Oscar Schmidt
Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley
Last Chance Harvey – 2 Stars – Average
Is it possible that the two leads to be nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress Golden Globe Awards, and yet his masterpiece is average at best?
Yes it is, especially if your prospects are Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, and writer / director of the film is Joel Hopkins. Then you have the ingredients of "Last Chance Harvey". This movie is too dark and depressing to be a romantic comedy, which feeds on energy more negative than positive.
Last Chance Harvey is not wrong. Harvey Shine (Dustin Hoffman) is a person concerned who is not comfortable being close and almost friendly. Most of his time is devoted to lament his condition in life. His wife left him years ago. His dream job was being a jazz pianist, but he settled for a job as a jingle writer for an advertising company in Manhattan that is about to complete its relationship of younger talent.
His wife remarried, and her daughter is closer to his stepfather he. Harvey has made a career of being absent by choice. Now he travels to London for the wedding of his daughter and gets a cold reception from his ex and all that counts. It becomes a disaster at the rehearsal dinner, can not wait to leave London, and reported that her daughter will not attend the wedding reception.
Unfortunately for Harvey, are caught in a traffic jam, loses its flight and delay that has been dismissed.
He finds solace in a bar after forcing himself to Kate Walker (Emma Thompson), an institution research that has never been married and is now a question of becoming an old maid. Long story short, these two losers find themselves just enough to tolerate together.
In Soon, Kate is convinced Harvey to attend the wedding reception of his daughter and he agrees as long as it accompanies. Long story even shorter, which almost have a great time at the reception and agree to meet at noon the next day. Is this scenario sounds familiar, just think "An Affair to Remember".
Harvey, of course, does not make the appointment because the elevator is broken in his hotel, he runs upstairs, has a seizure of arrhythmia and goes to the hospital. Kate hopes fairly and is crushed when Harvey no show like a cheesy teen young age. It never occurs to him that Harvey could have been hit by a truck on their way to meet her, she assumes the worst because the paltry results is like walking into quicksand. What does all the work in the end? What you think? This is why we see the film, as it is.
There is action that makes a movie Last Chance Harvey on average, is the writer / director Joel Hopkins. Trust me when I say that Hopkins did his best to make this film winning an artistic and financial. In the end, it becomes neither.
Last Chance Harvey reminds me of a Jack Nicholson movie called "About Schmidt", which is simply terrible.
As a film fan and film critic, I am in the ratio images, human dynamics and psychology of living and existing. Both Harvey and Kate as characters are written as people out there, moaning and complain instead of choosing to live a better life. It's a good thing that they found each other, because the company does not love misery.
Harvey is not just nice as a character, and Kate is not much better.
Last Chance Harvey made 14 million U.S. dollars at the box office, just a boisterous success. Besides the two Globe nominations Gold for Hoffman and Thompson (not won), award-givers avoid this film like the plague.
Hopkins has no experience as a writer or a director, and has courted the failure to try to become both the writer and director. I'm sure his ego is not given much choice in the matter. For every candidate who thinks they can do great films as director and writer, there are at least 10 more that fail miserably.
Workplace by Joel Hopkins is learning how to be a good storyteller. Hopkins should consider "Waking Ned Devine" by Kirk Jones and "Secondhand Lions" by Tim McCanlies. Both Jones and McCanlies are at the top of my list great writer, directors, and none of them had experienced when his talent was obvious.
Waking Ned Devine was the first effort as a writer Kirk Jones / director, and Secondhand Lions was sophomore effort Tim McCanlies' as a writer / director. If I had millions of dollars to invest, I would fund both Jones and McCanlies, out of the way, and watch the magic happen on the big screen.
In all likelihood, Hopkins has more talent than we saw, he just has to continue improving and hone his craft. And here's a postscript to begin with, never the name of a character in a depressing film Shine Harvey because Harvey is anything but shine, and we are reminded the field throughout the entire movie.
About the Author:
Read more of my movie reviews on films with a lot of substance, depth and feeling, including:
“A Christmas Story” – “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” – “Secondhand Lions” – “The Chorus (Les Choristes in French)” – “Waking Ned Devine” – “Chariots of Fire” – “Steel Magnolias” – “Chocolat” and “Radio”
These are all excellent films.
Find my movie reviews at:
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/MovieReviews.html
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Movie Review – “Last Chance Harvey” Gets Quality Acting, But Suffers From Writer/Director’s Effort
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