Sundance Review: Emma Thompson hits a career high in the sexy and sex positive ‘Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’ [Grade: A]

Forget the Keanu-aissance, we need to be all in for the Emma-aissance. While she never went away, it does feel as if universal treasure Emma Thompson has had a career resurgence of late, with her scene-stealing, scenery-chewing diva turn in last year’s Cruella having reminded everyone of Thompson’s charmingly savage talents and how much we miss them. Well, brace yourself, because director Sophie Hyde’s new film, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, which premieres at the Sundance Film Festival, not only gives us Emma Thompson back in a starring role again, but delivering a career-best performance in which she showcases her ability to traverse comedy, drama and everything in-between, proving she is the most versatile actor working today.

While it is a small film, shot during COVID lockdown, featuring two actors in a single location, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande uses its intimacy to its great advantage, spending its heavenly 97 minutes in simple conversation between two people, but it is in that conversation that magic happens, thanks to a magnificently humanistic and thoughtful script by Katy Brand, gentle direction by Hyde and two stellar and winning performances by Thompson and hidden gem Daryl McCormack.

Thompson plays a widow who hires a sex worker, played by McCormack, to help her finally discover what she knows she has been missing her entire life. Nancy, which is the fake name she’s chosen to use, has only been with one man her entire life, her husband, who died two years ago, so she is desperate to explore everything she knows she’s missed. Admittedly uptight and repressed, Nancy confesses to Leo (the fake name the sex worker is using) with some dismay that she’s never had an orgasm her entire life, but she puts that on herself, believing she’s not capable of it. It also doesn’t help Nancy’s hesitancy that, as a religion teacher for many years, she’s spent her entire adult life decrying the horrors of the sex worker industry and yet, here she is, needing its services. Leo takes it all in stride, letting Nancy spin, doing his best to pull her back, to calm her down and put her at ease. Over the course of four separate sessions, Nancy learns to let her hair down, become more relaxed and self-confident, as she and Leo connect emotionally and sexually in a way that Nancy never thought would be possible, at least not for her.

In a time when fears of the demise of small, intelligent films made for adults are more real than ever, it is beyond refreshing to experience a film like this that dives headfirst into the psyche of a middle-aged woman, examining, in a straightforward and honest way, her fears, her insecurities and her desires. There have been films that explore an older woman’s adventurous side, her flirtatious side, her spontaneous side, and, admittedly, these have often been comedies, using a woman’s age as a comedic tool, to make her seem one-dimensional and disposable. But what Brand does with the character of Nancy, as brilliantly performed by Thompson, is allow every side of Nancy to be explored, letting her river flow naturally, seeing where the tide takes her, never quelling doubt or judging her. Instead, Nancy’s insecurities are embraced, but, more important than that, Nancy is allowed to be a sexual being, or at least someone who longs to be a sexual being. It is truly rare to see on screen and it is a true joy to behold.

Even more enjoyable is the incredible chemistry between Thompson and McCormack. McCormack is a true discovery, as he delivers a sweet, charming, funny and sexy-as-hell performance that rises to the level of Thompson, who is staggering in her vulnerability here, removing all pretense or hint of vanity and yet still the sexiest she’s ever been. It’s almost as if she’s imagining Nancy to be a reincarnation of Karen, her most famous character from Love, Actually, and giving her a new chance to take control of her life and finally find happiness, a clear message to all women of a certain age that life is not over at 60.

Hyde’s gentle direction gets the best out of both actors, smoothly navigating disparate tones and delicate subjects. Brand’s deftly thoughtful and sensitive script gives Thompson, an actor who is equally at home with drama and comedy, a seemingly tailor-made showcase to highlight her skills, engaging the audience in every moment. And to whoever it was who suggested the sequence where Nancy and Leo share an intensely seductive dance to Alabama Shakes’ “Always Alright,” all that can be said is thank you.

Although there is sex, the most important elements of Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, are the byproducts that sex brings. Sexual awakening is not something that is owned solely by the young. Self-awareness is a lifelong journey we all must take, and we all must be open to where—and when—it happens, and be prepared to embrace it whenever it comes.

Grade: A

This review is from the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

Photo courtesy of Sundance Institute | Nick Wall