Oscar winners Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson star in ‘Last Chance Harvey’ on DVD and Blu-ray May 5th from Anchor Bay

This just in from Anchor Bay…

Two-time Academy Award® winners Emma Thompson (Oscar® winner for Sense and Sensibility and Howards End) and Dustin Hoffman (Oscar® winner for Rain Man and Kramer vs. Kramer) reunite in the critically acclaimed drama Last Chance Harvey available on DVD and Blu-ray™ on May 5, 2009 (pre-book: April 2, 2009). Both Hoffman and Thompson received 2009 Golden Globe nominations for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress for their respective roles. A hopeful romance that celebrates new beginnings at any age, Last Chance Harvey is directed and written by Joel Hopkins (Jump Tomorrow). SRP is $29.98 for the 2-disc DVD set and $39.98 for the Blu-ray™ edition.

“Hoffman and Thompson are wonderful,” said Karen Durbin of ELLE magazine. “Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman make late blooming romance so fresh,” added Caryn James of Marie Claire. “Each exudes the palpable screen presence that has won them Oscars and made them famous,” praised Mike Goodridge, Screen Daily.

Last Chance Harvey also features a superb supporting cast that includes Eileen Atkins (Cold Mountain, Gosford Park), Liane Balaban (Definitely Maybe, Happy Here and Now), James Brolin (Traffic, Catch Me If You Can), Kathy Baker (The Jane Austen Book Club, Edward Scissorhands), and Richard Schiff (“The West Wing”).

The Last Chance Harvey DVD bonus features include audio commentary with writer/director Joel Hopkins and Hoffman and Thompson, along with “An Unconventional Love Story – The Making of Last Chance Harvey.” The Last Chance Harvey Blu-ray™ edition includes the above-mentioned special features, as well as BD-Live capability.

New Yorker Harvey Shine (Dustin Hoffman) is on the verge of losing his dead-end job as a jingle writer. Warned by his boss (Richard Schiff) that he has just one more chance to deliver, Harvey goes to London for a weekend to attend his daughter’s wedding but promises to be back on Monday morning to make an important meeting — or else. Harvey arrives in London only to learn his daughter (Liane Balaban) has chosen to have her stepfather (James Brolin) walk her down the aisle instead of him. Doing his best to hide his devastation, he leaves the wedding before the reception in hopes of getting to the airport on time, but misses his plane anyway. When he calls his boss, he is fired on the spot.

Drowning his sorrows at the airport bar, Harvey strikes up a conversation with Kate (Emma Thompson), a slightly prickly, 40-something employee of the Office of National Statistics. Kate, whose life is limited to work, the occasional humiliating blind date and endless phone calls from her smothering mother (Eileen Atkins), is touched by Harvey, who finds himself energized by her intelligence and compassion. The growing connection between the pair inspires both as they unexpectedly transform one another’s lives.