by Wendy R.

Created on: March 16, 2009   Last Updated: March 17, 2009

This Christmas 2008 movie release is an enjoyable movie which is very family friendly. It is also a movie with older stars in major roles and is a well done departure from most of the current love stories out there. Dustin Hoffman plays Harvey Shine a man from New York who writes jingles for a living. He is on his way to London for his daughter's (Liane Balaban) wedding. Harvey is warned by his boss, that he may lose his job, if he doesn't work up to par for his current project. If he doesn't want to lose his job he also has to come back from London the very next day. Harvey decides that his daughter's wedding is more important and does not turn back.

When Harvey arrives in London, he is saddened to find out that his daughter has chosen her step father (James Brolin) to give her away at her wedding. When Harvey finds this out he decides to leave the wedding before the reception and calls his boss to tell him he is coming home. However, his boss tells him he is fired anyway. Even more upset, Harvey decides to drown his sorrows in the airport bar. While in the bar, Harvey meets Kate (Emma Thompson), a woman in her 40s who is single and is continually being set up on blind dates and being phoned by her smothering mother. Harvey and Kate speak of their equally bad day and soon find each other comforting and interesting.

They start to spend a lot of time walking and talking and end up going to Harvey's daughter's reception together. They soon discover that they help transform each others lives. Eventually, Harvey's boss calls him back to tell him that they really need him back at his old job. Harvey tells his former boss that he is not coming back and may be staying in London. He and Kate agree that they don't know where their relationship is headed, but Harvey says that he will not hurt her the way she has been hurt in the past, and that he is not going anywhere. They agree to give their relationship a chance. I truly enjoyed this movie, and Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson were the reason why. They were well matched and seemed to be enjoying their parts immensely (good acting?). The movie was fast paced and the premise was believable. It was also nice to see a movie out that was geared for the over 40 crowd. I would highly recommend it for those who like the Hoffman and Thompson, as their comedic timing and repartee is perfect. Last Chance Harvey is a top-notch movie whose two stars make up for any shortcomings the movie may have.

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