Directed By Sophie Hyde

Starring – Emma Thompson, Daryl McCormack, Isabella Laughland

The Plot – After three decades of unsatisfying marital relations with the same man, widowed former teacher Nancy Stokes (Thompson) plucks up the courage to step out of her comfort zone, and explore her dormant sexuality by paying for a discreet sexual experience with charming, courteous, soft-spoken young escort Leo Grande (McCormack). As the polite and tolerant professional tries to figure out what Nancy needs to hear and do, the conflicted schoolteacher finds herself grappling with unprecedented emotions and thoughts about her body and unspoken desires. But after all these years, can Nancy take control of her sex life and receive the longed-for pleasure she deserves?

Rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity and some adult language

GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE | Official Trailer | Searchlight Pictures – YouTube

POSITIVES

Having impeccable comedic timing among consistently creative material would be impressive enough for a contemporary comedy, but what makes “Leo Grande” a rousing success is the stimulating social commentary supplanted to sexuality that brings with it some profoundly poignant commentary that audiences could and should take to their own lives. First time big screen writer Katy Brand rises to the occasion with a script that unapologetically illustrates women with the same freedom of expression that male characters have been given for a lifetime, all the while surmising with it enough levity in laughter releases that easily makes this one of my favorite comedies of the year. It’s a mature film, but never one I would signify as downright raunchy, instead speaking on the topic of discussion with a maturity and appreciation that magnifies its importance, and one that can be felt the loudest with those forced to live in shame about it. Brand’s greatest strength, however, aside from her nuanced methods of materializing gags, is the humanity that she imbeds to her boldly beautiful characters, tapping into the opposites attract familiarity that has inspired a generation of romantic comedies, but here with a nourishing vulnerability that coherently conveys that each of these people use sex as a means of hiding some deeper emotional damage from within them. The dialogue flows smoothly in structure and pacing, making it impossible not to hang onto every word, and the deliveries in exposition and backstory transcribes a surprising amount of depth and accessibility, despite the fact that the film mostly persists in one continuous setting, throughout four appointments. Brand is matched in appeal by the dynamic duo of Thompson and McCormack, who maintain an evolving charisma between the confines of two particularly layered performances. McCormack is everything Thompson’s character isn’t charming, comforting, and especially confident, exerting a sex appeal within the titular character that permeates seamlessly without him feeling downright arrogant, and Thompson’s Nancy is all of the timidly tepid tenderness we’ve come to expect in the gifted actress, but this time with an element of self-humility within her that makes her an easy protagonist to invest in and hope for. Though this is a career motivation for Leo, the believability between them permeates effortlessly with the passage of time, benefitting greatly from the elements of the aforementioned chemistry, but beyond that the razor-sharp direction from Hyde, who values the universal necessity so strongly that she vividly conveys it in the air of her photography. The bedside scenes resonate intimacy, with tightly rendered, lushly colored imagery keeping this from feeling exploitative, with tasteful measures of depiction used to pertain a stirring sensuality of the surroundings. It vividly illustrates the passion and tenderness of this ambitious character study, on top of producing an enticing visual element that refuses to rest on the laurels of an exceptional script.

NEGATIVES

Part of my love for the gimmick of one stage settings is the claustrophobic element of confrontation, which not only forces characters to confront real truths about themselves inside of internal conflicts, but also offers them little freedom of escape or levity along the way. The first is evidently true here, leading to dramatic moments of discomfort, but the second part grows slightly more tedious the longer the film persists, leaving the limitations of its scope feeling like they’re diminishing the potential in growth of its expansive story. Because we’re only privy to sequences of Nancy and Leo when they’re together, it leaves the developments outside of the room underwhelming the dramatic tension between them, in turn requiring the dialogue to work overtime in rendering the events within the passage of time that we can’t experience but require for the growth of the characters. This is the only time when the dialogue doesn’t permeate naturally, and instead forces exposition to take away from the spontaneity of their engagements, in turn supplanting a bit more freedom from the conflict than I truly was expecting. Beyond this, my only other problem with the film pertained to the ending, which lingered a bit longer than necessary. This is because the ending, while satisfying in resolution, does take a bit too long to eventually materialize, and the sequencing of such overlooks a tremendously big plot hole that speaks volumes about how unnecessary the third act distancing truly was. There’s one particular park where an ending would’ve lauded the perfect goodbye, but because it continues on for ten more minutes, wipes away some of the momentum from an otherwise worthwhile character exploration.

OVERALL
Sophie Hyde’s latest romantic comedy doesn’t require luck, especially in establishing itself as one of the funniest thought-provoking experiences in recent memory. Though the stakes of the finale somewhat diminish by a miscalculated final act, the mesmerizing talents of Thompson and McCormack are everything we need them to be and more, cementing a rousing sexual awakening story that you don’t have to pay extra for.

My Grade: 8/10 or B+