| Rating: | ★★★★ |
| Category: | Movies |
| Genre: | Romantic Comedy |
One of the more enjoyable romantic comedies I've seen in quite a while, "Last Chance Harvey" is worth a look unless you really dislike one or both performers--really, really a lot.
It features the very smart and pretty Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman as two people out-of-sorts in their romantic and professional lives who keep bumping into each other through fate or kismet or script necessity. He's a television commerical jingle writer who always wanted to be a jazz pianist but wasn't quite good enough. And Thompson plays a lady named Kate who's got a boring job at Heathrow Airport surveying opinions for some research company who'd really rather be in Spain writing her novel. (Well, who wouldn't?) He's got a daughter getting married who makes him feel like a fifth wheel, and she just had a blind date with the most inconsiderate man in London.
There is definite chemistry between these two performers and, despite a pronounced age difference, they come emotionally and intellectually well-matched as a couple. The movie gives us lots of time to spend with each actor before their characters meet up and start dancing about seeing if they might have at least a brief good time together. No, it's not "Brief Encounter" and all, but its an engaging film about mature people who aren't neurotic or goofy for the sake of one-liners, but actually seem like real people. A nice 100 minutes at your local cinema as far as I'm concerned.
PS--They do pretty well together in interviews,too. (see below)
Well thanks for this Doug. I really like the sound of "an engaging film about mature people who aren't neurotic or goofy for the sake of one-liners, but actually seem like real people" - be a nice change from some of the ghastly pap we get served up so often.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Iri Ani. It's a minefield of mediocrity at the local cinemas a lot of the time. I'd like to see something not about the secret life of superheroes (down-scale) or a terribly serious War and Holocaust sort of thing (upscale?) now and again, and this was a lift from that.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good film Doug, I actually like both of these actors, although I haven't been to a cinema for years. Kate's job does sound incredibly boring, but Dustin Hoffman's character doesn't seem to have a job so much as a curse, jingle writing must be one of the most soul destroying occupations on earth. Being under pressure to produce such mediocrity to a tight deadline sounds like the antithesis of creativity and to be reminded of this every 20 minutes must make TV viewing even more hellish than it frequently is for the general population.
ReplyDeleteThanks for drawing our attention to a film that actually seems worth watching.
One film with Hoffman in that I remember enjoying at the time was 'John and Mary' with Mia Farrow which may not be one of their most acclaimed performances, but I really liked the way their thoughts were narrated throughout.
For some reason your review of 'Last Chance Harvey' reminded me of that film which I saw about 35 years ago I think, so it must have made an impression on me.
I love both Emma and Dustin...can't wait to see the movie!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite couples movie is Harold and Maud....priceless!
ReplyDeleteInteresting coincidence AA--while watching this relatively quiet romantic film, I was also reminded of seeing "John and Mary", now a distant memory from decades back packed into the jumbled memory receptors of my brain. Now I'd like to see that one again if only for curiosity's sake.
ReplyDeleteHave to agree about Harvey's career--to have just enough talent at the piano to write dreck for television and realize that you can't make a living in jazz would be a sentence, not a career.
"H &M" is a very good pick Roolee. That was one of those little offbeat films from the early Seventies that stayed around as the second part of a double feature for years...saw it quite a few times. Very offbeat and inspired movie.
ReplyDeleteLet me know what you think when you do.
ReplyDeleteI miss Ruth Gordon.
ReplyDeleteShe was quite a character indeed.
ReplyDeleteIt's not my usual thing Doug, but it looks interesting. Thank you for posting the video. I'll keep my eyes open for it.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's why I posted on this one, Cassandra. It's not the usual Hollywood "It's-All-About-Love-Love-Love" Movie.
ReplyDeleteI think some people who shy away from movies that aren't grounded in other parts of life BESIDES romantic complications might like this.