While good old Dustin Hoffman has not exactly been on the top table for the past few years, as his A-list movie career appears to have faltered lately, apart from the odd dabble into Ben Stiller’s ‘Focker Family’ fun, he is still a guaranteed draw. Pitched together with British film royalty, in the order of Emma Thompson, a production of tremendous warmth, acting agility and disarming charm results.

While the action commences in a New York music studio, where Hoffman (‘Harvey Shine’) is a hugely creative jingles writer, who is sorely undervalued by his boss (Richard Schiff, as ‘Marvin’, perhaps better known for his appearances in ‘The West Wing’), the bulk of it takes place in and around London. In fact, La Thompson (‘Kate Walker’) is in a not-dissimilar situation in her role as an employee of The Office of National Statistics and it is on a trip to London, for the wedding of Shine’s daughter (Lianne Balaban) that he realises that he has been usurped in his ‘father of the bride’ role by her stepfather ‘Brian’ (played excellently by James Brolin).

Under pain of death, he must return to his American job but not before he bumps into Kate in an airport bar. Naturally, I am not going to tell you much more of the story-line but, rest assured, it has a fairly logical and happy conclusion that makes this movie a genuine feel-good production that both blokes and ladies will find entirely appealing. The supporting cast is superb and the performances are no less than brilliant, with Hoffman playing the usual bumbling role for which he is renowned, standing, as he does, several inches short of the towering grace of Ms Thompson.

The virtual travelogue around the beauty spots of the British capital city may not follow a particularly true order (the cast would have suffered the most awful foot-ache otherwise) but, in typical Hollywood style, it will satisfy the folks on that side of The Pond too. Interestingly, the screenplay was actually written by Joel Hopkins specifically for the occasionally maddening Ms. Thompson and there are shades of Parisian styling applied to the filming of ‘Old Father Thames’ that makes our capital look deservingly attractive. A charming story that is a rarity from an industry that seems to be devoid of good scripts and innovation these days.