Review of Last Chance Harvey (2008) by Christie B — 10 Nov 2010

Dustin Hoffman is aging Harvey Shine, musician and jingle composer who is in danger of losing his job. His daughter and fiancée, who are working in London, decide to get married there so he needs to attend her wedding on the Saturday and be back for a meeting in New York. He arrives to find that his daughter has decided to let her step father 'give her away'. Harvey is devastated and decides to leave after the wedding in order to be back for the meeting in plenty of time but he misses his flight thus turning his bad weekend into a disaster. It gets worse when he is told not to bother returning for the meeting as he has now lost his job. His life takes a radical turn for the better when he meets Kate (Emma Thompson). Despite their age difference they soon strike up an awkward rapport and she accompanies him back to the wedding reception he avoided.

What saves this film from instantly forgettable territory is the small twist the writers added to the story: both characters are troubled by issues real people can relate to and the need for love is a universal desire.