FamilyFans Movies

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LAST CHANCE HARVEY (PG-13)

Plot Summary: Two lonely people find comfort and acceptance in their new friendship.

Reason for the Rating: Brief strong language.

Last Chance Harvey is a movie of contradictions. It’s uncomfortable, yet comforting. You’ll feel like crying, but find yourself laughing. It’s hopelessness turning to hope. And it’s letting go of the familiar to grasp the unfamiliar.

Harvey Shine (Dustin Hoffman) is experiencing the worst of life. After traveling to London for his daughter’s wedding, he is not only fired from his job, but shunned by his family in ways that are wounding and humiliating. As his ex-wife celebrates the occasion with her new husband, Brian (James Brolin), his daughter, Susan (Liane Balaban), painfully informs Harvey that she has chosen Brian to walk her down the aisle. Brian seems to have replaced Harvey as the father of the bride not only in ceremony, but in emotion as well. Harvey is crushed.

Cut to Kate Walker (Emma Thompson), a middle-aged single woman whose mother calls incessantly. In the middle of a crowded room she feels lonely and rejected. Life consists of work, her mother, and occasionally being set up on a bad blind date. Not so much fun.

In the midst of their mutual loneliness, Harvey and Kate happen to meet at the airport…he drowning his sorrows over his family and job, while she dives into a trashy novel. After a bit of verbal sparring, the two have lunch and find they enjoy each others company. But let’s have a reality check…they ARE in the airport, he leaving for the US and she staying in London. That’s when Harvey makes the first great decision of the movie…to stay in London and spend the day with Kate (he did, after all, lose his job, and has nothing to return to). The awkward part is that he doesn’t specifically tell Kate about his decision. He just kind of follows her around, asking to be a participant in each part of her day (“Can I walk you to class?”, “Can I walk you home?”, “Would you like to have dinner?”).

Harvey is attracted to Kate’s honesty and openness. She tells it like she sees it, and she accepts Harvey as he is, for who he is. That is the beauty of this story. Kate and Harvey aren’t the beautiful, put-together people we normally see in romantic comedies (Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Luke Wilson, Richard Gere), but they are like you and me. Rumpled, hair falling out of a ponytail, dressed in polyester, and doing the best we can. They have been hurt by others and put up walls to protect their hearts from additional pain. They are seeking unconditional acceptance and love. Which makes these characters familiar and likeable. They draw us in because we know who they are.

There is a scene that I found most interesting in Last Chance Harvey. At one point Kate reveals to Harvey that she had an abortion when she was younger, and how she still thinks of the child…what would he be like had he been born? Typically if a movie discusses a hot topic in any way, we know about it before its release (Bella, Amazing Grace). The way Kate revealed her secret was so like real life. Sin and bad decisions aren’t something we wear on our sleeves for all to see, like in The Scarlet Letter. Rather, we quietly reveal them to people we choose to trust. And when you are on the receiving end of that, sometimes you don’t see it coming, which makes it that much sweeter. In this movie, the audience has no idea Kate is going to reveal such a deep hurt, and we are touched and moved by her honesty.

This is one of those movies that has everything going for it, and holds nothing back. It’s a romantic comedy, but certainly not typical. It’s predictable, but holds surprises along the way. It will bring you to the point of tears, but leave you with a smile on your face. It’s a movie you will want to see.

FAMILYFANS RECOMMENDS:

“Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and…” go see Last Chance Harvey for a bit of hope and some laughs.

AFTER THE SHOW: 

• Do you have a friend with whom you can be truly honest? Tell about that person and what makes him/her so special.

• Harvey was in a “last chance” situation with his daughter. What could he have done to avoid this? Is there anyone you need to reconcile with?

JW

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