FILMS

'Harvey' makes last chance count

Reviewed by Rebecca Bostic | February 3, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

Harvey Shine has one last shot at redemption, and he almost blows it.

Harvey, played by Dustin Hoffman in “Last Chance Harvey” (Overture), is an American musician who settled for writing jingles at a young age because he did not believe he was talented enough to be a jazz pianist.

Kate Baker, played by Emma Thompson, is a middle-aged woman stuck in a thankless job at Heathrow Airport. The marriage of Harvey’s daughter brings him to London.

Circumstances continually bring the two together. Their friendship predictably blossoms into a deeper affection, but, shockingly, not a sexual one.

That is not to say the characters do not have romantic feelings for one another — they do. But the director does not feel the need to include a sex scene to prove they are connecting intimately.

The film unfolds as Harvey and Kate walk through London, chatting. Both characters are stuck in a stereotypical mid-life rut and confess painful events from the past.

Harvey has a damaged relationship with his daughter and former wife. Kate had an abortion as a young woman and still wonders what the child may have been like. While these things happened decades ago, it is clear that these wounds — which they tried to ignore — are still fresh.

Harvey and Kate act as pseudo-confessors for each other. Their admission of sin and search for forgiveness moves them from a dead existence into a joyful life.

“Last Chance Harvey” is funny, well-acted and morally impressive, albeit not perfectly so. It is rare that a movie with such a genuine spirit of love and hope comes along. It was beginning to look like such films had missed their chance.

Still, the film is not incredibly quick or witty — it is sweet and simple. It is not a feat of filmmaking. The premise is farfetched, predictable and cliché.

Were it not for Hoffman and Thompson, it could have quickly disintegrated. Yet the simple honesty that permeates every scene makes it a refreshing change of pace.

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Media critic Rebecca Bostic is a regular contributor to The Catholic Sun. Comments are welcome. Send e-mail to letters@catholicsun.org.