance be the glimmer of a new beginning? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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52% liked it

26,725 ratings

Critics

70% liked it

152 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 32 min.

Directed by: Joel Hopkins

Release Date: January 16, 2009

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DVD Release Date: May 5, 2009

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Stats: 2,415 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,415)

  • moonrivers
    February 16, 2012
    moonrivers
    Two of life's failures, convincingly portrayed by Hoffman and Thompson, collide in London to discover that perhaps they aren't such consummate failures after all. An actor's showcase, the leads are the workhorses that really sell this little intimate film about two people who ar... read moree at the party but somehow not in it.
  • fb1038944442
    November 2, 2011
    fb1038944442
    Last Chance Harvey is a charming, highly predictable, and impeccably acted vehicle for the charisma and chemistry of Hoffman and Thompson. Almost every scene rings truly to life, with a wry and melancholy empathy.

    A sixty-ish man facing total family and career meltdown, and ... read morea fifty-something old maid who has given up on love is NOT promising fare for a wide, multi-generational audience. This film will likely only appeal to viewers who have need of progressive lenses. However, the sunny sincerity and touching human moments make this film work - mostly. Viewers will need to come to the film with modest expectations - it's a comedy with very few laughs (instead it provides mostly wistful smiles), and a romantic film with no sex or even sexual tension.

    On the negative side, this film feels like it should have ended at the one hour mark when the family is reconciled at the wedding reception. It takes some artificial, convenient plot points like apparent heart attacks to stretch out the last half hour to any kind of complete film experience.

    This film is worth seeing for the performances of Hoffman and Thompson and the sensitive and well observed 'slice of life' writing. .
  • fernandorafael
    June 20, 2011
    fernandorafael
    I actually thought this was going to be a very light, breezy comedy in the vein of Nancy Meyers, so imagine the disappointment when I find Last Chance Harvey is incredibly uncomfortable. Dustin Hoffman plays Harvey, a loser who's ignored and pushed aside at work and by his family... read more, but he's a loser you can't root for or empathize with since he's so bitter and obnoxious. You even start to wonder if the world is just punishing him for his terrible attitude.

    But director and writer Joel Hopkins is a clever guy. As soon as Emma Thompson enters the picture (literally), everything changes. The mood's lighter, funnier, warmer. That's certainly a nice touch that mirrors all that Harvey feels upon meeting Kate.

    Last Chance Harvey also has a fantastic script and two incredible actors in the lead roles. Thompson is such an illuminating presence. I am a little biased, though; she reminds me of my mother. Hoffman's wedding speech is one of the most touching scenes I've seen in a long time. Eileen Atkins and Bronagh Gallagher are great in bit parts that offer comic relief.
  • SirPant
    January 4, 2011
    SirPant
    At times it does start to feel like Last Chance Harvey is going to go over well charted territory and straight into cliche but it just manages to pull itself away. That and the fact its two main stars are Dustin Hoffman & Emma Thompson make it an instantly likable film. Likable b... read moreut not amazing. I did find myself screaming at the TV a couple of times but it was mainly down to the terrible continuity. As they are walking along the river, they keep doubling back, one step forward, 50 steps back, surely even someone who is unfamiliar with London can see that, oh and Paddington station to the Southbank on foot does not take 5 minutes!!!! Rant over, this is a very sweet film that is worth checking out.
  • MovieGeek13
    August 22, 2010
    MovieGeek13
    Stories like this can only play out in the movies. A man goes through a life changing experience, finds love, and rights all his wrongs in the span of a few days. The plot contrivances are aplenty. But the movie isn't so bad, because Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson give two w... read moreonderful performances that only they could give. Before Sunrise this isn't, but it's a nice, sweet, harmlessly feel good movie that's as pleasant as afternoon tea.
  • FiLmCrAzY
    July 9, 2010
    FiLmCrAzY
    I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, it was refreshing to see a romantic comedy that was actually funny and an older maturer but gorgeous leading actors!
    This movie is sweet, cute, heartwarming and a feel good movie that i just loved and couldnt fault!
    Both unlucky in love they com... read moree together and make the perfect and wonderful friendship/ relationship possible!
    It has a great spporting cast with a load of fimilar faces turning up!
    I really enoyed this movie and would recommend it!
  • imrealgod
    June 30, 2010
    imrealgod
    Would a woman (apparently in her thirties or forties) find it okay if a stranger (who is a father of a daughter who is getting married) tries to be pushy & nosy? Would she feel it okay if he follows her around? Would she easily grant him the permission to let him walk her to her ... read moreclasses (at the most, she says, "I might get the wrong impression.")? Wouldn't she mind if he insists on waiting outside till her classes are over? Is it possible that she agrees to join a stranger whom she's just met to her daughter's reception party?

    Come to think of all these, it's all more or less possible. After all, it's a strange world we live in!!! However, I simply found it all hard to believe the way it's all presented in the movie. For once, I couldn't get over the fact that it's a work of fiction & everything isn't supposed to be quite logical. And such things usually happen with me when the movie fails somewhere to hold my interest & isn't working for me. Besides, Harvey's character is developed in a way that I could care less if his daughter thinks less of him or if he loses his job (well, what do you expect if you constantly keep getting on your senior's nerves??) or gets ditched by his new-found love.

    Performances were great, especially Emma Thompson's, but the screenplay lacked meat enough to satisfy my requirements for an above-average entertaining fare.
  • dreamfaeries
    May 5, 2010
    dreamfaeries
    Totally cute.
  • paulsandberg
    December 16, 2009
    paulsandberg
    A simple, cliche film that rises above its material by finding a voice and staying within that voice, aided by the two leads who, quite frankly, were the only reasons for my wanting to view it in the first place.

    Hoffman and Thompson fail to dissapoint. Emma has this incredib... read morele knack to "be" in just about any role thrown at her - she's just so natural that it doesn't seem like acting at all.

    There is good chemistry between she and Hoffman, all the stutters and stops, uncertainties and bewilderment can be maddening; but it is oh so real. Like the blind date scene where there simply isn't a connection and Emma has nothing really to say, so she just smiles her enigmatic smile, withdrawing into herself as her date interacts with some chums. This scene is a nice comparrison to the later scenes with Hoffman that start out at a guarded pitch, but then soon thaw to a lyric and rhythm where it's obvious that they connect.

    What keeps this film from really soaring are the reliance on contrivence and cliche - the "meet me here tommorrow at noon", while lovely, has been just about done to death - not that this film doesn't do an admirable job in its execution. That and the Marriott having BOTH elevators non functioning at the same time, forcing Hoffman to use the stairs where his arhythmia kicks in, forcing him to miss his rendevous, is just too convienient.

    That aside, when the two are on screen together, the film sizzles with possibilities and makes you truly want to root for them to work things out.

    The tag ending as the credit rolls is very cute as well, tying in the marginal side story of Emmma's mother into a reflection of her own process of stepping out of her shell to take a chance on love and life.
  • LWOODS04
    December 2, 2009
    LWOODS04
    Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Eileen Atkins

    New Yorker Harvey Shine is on the verge of losing his dead-end job as a jingle writer. Warned by his boss that he has just one more chance to deliver, Harvey goes to London for a weekend to attend his daughter's wedding but promise... read mores to be back on Monday morning to make an important meeting--or else. Harvey arrives in London only to learn his daughter has chosen to have her stepfather walk her down the aisle instead of him. Doing his best to hide his devastation, he leaves the wedding before the reception in hopes of getting to the airport on time, but misses his plane anyway. When he calls his boss to explain, he is fired on the spot. Drowning his sorrows at the airport bar, Harvey strikes up a conversation with Kate, a slightly prickly, 40-something employee of the Office of National Statistics. Kate, whose life is limited to work, the occasional humiliating blind date and endless phone calls from her smothering mother, is touched by Harvey, who finds himself energized by her intelligence and compassion. The growing connection between the pair inspires both as they unexpectedly transform one another's lives.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Cute movie. Just shows you that you can find love at any age. Never to old to fall in love. Thought Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson had great chemistry. A great love story.

View All Last Chance Harvey Reviews

Critic Reviews

Peter Rainer
January 26, 2009
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

All this gloomy masochism is made palatable because of the performers. And yet we must ask: Is this any way to show off two of our finest actors? Full Review

Ben Mankiewicz
January 20, 2009
Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies

These two actors are so strong that in the end we are left with a sweet and a tender movie. Full Review

Ben Lyons
January 20, 2009
Ben Lyons, At the Movies

Sure, it's predictable at times, and maybe even a little sappy, but overall it's a sweet movie about genuine human emotion. Full Review

Linda Barnard
January 16, 2009
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star

Watching Hoffman and Thompson tentatively discover each other is joyously tender. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
January 16, 2009
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

What's in it for Emma? And the answer is ... not much. Full Review

Betsy Sharkey
January 16, 2009
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times

Just about everything works in this small and surprisingly hopeful film, with beautifully attenuated performances by Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, who slip into the characters Hopkins has sewn for... Full Review

Liam Lacey
January 16, 2009
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

You can't take a script flimsy enough for a Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey vehicle and expect a couple of real thoroughbreds like Thompson and Hoffman not to shred it to pieces. Full Review

Tom Long
January 16, 2009
Tom Long, Detroit News

A lightweight romance for the senior crowd, Last Chance Harvey does nothing in particular, but it does it fairly well thanks to stars Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. Full Review

J. R. Jones
January 16, 2009
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

Writer-director Joel Hopkins resorts to a fair amount of contrivance to stress their sadness, and the story dutifully follows the standard boy-meets-girl arc, though in this case the boy is a little t... Full Review

Ty Burr
January 16, 2009
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

There are moments to treasure, but they're small and delicately crafted -- actors' moments. Full Review

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