There's a certain part of the population that would probably pay to see Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson simply reading aloud from the local phone directory.
After all, the two veterans continue to give good-to-great performances in every movie they make — even when sometimes the material isn't up to their level of excellence. (In his case, it's things like "The Lost City" and "Perfume"; for her, the examples would be "Nanny McPhee" and the recent adaptation of "Brideshead Revisited.")
The romantic comedy-drama "Last Chance Harvey," which reunites the two "Stranger Than Fiction" co-stars, isn't quite as bad as those other, earlier movies. It is predictable and formulaic, though.
Admittedly, there are those for whom such cinematic "comfort food" will have its appeals. And Hoffman and Thompson definitely make it watchable.
He stars as the title character, an advertising jingle composer with the unlikely name of Harvey Shine.
Harvey is about to lose his job, as he's lost almost everything else that's good in his life.
Amid the professional uncertainty, he's headed to London for the marriage of his daughter, Susan (Liane Balaban).
But even that goes awry. He's staying in a different hotel from the rest of the wedding party, and embarrasses himself during a pre-wedding reception.
In fact, the only good thing to happen to him lately is that he's met Kate Walker (Thompson). She's a lonely airport greeter whose personal life is going disastrously. So, she has that in common with Harvey.
Once the film finally gets to that point, it does gain a footing. It's a little rough going through the pre-wedding blitz, however.
(Those earlier sequences share some things in common with the acclaimed "Rachel Getting Married," but this version definitely pales in comparison.)
And where it really stumbles is a subplot involving Kate's mother, an underwritten character created for fellow acting veteran Eileen Atkins. This bit goes nowhere fast.
Still, there's no denying that Hoffman and Thompson do have a believable chemistry. You just wish they were exploring that in a more original and captivating movie than this one.
"Last Chance Harvey" is rated PG-13 and features some brief, strong sexual language (one usage of the so-called "R-rated" curse word, as well as some suggestive talk), some derogatory language and slurs (based on ethnicity and nationality) and some brief drug references (various medications). Running time: 93 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com