Director: Joel Hopkins
Production Company: Overture Films
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Kathy Baker, James Brolin, Eileen Atkins, Richard Schiff, Liane Balaban
Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language
By Gregg Tubbs
Do you believe in second chances? What if you’re down to your last chance? Last Chance Harvey is a sweet and tender look at a man who has spent his life poorly and is trying to make amends, rebuild burnt bridges, and perhaps find love in the process. In a slight but satisfying script tailor-made for its two stars, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson sparkle as two lost souls unexpectedly caught up in a transatlantic, May-December romance. Both come with a lifetime of baggage and regrets, but both are tempted, despite the odds, to give love—and themselves—one last chance.
Last Chance Harvey is not a big film, which is a good thing. It’s human-scaled movie, filled with characters and situations most of us can relate to—a wedding, an air flight, a chance meeting, a cab ride. These are the kind of real-life, often mundane experiences that make up our lives. And as we see in Harvey, unexpected and life-changing experiences can happen to us even in the most mundane of circumstances.
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Last Chance Harvey is a sweet and tender look at the life of a man named Harvey Shine (Dustin Hoffman) who has spent his life poorly and is trying to make amends. Copyright © 2008 Overture Films.
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Dustin Hoffman plays an aging commercial jingle writer named Harvey Shine. Although he’s named Shine, it’s clear from the start that his life has lost its luster and is filled with loss. Harvey is trying to hold on to his job and has recently gone through a bitter divorce. Even his daughter has decided that she’d rather have her stepfather give her away at her wedding in London. But along comes one of those mundane events—a chance meeting at an airport—that presents Harvey with one last opportunity to turn his life around. Emma Thompson plays Kate, a 40-something English woman, who in her own way, is like Harvey. She is still single, caught in a blasé job and has essentially resigned herself to a life of diminishing possibilities. Through a twist of fate, Emma and Harvey’s paths cross, not once, but twice. The two strike up a halting friendship that unexpectedly hints at something more.
Thompson and Hoffman actually came to star in this charming tale because of an earlier brief encounter. Both starred in the fantasy/comedy Stranger than Fiction in 2006, though they only shared one scene together. They enjoyed working together so much that they vowed to star in a film together. When the script for Harvey came up, Thompson signed on under the condition that the lead role would be tailored as a starring role for Hoffman. Their chemistry and mutual affection comes across on screen, making this May/December romance unforced and believable.
Last Chance Harvey is, of course, a love story, but it’s a special type of love story. The film explores the healing power of love and how the prospect of falling in love—even when your life is falling apart—can make you believe anything is possible. Harvey is very much a film about possibilities, about the chance that something magical could be waiting around the corner. This late-life romance also shows that it’s never too late to fall in love, to turn your life around and make amends.
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Dustin Hoffman (Harvey) and Emma Thompson (Kate) sparkle as two lost souls unexpectedly caught up in a transatlantic, May-December romance.
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Making amends is an important message in the film. When we first meet Harvey, he seems to be an affable, slightly neglected, divorced dad—essentially the victim of bad timing and bad breaks. Later we learn that Harvey has brought many of his troubles on himself. A daydreamer who always aspired to being a jazz pianist, he eventually loses his jingle-writing job through lack of interest. Paradoxically, he loses his wife and daughter because he spent too much time at work—even leaving his daughter’s wedding in London early to return to work in New York. We also learn that Harvey has been a bit of a drinker in the past.
Harvey learns an important and universal lesson: to change his life, he must change himself. He must face the fact that his priorities have been askew, that he has neglected the most important things. For him, the solution is clear: repent and change. In a marvelous scene at the wedding, Harvey confesses his failings and vows to become the father he always should have been. He even acknowledges that in many ways, his ex-wife’s husband has been a better father to his own daughter than he has. Confession for him is hard, but with it comes healing and redemption.
Last Chance Harvey may leave you with a lump in your throat, but it’s honest and well–earned. While the story may be small, it’s got a big heart and some big stars filling the screen with warmth and style.
Study Questions
- Why do you think the film was called Last Chance Harvey? In what ways was Harvey down to his last chance?
- Have you ever felt that you were running out of chances, like Harvey? If so, what did you do? Do you believe you can always turn to God?
- Do you believe people always have another chance? How many chances do you think God offers us?
- What role does forgiveness play in the film? Was Harvey in need of forgiveness? For what? Who needed to forgive him?
- What does the Bible teach us about forgiveness? How many times does Jesus say we should forgive others and why? (See Matt. 18:20-22.)
- How important was it for Harvey to be forgiven, change his ways and redeem his misspent life? Again, what does Jesus say? (See Luke 17:2-4.).
- To what extend did Harvey bring his problems on himself? How were his priorities askew? Have you ever had to adjust your priorities?
- Do you think this film is a story about redemption? For Harvey, what does redemption mean?
- Why did Harvey’s daughter decide not to ask Harvey to give her away at her wedding? Did she originally intend to ask her stepfather or did Harvey do something to change her mind?
- Can you think of a time someone gave you another chance that changed your life? Have you ever done that for someone else?
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