Every Friday, Reel Projections welcomes the Cranky Copy Editor to review one trailer from an upcoming film. Take it away, CCE …
This week’s movie is Last Chance Harvey, starring Emma Thompson and, as best I can tell, k.d. lang. OK, it's really Dustin Hoffman, but looking rather taut at 71. Anyway, the only other actor of note in the trailer was James Brolin (Hotel, Pensacola: Wings of Gold)
Right out of the gate, Harvey is hurrying to an airport backed by some peppy “Mr. Blue Sky”-esque music. I say “esque” because after a few stabs of the piano keys, it becomes clear we’re the victim of an unforgivable bait-and-switch: You don’t tease your audience with an ELOish song and not at least give them a few bona fide bars. Is it too much to ask for “Sun is shining in the sky, there ain’t a cloud in sight?” Horribly cliché? You bet. Perfectly suited to a light, frothy rom-com? Absolutely.
