Good Luck To You, Leo Grande may be a bit uninhibited for some, but it’s a thought-provoking look at human sexuality and relationships.
Good Luck To You, Leo Grande may be a bit uninhibited for some, but it’s a thought-provoking look at human sexuality and relationships. - Photo courtesy of Sundance

Sundance Film Review: Good Luck To You, Leo Grande

By
January 24, 2022

Sundance

Sundance Film Review: Good Luck To You, Leo Grande
Director: Sophie Hyde

Genesius Pictures
Premieres: 01.22 3:00 p.m. MST

Good Luck To You, Leo Grande ended up on my Sundance list primarily because I’ve been in love with Emma Thompson since seeing Much About Nothing in 1993, but I found myself more than once thinking: Do I really want to watch this? 

Good Luck To You, Leo Grande stars Thomspson as Nancy, a retired schoolteacher who has been alone for the two years since her husband died and has never found herself satisfied sexually. She hires a young sex working who goes by the name Leo Grande (Darryl McCormack, Peaky Blinders, The Wheel of Time). Leo is suave, debonair and filled with a carefree confidence that Nancy can’t even comprehend, yet Leo seems to be as intriguing by Nancy and she is be him. During their time together, they surprise each other is variety of ways and form a deeper connection that either was expecting.

Director Sophie Hyde (52 Tuesdays, Animals) shines with a daring and insightful study on the way feel about sex versus the way we think we’re supposed to feel about it. She establishes a strong sense of pacing from the get go, letting things take their time to play out without ever dragging. While it may not seem like much of an accomplishment to get good performances from these exceptional actors, the electrifying chemistry between them didn’t just come naturally. The film is dependent on Thompson and McCormack every step of the way, and they both rise to the challenge of material with fearlessness and finesse. The clever and surprisingly deep screenplay by Katy Brand has a lot to say about self acceptance, guilt, inhibition and the things you hide even from yourself, taking a deep dive into the societal expectations of a woman’s place both in the bedroom and in every aspect of their sexuality with grace. While it’s tempting to call Good Luck To You, Leo Grande a film about female sexuality, the themes of sexual repression and discovery transcend gender. 

Good Luck To You, Leo Grande may be a bit uninhibited for some tastes, but it’s an involving and thought provoking look at human sexuality and relationships. While it’s not going to be a film that I find myself revisiting often, the choice to put it on my viewing list turned out to be a stroke of good luck indeed. –Patrick Gibbs