At the Movies: Last Chance Harvey

I'll keep this review brief, since I'm lazy.

Last Chance Harvey is a charming little diversion from your typical rom-com. I don't know how this movie was lucky enough to score such wonderful talents as Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, but it did. I think the great casting choice elevates what is otherwise an average movie.

Basically the plot is thus: Dustin Hoffman plays a down-on-his-luck, washed up, jingle writer. His boss gives him one last chance to prove himself. Meanwhile, he goes to London for his daughter's wedding. However, he's such a loser (presumably) and a failure at life that his daughter would rather have her stepfather walk her down the aisle than him. Directly after this, he desperately tries to catch his plane back to New York to save his job. He doesn't. So, loveable loser Harvey sits in an airport bar, contemplating his sucky life, when he meets Kate (Emma Thompson), a shy, lonely, single lady eating alone and reading a trashy novel. He strikes up a conversation with her and a cautious, but adoreable romance begins. I would say sparks fly, but in a slow, cozy movie such as this, it's more like a pleasant simmer. Anyhoo, during a 24-hour period the two meet cute, fall in love, and change each others lives forever. It's sort of like Before Sunrise. Only with old people.

I will say this - while this movie is cute and very pleasant, it benefits very heavily from the talents of Hoffman and Thompson. They've both proven to be great actors and make this movie something much better than it has a right to be. However, one thing did bug me...and that was the fact that a lot of Harvey's behavior, while cute in movie form, would be incredibly creepy in real life (he basically follows this woman around relentlessly until she caves in to his endless "charm"), but hey...that's the story with pretty much any romantic comedy. And it teaches the important lesson that you can find love. Even when you're old. Also, don't be racist against your Polish neighbor.

Grade: B+