Good Luck to You, Leo Grande

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande

Nancy Stokes doesn’t know good sex. Whatever it may be, Nancy, a retired schoolteacher, is pretty sure she has never had it, but she is determined to finally do something about that. She even has a plan: It involves an anonymous hotel room, and a young sex worker who calls himself Leo Grande.

  • Released: 2022-06-17
  • Runtime: 97 minutes
  • Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
  • Stars: Emma Thompson, Daryl McCormack, Isabella Laughland, Les Mabaleka, Lennie Beare, Carina Lopes, Charlotte Ware
  • Director: Sophie Hyde
 Comments
  • Pjtaylor-96-138044 - 8 May 2024
    That's just Grande.
    Structured like a play, this mostly single location chamber piece depicts a few meetings between a sexually repressed ex-teacher and a "quite expensive" sex worker. Dealing with themes of body image, confidence, regret, shame, honesty, pleasure and intimacy, the picture basically makes a case for the decriminalisation of its focal profession by portraying it not as an indulgence in 'sins of the flesh' (or whatever archaic terms those opposed to it throw around these days), but as an essential service that can help those in desperate need of a connection - physical and otherwise - get in touch with something they've lost (or perhaps never had to begin with). Furthermore, it posits that sex can be fun and that's perfectly fine. As you can tell, 'Good Luck To You, Leo Grande (2022)' is a very sex positive picture. It's also a rather feminist one. Featuring a brave, vulnerable performance from Emma Thompson (who has described filming a certain scene as being the hardest thing she's ever done) and a nuanced, tender turn from Daryl McCormack, this is an open, honest and sometimes PSA-esque parable about the benefits of open communication that bubbles with nervous anticipation and acts as an exploration of two characters who represent a plethora of emotions that are all too often hushed up in an effort to avoid so-called vulgarity. Things like this aren't often represented in media, and they're important to see reflected on screen. None of us are alone in - or wrong for - feeling the way we do about our bodies, and it's vital for that to be showcased in media because many people simply can't talk about this stuff with people they know in their real lives (for a variety of reasons). Although the movie stumbles into a traditional climax that leans into a stereotype the first two acts feel primed to avoid, the majority of the narrative is refreshingly non-judgmental and effectively naturalistic. It's basically a series of long conversations, but it ebbs and flows to the point that it never feels stagnant. It doesn't repeat itself unnecessarily and the range of topics it covers is impressive, if sometimes a little bit heavy-handed. It's entertaining in a laid-back sort of way, and it's often quite affecting simply due to its willingness to be frank about its subject matter. It's a really solid character study that hits all the beats it needs to. It's not the most exciting film, but it's important and engaging. It's also never exploitative, which is a big plus and kind of rare when it comes to movies prominently featuring prostitution.
  • lantern4444 - 11 February 2024
    Utterly Boring Talk Fest with Minimal Fake Sex
    This movie revolves almost entirely around endless extremely boring discussions about family. The full clothed or discreet fake sex lasts a few minutes with flashes of nudity at the end. This move is so boring the main character even talks about in detail her boring son and his boring life. They talk about relationships with their mothers, brother, daughter, son and husband in the most mundane and tediously dull fashion possible. I had to watch this movie over a number of days as I was continually distracted by more interesting things like the dust ball on the floor, how fast my grass was growing and whether I chose the right shade of beige for my walls.

    This movie had no relationship to reality particularly in reference how the sex worker was said to be doing noble deeds in his line of work all over the place. The main character was also an extreme example of an oppressive upbringing and marriage which is not the norm.

    This movie is only popular due actress playing the main character and the theme of a older lady wanting to find sexual fulfillment. She pays for a male sex worker who inexplicably cares about her more than the most devoted son in the world. This then turns into a dull soap opera about their personal lives and relationships with their families. The theme of sexual awakening is only a pretext to drag in the unsuspecting audience into this nothing of a movie.
  • borghellom - 8 August 2023
    Disney type sexy movie
    I found this movie rather boring and non convincing. The sex atmosphere is actually very weak, the gigolo has a bambi smile and glowing eyes, he looks more a character for a Disney movie. Emma's character "never had an orgasm in her whole life", which is a clichè too much used in film industry. Her husband at sex was too fast and too selfish (again the authors' creativity not excelling). Dialogues are going in circle, not particularly entertaining and quite predictable. In a movie that has no action at all and is shot all in one room this is quite a problem, The ending however had a twist and was quite surprising and entertaining but not enough to compensate for the rest.
  • masonsaul - 30 December 2022
    Incredibly funny and sincere comedy drama
    Good Luck to You, Leo Grande boldy explores the release of repressed pleasure in a very funny and sincere comedy drama that celebrates body positivity and simply allowing yourself to be happy which makes it a real joy to watch over it's tight 94 minute run time.

    Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack are both incredible with Thompson bringing an earnest awkwardness and McCormack has an effortless confidence with some heartbreaking layers to his character and combined they're chemistry is electrifying and believable.

    Sophie Hyde's direction is excellent, it's minimal cast and locations can feel a little too stagey but it really works overall and there's some nice cinematic flourishes throughout. The old school credits are a clever touch, contrasting that old Hollywood style with its beautifully modern sensibilities.
  • kellybrizi - 17 November 2022
    Pleasure is a wonderful thing,it's something we should all have
    No Adult Movie carries the Audience on a Journey like this Movie Did,This Movie addresses the chain holding us back on Exploring sex,Nancy a "Perfect" Woman well to her she felt she was,She judged her students for being expressive,I'm really glad she was able to see things for what Exactly they are and was able to apologise to Becky.. Never feel Bad for ever wanting to be touched the way you want to.

    Leo I'm glad he was able to live pass his fantasy,A world he created for himself.

    For a very long time I had to sit down and watch a dialogue movie I didn't care about action or anythings........
  • goat-04054 - 19 October 2022
    Great movie but could have sticked the landing more
    This is a memorable movie. It carefully and elegantly handles many topics while not feeling too crowded. Sexual orientated topics like new sexual experiences, stigma around sex workers and stigmatisation of sex in general comes to mind, but there were also topics I didn't expect the movie to hone into. Through the two leads things like accepting ones body is discussed and also the strongest topic for me, judgement from parents (or from all people in general).

    This is also where my problem with the movie comes into play. Throughout the movie, we see Nancy (main character) judge other people constantly. She thinks her son is too boring, her daughter too wild and she also has prejudices about Leo (other main character) because he's a sex worker. Through the dialogue, the movie constantly reminds us that her constant judging isn't right. I really like this and found the movie really stood out because of this. The dialogue in this movie is rather clever actually.

    We also get glimpses of the real person behind the Leo persona, when Nancy keeps prying about information of Leo and his mother. The judgements from Nancy also got to him sometimes and eventually this back and forth between them builds up to a heated argument. I really thought/expected/hoped this would be a turning point for the movie. For Nancy to realise how much of a hypocrite she actually has been, because this judging comes from a place of insecurity (the fear of being boring, among other things I believe). This part was extra powerful because we now also learn a bit about why Leo didn't want Nancy to ask about his mother, because to his mother he is dead. For me all things came together here. At one point I thought the movie was gonna end here.

    Now we go to their fourth meeting (the fight happened in their third) and to my surprise we still see Nancy as judgemental as ever (with the waitress for example). This really disappointed me because for me this kinda undermines the whole fight in their third meeting. It would have been really satisfying for her to learn of her ways then and there. Instead she only changes her ways after Leo tells exactly what happened between him and his mom. For me this was too late in the movie and made it all less impactful. When Nancy finally orgasmes for the first time (because that has been a thing in the movie) it's not really a beautiful moment or anything, because in the back of my mind at that point I'm kinda like: you're not that good of a person actually.

    Maybe I'm being too harsh on Nancy but hey it was my viewing experience and I'm just explaining what I think holds the movie down for me. Maybe after a re-watch down the road this doesn't bother me anymore, but as of right now it does. Don't let this last part fool you though, I still think it's pretty impactful movie with great acting.