Chicago Business

Issue date: 5/14/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Last Chance Harvey (PG-13) - 3/4 Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image.

Written and directed by Joel Hopkins, Last Chance Harvey stars Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, James Brolin, and Kathy Baker.

Harvey Shine (Hoffman) is just an ordinary guy, though something of a sad-sack. He once had dreams of becoming a jazz pianist, but now finds himself in his mid-sixties, divorced, and writing jingles for television ads. Though successful in his earlier years, Harvey has had a recent string of flops and knows that his future in the jingle business depends on the handling of his last major client. It's Friday, he is meeting with the client on Monday, and his daughter is getting married on Sunday in London, but Harvey is certain he can handle it all. More dubious is his boss, who reminds Harvey as he heads to the airport for his overseas flight that "this is your last chance."

Arriving at Heathrow, Harvey blows by Kate (Thompson), who is working as one of those annoying survey girls at the airport who "just wants to ask for a few minutes of your time." Once at his hotel, Harvey is disappointed when he learns that he is the only family member staying at the hotel. His ex-wife's husband Brian (Brolin), who is charming, outgoing, funny, and downright more popular with everyone else than Harvey, has rented a house for the "in-members" of the family. The wedge between Harvey and his daughter is widened that evening at a welcome dinner; after Harvey receives his third or fourth business call, his daughter swaps his place setting with that of her stepfather, moving Harvey to no-man's land at the far end of the table. When Harvey, explaining that he has to return to the states to prepare for an important meeting, informs his daughter that he must leave after the wedding ceremony and miss the reception, his daughter reciprocates with a decision that she has made regarding the ceremony. You know exactly what she is going to say, but it is nonetheless heartbreaking to imagine what Harvey must be feeling.

When the ghastly London traffic on the day of the wedding causes Harvey to miss his flight, he holes up in one of Heathrow's coffee shops to pass the time until his next-day flight and soon spots Kate. Recalling his rudeness toward her a few days prior, he apologizes and attempts to strike up a conversation with her. Though unreceptive at first, Kate soon warms to Harvey. The pair just clicks, so much so that when Kate's shift is over and Harvey asks whether he can spend the afternoon in her company, she agrees. The two spend the next few hours strolling through the narrow streets of London, sharing laughs as though they were the oldest of friends. Each recognizes the signs of suffering in the other's eyes, and the mere act of listening and offering a shoulder to lean on unwittingly reaffirms the other's sense of self-worth and purpose. A glimmer emerges in Kate's and Harvey's eyes that, while we have only known them for three days, we are sure was not there before. The answer as to whether this renewed contentment will last unfolds as the afternoon evolves into evening and then dawn, and the pair's time together draws to a close.

Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson are unquestionably two of the finest living actors, each with several notable roles and awards under their belts. Last Chance Harvey is the first time that the two have shared the screen, and you could not have asked for better chemistry. The two veteran actors complement each other perfectly, and their performances definitely lift this otherwise run-of-the-mill love story. Hoffman tends to chose character roles (think Rain Main and Runaway Jury), and while he was excellent in these any nearly every other film in which he has played, it was refreshing to see him play just your average Joe. Though neither Hoffman nor Thompson received an Oscar nod for their role in Harvey, I am confident that each with have a couple more shots at Oscar before their amazing acting careers draw to a close.

* Author's note: if you are a fan of Emma Thompson's character-driven roles, you should check out Wit, available on NetFlix. This Showtime channel original movie was one of the finest of 2001 and ranks as my favorite performance by Thompson to date.


The Manchurian Candidate (1962) (PG-13) - 3.5/4 Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image.

Directed by John Frankenheimer and based on the novel by Richard Condon, The Manchurian Candidate stars Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury, and Janet Leigh.

It's refreshing for me to take a break once in a while from the latest Hollywood blockbusters and knock out some of the old classics that are on my must-see list. My TiVo gets a pretty good workout recording movies on TCM, Turner Classic Movies. Airing commercial-free, unedited classics 24 hours a day, TCM has quickly become one of my favorite channels. And don't be turned off by the word "classic" - this term encompasses old favorites, like Vertigo and A Streetcar Named Desire, as well as more modern hits, such as Rain Man and The Natural. The common thread among all the films aired on TCM is that they manage to keep you invested in the story despite the lack of enormous budgets and over-the-top special effects. 1962's The Manchurian Candidate is a perfect example.

Upon his return to the United States from the Korean War, Raymond Shaw (Harvey) is awarded with the highly coveted Congressional Medal of Honor for his role in saving eight of his fellow ten soldiers from behind enemy lines. When asked to describe Shaw, Major Bennett "Ben" Marco (Sinatra) replies that Shaw is one of the bravest, most loyal, most honorable men whom he has ever met. These words seem to roll out of Ben's mouth like a taped-recording; Ben's mind tells him that he feels this way, yet his heart tells him otherwise. When he starts having nightmare-flashbacks to the squad's time behind enemy lines, he pieces together that the troop members were brainwashed, and that Shaw was conditioned to be an unwilling and unknowing assassin.

As Ben works to uncover and undo the brainwashing scheme he must contend with Shaw's mother, Mrs. Iselin (Lansbury). Remarried to a rising yet dimwitted Senator, Mrs. Iselin plans to use her son's new hero status to launch her husband's bid for the Vice Presidency. Mrs. Iselin is a conniving, controlling, vicious woman who has emotionally abused her son throughout his life for her own personal gain. Her words sting, her stare slices, and her mere presence makes most men in the room uneasy. Ben and Mrs. Iselin are on a collision course, one vying for Shaw's well-being and the other hoping to exploit him once again. Only when their paths meet will the true gravity of Shaw's condition be revealed and his fate be revealed.

Critics claim that this movie was ahead of its time; Roger Ebert notes that, while the film was made over a half-century ago, it "feels as if it were made yesterday." The palpable tension that arrives during the first scene lasts the duration of the film and leaves you with a chilling sensation for days. I have not seen the 2004 remake of the film, which stars Liev Schreiber, Meryl Streep, and Denzel Washington in the roles originated by Harvey, Lansbury, and Sinatra. The remake was met with mostly positive reviews, though I doubt it approaches the glory of the original. The standout performance of the 1962 film was definitely that of Lansbury, and I cannot imagine the movie without her. This acclaimed actress, whom most associate with level-headed protagonist Jessica Fletcher of Murder, She Wrote, so chillingly excels as Shaw's evil, hinting-at-incestuous mother that it's a wonder she was not cast in more antagonistic roles during her lengthy career.

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