DUSTIN HOFFMAN - MOVIE REVIEWS LAST CHANCE HARVEY

MOVIE REVIEWS LAST CHANCE HARVEY

It's all about the performers, Manohla Dargis suggests in her review of Joel Hopkins's Last Chance Harvey , which opened in six theaters over the weekend in order to qualify for Oscar consideration. The performers in this case are the formidable Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. "Seduced by its two wily leads, I reluctantly gave in to this imperfect movie, despite the cornball dialogue, pedestrian filmmaking, [and] some wincing physical comedy," she writes. Likewise Joe Morgenstern in the Wall Street Journal remarks that the movie offers "a good chance to see two superb actors having their way with wafer-thin material." Elizabeth Weitzman in the New York Daily News had exactly the same reaction, saying, "This mundane romantic comedy is notable for one reason only its leading couple." Rafer Guzmán in the New York Daily News describes it as "a feel-good film that feels too good for its own good." But Richard Schickel in Time magazine says that he was left wondering "why these pleasant actors bothered to make this film and, worse, why we're bothering to see it." Nevertheless, Lou Lumenick in the New York Post calls the movie "slight but utterly charming" and observes that it showcases "two accomplished actors who rarely get to play lead roles anymore."

29/12/2008