A romance which wins you over thanks to Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson's chemistry but it's a close thing.
Jingle composer Harvey arrives in London for his daughter's wedding but discovers his ex-wife's partner is to escort her down the aisle. Harvey leaves after the ceremony but misses his flight back for an important meeting and is sacked over the phone.
At the airport bar, he notices Kate reading alone and tries to engage her in conversation. She is dissmisive at first but softens when she hears his troubles.
Kate is single, tired of uncomfortable blind dates organized by work colleagues and harrassed by her emotionally needy mother.
Harvey tags along with Kate to her reading class and they flanneur along the South Bank, realising kindred spirits.
Kate pursuades Harvey to return for his daughter's reception which he invites her to...
Love appears when you are not expecting it...
Shelf or charity shop? A contender for the DVD limbo of the plastic storage box. If you are lucky your leading actors have a great chemistry and, luckily for LAST CHANCE HARVEY, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson have it in spades. The film comes alive in their scenes together, also when it concentrates on Emma Thompson's perceptive performance, but Joel Hopkins' direction and script offers no surprises as the cliches whizz by: the testy first meeting, the shopping montages, the dancing montages, the 11 o'clock spanner in the works, and the inevitable race against the clock ending. Eileen Atkins is wasted as Kate's mother, a role that beggars belief. The always-dependable Bronagh Gallagher as Kate's matchmaking colleague stands out from a supporting cast that barely rises above forgettable. Mind you, for a film that relies heavily on London locations, there is only one glaring fail - they walk over Hungerford Bridge and are next seen walking towards it.
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