Last Chance Harvey

Finally saw this film. I loved Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson in Stranger Than Fiction even though they had very little screen time together. There was something about their chemistry that made me want the film to suddenly revolve around them. Last Chance Harvey should then be the film where the two of them fulfill what was hinted at in STF, but it didn't quite work for me. I really liked the film but the subplot points that bring them together kept interrupting the flow of the romance. The clunky subplot about Emma's Mom being nosy about her neighbor and Dustin's subplot of his job being jeopardy and him being left out of or having left his daughter's life were annoying and failed to simply be a backdrop to the romance. When the two of them were left to get to know each other and share screen time the film really came to life. I enjoyed the scenes as they walked around London especially on the South Bank. According to the extras on the DVD the two did a lot of improvisation which may be where my problem was.... they get to free form and create a lovely film inside another film that is heavily scripted and heavy handed. Hope I get to see them work together in another vehicle somewhere down the road.
Memorable moment: Harvey trying to take a shortcut through a zen garden.