Review: Stars' Chance On 'Harvey' Pays Off

'Last Chance Harvey' (PG-13)(out of four)

"Last Chance Harvey" is just what you'd expect from a film that pairs Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson as two aging baby boomers who are looking for a second chance in life.

Of course, they don't know they'll find a second chance, and aren't really actively looking. Harvey (Hoffman) is a failed jazz pianist turned jingle writer whose original music for products such as OxiClean just isn't cutting it in the digital world. He's got a last chance to prove that he can keep up with the rest of the hot shots on Madison Avenue, otherwise he's out.

Meanwhile, the guilt of the distance he created during his marriage, which ended in divorce, now has him trying to bond with his daughter. He'll fly to London to see her get married despite the presence of his ex wife (Kathy Baker) and her second husband (James Brolin).

Across the pond is Kate, whose mother's bout with cancer has left her clinging to her daughter like an old cardigan. The fortysomething singleton has already established in her mind that her life is going to be an endless circle of uninteresting blind dates and daily snubs from weary travelers at the airport where she takes surveys for the Office of National Statistics.

For the first part of the film, moviegoers get to know each of the characters' nuances. What makes them feel hopeless (Kate's blind date turns into a three or more's a crowd bar party) and what makes them feel even more hopeless (Harvey's arrival at a crummy London hotel while the rest of the wedding guests are being harbored at a house rented by his ex wife).

Written and directed by Joel Hopkins ("Jump Tomorrow"), the beauty of this film is more in the casting than the story. Each player makes you feel their vulnerability without going over the top and it's all seemingly effortless. Hoffman and Thompson shine when on screen together, but even before they connect, there's a spark on the big screen.

Hopkins makes many right choices in his story, however. He avoids giving us what is expected when two down and out characters come together. Rather than have life become a bowl of cherries after they meet, Hopkins' script maintains the characters' trials and tribulations. The pair continues to go through the same discomforts of their lives that were present before their chance meeting. Harvey still grapples with the devastating news that his daughter is going to be walked down the aisle by her stepfather, and Kate is still chained to her mother by a constantly ringing cell phone. Life doesn't always completely turn around because of a chance encounter like we've seen in so many movies.

Hoffman and Thompson have appeared on screen together previously in a few scenes in "Stranger Than Fiction." We caught a glimpse of the chemistry there, but in this film it is infectious. With lesser actors, Hopkins' sometimes too talky script would have sunk under its own weight, but with these acting vets, each word is made necessary and purposeful.

To take the pressure off of the possibility that we may get oversaturated by these two sad sacks in this modern day boy-meets-girl story, Hopkins gives us a silly subplot that does make for a few good laughs. Kate's mother believes her new neighbor may be a modern-day Jack the Ripper and keeps herself and Kate's phone ringing with updates.

There's plenty to like about the quiet, unassuming movie that, like its characters, deserves a shot. "Last Chance Harvey," though is really a chance to revel in the talents of some superbly gifted actors.