A gentle love story starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. I haven’t seen Dustin Hoffman in a while in a character movie, so this was refreshing.

Dustin plays Harvey, a failed pianist who makes his living composing and playing scores for commercials. And he is apparently failing at that, too. He loses his job. His only daughter is getting married in London. The daughter lets him know at the wedding that she would rather her stepfather give her away at the wedding. Everything about the wedding is awkward for Harvey. The man is seriously down on his luck.

At the airport, he meets a Kate, a woman who conducts interviews of passerbys. He dismisses her rudely when he first meets her, but later notices her in a bar when waiting for a plane. And thus develops a tender relationship of two lost souls who both seem to have nowhere else to go.

We watch the story and enjoy it, even though it is predictable and some parts of the movie are trying to be funny but really are not. Dustin Hoffman’s superb skills make it happen though, and we remain entertained and captivated.

At the end, we feel good when the credits come up. Down on his luck, and up in his spirit, Last Chance Harvey walks off along a path in the park.

Rating: ***