cmcastl I recorded to watch this film which I had remembered seeing some years ago and I found I enjoyed it even more this time round. I could 'freeze-frame' it at any moment and every time I stopped it both Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson remained perfectly in character in their facial aspect and gesture. A masterclass in film acting. Every time I freeze-froze a scene. Almost any moment in the film could have provided an excellent 'still'.This is in some respects a film about the cruelty of social embarrassment, as well as, of course, the romantic yearning of quiet, shy but genuinely good people who haven't yet had a fair shake in life. You might consider the story a trifle but it has a few deeper resonances, too, ably delivered by two outstanding actors. One wonders about the backstory. You sense, well, I sense, that Dustin Hoffman's Harvey Shine really tried to be a good husband and father but it was the women in his life who misused him, not the other way around. The way his daughter treats him initially at her wedding ceremony and reception is almost unforgivable unless he really hurt her and there is no suggestion in his character that he had. He seems a very gentle and caring guy who deserved far better from his women. You could call the story a trifle but these are two very attractive actors giving just the right spin of sympathy to their characters. You really feel for both of them. They put up stoically with being socially embarrassed by unfeeling others. It is the sensitive who suffer at the hands of the insensitive and often suffer quietly. Both convey that very well. It is good and right that they find each other in the end. I love schmaltz well put together and this is well put together and London never looked lovelier. London is for lovers, too.

juneebuggy A cute, bit of nothing romantic drama about two unlucky in love middle agers. Dustin Hoffman plays a new York jingle writer in London for his daughters wedding and Emma Thompson is a British government worker. They meet at an airport bar and manage to transform each others life.This was so well acted that the beginning was actually painful to watch; both characters are so uncomfortable and socially awkward, that you really feel sorry for them. Hoffman is excellent as his world crumbles, doing his best to hide his devastation over several life crises. This also managed to stay away from any movie clichés while providing a fun tour of London. 11.13

Atrebor I am a big, big fan of Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson but after twice seen 30 to 35 minutes of this movie I really wondered 'what the hell am I looking at'. What possessed the producers to cut this movie, which had potential, into bits and leaving the audience wondering again 'what on earth is this movie about'? Great actors, always a pleasure to see them on screen but -and maybe it is me- this movie has head nor tail, although I confess I could not wait to see the tail. What a waste of talent. As I am required to write a minimum of 10 lines reviewing this movie, here we go. Wonderful acting, as always. Dramatically badly cutting. Rather nice music. Outstanding performances, as expected. Towards the end (and I had to see more in order to write this review) the movie gets funnier, I must confess. Still, I wish that the producers would have listened to the actors and thus made it a better movie. And in doing so the movie would have been distributed better than it has now. Shame on the producers.

Hitchcoc This is not a terribly memorable movie; the plot has been done a thousand times. It hangs its hat on its stars and they do a nice job. Dustin Hoffman, the Last Chance in this film, puts in a nice performance as a man who has never been happy, even with moderate success. He is a burned out yes man who sees each day as a chore. HIs female counterpart has also given up on life, her youth past her. The thing is that submerged in them are two really interesting people who can have fun if they allow themselves. The first half of the movie is one uncomfortable scene after another as Hoffman tries without enthusiasm to be a positive force in his daughter's life after his wife has pretty much excluded him. It isn't that he doesn't deserve this treatment. He hasn't given much. Anyway, true love doesn't run smooth and when he meets Thompson, getting together requires a great deal of effort because of great baggage carried by the two of them Fate steps in as well and makes things even more difficult. All this said, it's still a charming film and worth a look.