USAToday
Claudia Puig
Last Chance Harvey is the Before Sunrise for the over-45 set.
Though more sentimental than Richard Linklater's 1995 film, it features a similar plot: Two people meet in a foreign capital and share a deep connection.
Dustin Hoffman plays Harvey Shine, an American who writes music for commercial jingles. Pushing 60, he learns just before leaving for his daughter's wedding in London that his job is on the line.
From the moment he arrives in England, little goes as planned. Things don't go smoothly with his daughter (Liane Balaban), his ex-wife (Kathy Baker) or even his wardrobe, and he misses his flight home.
In the airport, Harvey strikes up a conversation with Kate (Emma Thompson), a prickly but witty Brit who is also the dutiful daughter (perhaps too much so) of an overbearing and needy mother (Eileen Atkins).
We learn, through an effective back-and-forth narrative structure, that Kate and Harvey are lonely, good-hearted, intelligent people who are not easily categorized. Yes, they appear to be unlucky in love, but both hide their wounded hearts.
The film's biggest asset is the pitch-perfect performances of the two stars. They have a gentle rapport that unfolds convincingly after some initial testiness. It takes two consummate actors to make quickly escalating chemistry feel so natural. We find ourselves heartily rooting for them.
Hoffman and Thompson rise above the sometimes obvious story arc, and the result is a surprisingly tender and appealing love story.
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