The Critics: ‘Last Chance Harvey’

The reviews are in for Last Chance Harvey, the travel-infused romance that hits theaters today. Opinions vary on the quality of the film overall, but everyone seems to agree that the efforts from stars Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman are a rare treat.

“Just about everything works in this small and surprisingly hopeful film,” writes Betsy Sharkey in the Los Angeles Times, “with beautifully attenuated performances by Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, who slip into the characters Hopkins has sewn for them like an old sweater.” LA Weekly’s Aaron Hillis agrees—at least in part. “Hoffman and Thompson—despite the 20-plus years between them, and her graceful restraint in contrast to his creepy assertiveness—have a genuinely sweet chemistry,” he writes, “which is the exact and only reason to seek this one out.”

Writing in the New York Times, Manohla Dargis has a similarly mixed verdict: “I reluctantly gave in to this imperfect movie, despite the cornball dialogue, pedestrian filmmaking, some wincing physical comedy and Mr. Hoffman’s habit of trying to win the audience over by simply staring at the camera with a hapless deadpan that says: Look at me, I’m still cute as a button ... I have a habit of falling for Mr. Hoffman’s puppy dog look even if it’s now worn by a grizzled hound, though the actor, a well-practiced thief of scenes and entire movies, obviously takes very good care of himself, even when cast opposite a formidable opponent like Ms. Thompson.”

For my part, I loved watching Hoffman and Thompson sparring their way around London. “Last Chance Harvey” may be predictable at times, but it’s a comfortable—and comforting—predictability, a retelling of the old story about two outsiders who find each other, dressed up by a lovely setting and fine performances by two of the all-time greats.

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