Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022)

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/good-luck-to-you-leo-grande-spoiler-free-review-sundance-2022

"Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is a surprisingly enlightening, lovely, amusing story about sex, pleasure, self-acceptance, and genuine human connections. Sophie Hyde is able to create a safe environment where uncomfortable, sensitive topics can be discussed as ordinary conversation.

Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack share tremendous chemistry, both committing 100% to their roles, but the actress stands out, being a strong contender for awards even beyond the festival.

However, for a film that tackles hard-to-talk-about themes with so little restraint, it feels a bit disappointing that nudity and sex itself are barely depicted in an equally natural, free form.

Despite a redundant mid-portion, it's a must-watch movie with an absolutely perfect last shot."

Rating: A-

"Nancy" (Dame Emma Thompson) rents an hotel room and a younger man "Leo" (Daryl McCormack) so she can tick off - quite literally - some of the sexual activities that she never experienced during her rather mundane 33-year marriage to the recently deceased "Robert". He arrives, she is bowled over, and the next ninety minutes sees them explore the character traits and bodies of the other. It is entertaining. There is a nervousness from this older woman - a former teacher - who wants to experiment with some of the most basic aspects of sex but who cannot stop herself over-thinking, vacillating and using just about every diversionary tactic in the book to avoid actually getting it on with her hunky and charming partner. For his part, "Leo" comes across as a decent, sincere employee who is patience personified. Will anything come of it? The narrative is split into four meetings - their first, the nervous; their second more confident but still with plenty of nerves to overcome then the third. That is where the film starts to wobble a bit. A series of scenes that display a conflict that seems to have been artificially created to add drama. It wasn't necessary, and somehow that undermined the concluding meeting which was certainly the most visually raunchy and honest. This is a film that is here for us to enjoy. It does touch on an whole range of issues, but in an almost tangential fashion - there is no pontificating. It suggests we consider the attitudes society has about age, sex, loneliness, fulfilment, sexuality, family, judgemental behaviour, tolerance, friendship, love - you name it. It is probably too simplistic a story to offer any definitive solution to the imponderables of the "sex industry" but it does present us with food for thought. There is a chemistry between the two that at times makes you squirm, then laugh, then want to bang their heads together, whilst it addresses taboos that makes little sense when laid bare on a big screen, but which resonate profoundly - if not aways rationally - with the characterisations played before us. Strong and nuanced performances from both, with a cleverly and pithily written script that is well worth an hour and an half.

**Full Explanation at Spotamovie.com** - **Intro** - Good luck to you, Leo Grande is the perfect movie to learn about your sexuality and boost your self-confidence. Learn with us how to do it. - **The Story** - A retired and recently widow religious teacher finds herself in the middle of an existential crisis. Now that Nancy is alone, she decides to explore life, her body and the time she thinks she lost during her marriage. To start the new chapters of life, Nancy hires Leo Grande, a sexy man selling his “company and services” to women in need of his “skills”. So, their meetings become much more of what they expected. But, why? The movie is original and well-directed by Sophie Hyde. It’s a psychological journey that will help our protagonists and us discover something powerful and real that may change our existence forever. **FULL REVIEW AT https://www.spotamovie.com/good-luck-to-you-leo-grande-review-and-explanation-movie-2022/**

What a terrific film!

If you had told me the general gist of <em>'Good Luck to You, Leo Grande'</em> out of context, I'd have predicted a dull and dreary 90 minutes or so were ahead of me. Thankfully, the film itself is a delight. Before watching, I only knew of the poster and thought it was strictly a sex comedy, so was expecting a silly, fast-paced, if forgettable, age gap romcom.

The film is, thankfully, much more than that. Emma Thompson is just brilliant in her role, while Daryl McCormack is superb from beginning to end - cool to see him in a larger role than in (the awesome) <em>'<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peaky_Blinders_(TV_series)">Peaky Blinders</a>'</em>. It's perfect casting, the two absolutely nail their performances and are a joy to watch onscreen together.

The one location (for the most part) doesn't hamper things, if anything it only adds to events. I was particularly impressed with the dialogue, especially the more comedic moments. There is one line involving Rolf Harris which was, perhaps, a misstep but all in all it's pretty sharp. It has a story to tell and one that I think it portrays very nicely.