Sadly I missed the Cineworld Unlimited Screening of Good Luck to You, Leo Grande so the other day I popped over to Llandudno to check out the movie written by Katy Brand and stars Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack.
Nancy Stokes (Thompson) is a 55-year-old widow who is yearning for some adventure in her life now that she has lost her husband and her children are grown up, she also wants to have some connection with other people, plus along the way she would like to have some really good sex and be able to orgasm for the very first time!
Now stay with me on this one, the description above may sound like this is a movie that is purely about sex and that there will be plenty of scenes that will be rampant bed scenes that may be for adults only, but you really would be wrong with that thought.
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is a delightfully funny and well-written production that has plenty of moments when you come to love the main two characters as Nancy really isn’t sure that what she wants to do with the sex worker Leo (McCormack) is the right decision and has second thoughts, but there are some lovely moments of Leo and Nancy talking things out about her life and what brought her to the hotel room and why she booked Leo for a couple of hours.
There really isn’t seediness to the movie, Katy Brand has brought us a comedy of later life and there are so many moments that have the audience laughing out loud to some of the comical predicaments and conversations that Nancy and Leo have together.
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is made up of several “meetings” that the pair have with each one advancing Nancy’s ideas of what she wants to try, look out for the moment that Nancy pulls out a list of acts that she wants to perform on Leo and what he can perform on her, being a retired school teacher she does this in a way as if its a school project for her pupils, brilliantly done and with a wonderful comedic twist to the proceedings.
But things don’t all go to plan when Nancy decides to delve into Leo’s past and his true identity, a mistake and a line that shouldn’t have been crossed, suffice to say Leo isn’t happy with Nancy and being a “cyber stalker” and looking into his life outside of what he is doing.
Director Sophie Hyde brings us a lovely shot movie that leaves certain acts to your own imagination and never lets the movie move into something of disgust that it could have been with the subject matter, being based mainly in the hotel room there are some great shots of the outside world via the window in the room that gives us a glimpse away from the room for brief moments.
Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack are superb on-screen together, you can feel the chemistry build as the movie progresses and I have to say that although at first, I wasn’t sure how Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, would play out, it was a pure joy to watch. It’s not very often that a two-hander movie comes along that can keep your attention from start to finish, but this is certainly a movie that grabs your attention and never lets go of it.
Delightfully Funny from Start to Finish
Movie title: Good Luck To You, Leo Grande
Movie description: Nancy Stokes, a 55-year-old widow, is yearning for some adventure, human connection, and some sex--some good sex.
Date published: July 5, 2022
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 37m
Director(s): Sophie Hyde
Actor(s): Emma Thompson, Daryl McCormack, Isabella Laughland
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Summary
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is a delightfully funny and wonderful production that is a must see.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
