Last Chance Harvey 2008

Ben Lyons, At the Movies: Sure, it's predictable at times, and maybe even a little sappy, but overall it's a sweet movie about genuine human emotion. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: Sort of a Before Sunrise for the sunset years, this quiet romantic comedy takes a cinematic chestnut and somehow infuses it with a sense of rue and regret that makes it seem new. Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: There's something irresistible about watching two people fall in love, even in contrived, sniffle- and sometimes gag-inducing films like Last Chance Harvey. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: Writer-director Joel Hopkins resorts to a fair amount of contrivance to stress their sadness, and the story dutifully follows the standard boy-meets-girl arc, though in this case the boy is a little too old to be chasing women around airports. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: Last Chance Harvey is a good chance to see two superb actors having their way with wafer-thin material. Read more

Nathan Rabin, AV Club: If nothing else, Last Chance Harvey proves that you're never too old to be the subject of a zany trying-on-dresses montage, but considering the prestige of its leads, that's a minor victory at best. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: [Hoffman and Thompson's] talent and experience allow them to make Last Chance Harvey more than it might have been. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: There are moments to treasure, but they're small and delicately crafted -- actors' moments. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: Just about everything works in this small and surprisingly hopeful film, with beautifully attenuated performances by Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, who slip into the characters Hopkins has sewn for them like an old sweater. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: There's not a believable minute in the 92 minutes of Last Chance Harvey, but Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson smooth over most of the problems just by showing up and doing what they do for a living. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: All this gloomy masochism is made palatable because of the performers. And yet we must ask: Is this any way to show off two of our finest actors? Read more

David Germain, Associated Press: Almost inevitably, Hoffman and Thompson are charming. Even they can't turn Hopkins' thin story into a credible tale, though. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: A lightweight romance for the senior crowd, Last Chance Harvey does nothing in particular, but it does it fairly well thanks to stars Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Hoffman and Thompson are each good enough to bring out a glow in the other. Read more

Amy Nicholson, I.E. Weekly: Why is it when these movies star women, they're relegated to Lifetime, but when a man's problems helm the ship, they're immediate Oscar contenders? Read more

Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: Though the story doesn't quite live up to the cast's pedigree, it at least provides the rare pleasure of a blossoming romance between two people older than Kate Hudson or Ryan Reynolds. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: It's a small, sweet, old-fashioned charmer. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: This mundane romantic comedy is notable for one reason only: its leading couple. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: Slight but utterly charming. Read more

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer: Mr. Hoffman, now past 70, and Ms. Thompson, inching toward 50, still retain enough buoyancy to keep the picture afloat. And the rest of the cast kicks in with flawless ensemble support. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: This is as tepid as two-hours-in-the-cup old tea. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Sappy, sentimental and redeemed only by the quiet radiance and fidgety intelligence of its leads, Last Chance Harvey is a fantasy about mopey middle-agers getting a second chance at love. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Last Chance Harvey is a standard-order romantic comedy with a couple of unusual ingredients that make it worthy of notice. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Last Chance Harvey is a tremendously appealing love story surrounded by a movie not worthy of it. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: What's in it for Emma? And the answer is ... not much. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: You can't take a script flimsy enough for a Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey vehicle and expect a couple of real thoroughbreds like Thompson and Hoffman not to shred it to pieces. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: Watching Hoffman and Thompson tentatively discover each other is joyously tender. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: Read more

Tom Huddlestone, Time Out: Nimble dialogue, a brace of insightful moments and a slightly chocolate-box view of our city, lend 'Last Chance Harvey' a warmth and wisdom which outshine the more timeworn elements of the screenplay. Read more

John Anderson, Variety: Stars Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson are so disarmingly charming that even the most treacly moments work an emotional magic. Read more

Aaron Hillis, Village Voice: Besides being old pros who could elevate such schmaltz in their sleep, Hoffman and Thompson have a genuinely sweet chemistry, which is the exact and only reason to seek this one out. Read more