A One Mann’s Movies review of “To Leslie” (2022).

I have got sooooo near to finishing the complete watch-list of all of the movies included in nominations for this year’s Oscars. I was just 4 feature film, 1 feature documentary and 1 live action short from completing the sweep. So, with just over 24 hours left, I’ve had to prioritise, and getting my final “Best Actress” film – “To Leslie” – struck off the list was top of that list.

If you are a movie fan, then you would have had to be living under a rock not to be aware of the controversy surrounding Andrea Riseborough getting onto this Best Actress shortlist through a well-orchestrated social-media campaign. I will admit that I shared some level of anger that, as I saw it, she ‘stole’ a place that might have otherwise gone to Danielle Deadwyler (who, as I have ranted about before, was robbed for not getting a slot for her epic performance in “Till“). But….. I am happy to eat humble pie and be wrong. Andrea Riseborough ABSOLUTELY deserves to be on that list.

Bob the Movie Man Rating:

Plot Summary:

As we start the film, Leslie (Andrea Riseborough) has won $190,000 in a Texas lottery. So all her dreams for herself and her 13 year old son must now come true, right? Unfortunately not. We spin forwards seven years and Leslie is a desperate, penniless and untrustworthy alcoholic. Is there any way back for the woman whose life has been destroyed by good fortune?

Certification:

UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC: “Strong language, sexual threat, drug misuse”.

Talent:

Starring: Andrea Riseborough, Marc Maron, Owen Teague, Allison Janney.

Directed by: Michael Morris.

Written by: Ryan Binaco.

Twitter Handle: #ToLeslieMovie.

An uneasy relationship. Leslie (Andrea Riseborough) and Sweeney (Marc Maron). (Source: BCDF Pictures).

“To Leslie” Review:

Positives:

  • First and foremost, this is Andrea Riseborough’s movie. Her trash-Texan accent is superb (given she is English!) And it’s a phenomenal performance as Leslie goes to the very depths of despair and back again. Really. It is.
  • I just loved the relationship that develops between the kindly motel employee Sweeney (an excellent Marc Maron) and Leslie. It is in turns heart-warming and heart-breaking as you see it evolve.
  • Hats off also to the wonderful Allison Janney for her steely and (occasionally) unlikeable performance.
  • There are some nice lines in the script, and the way in which the country-music lyrics meld with the story. This is particularly the case in a gloriously leisurely pan-and-zoom shot into Riseborough’s face in a bar. And there are times at which you are on the edge of your seat, particularly one involving a bottle top!

Negatives:

  • There’s nothing terribly innovative about the story. The rise and fall (and maybe rise again? and maybe fall again?) of an American mum, due to drink and/or drugs has been mined many times before.

Summary Thoughts on “To Leslie”

I um-ed and ah-d about the rating for this one. If you asked me to rate it on “enjoyment”, I’d put it at a 3 or perhaps a 3.5 thanks to its finale scene. But the phenomenal performance of Riseborough really lifts it above the norm for me.

Do I think Riseborough will win Best Actress at the awards tomorrow? No, I still think it will go to either Blanchett for “Tár” or Yeoh for “EEAAO“, with my money still going on Blanchett. But I do think she deserved to make the list. (But I would still choose to drop out one of the others – probably Michelle Williams for “The Fabelmans” – to put in Danielle Deadwyler).

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Trailer for “To Leslie”

The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_k63vvm3mU .

By bobwp

Dr Bob Mann lives in Hampshire in the UK. Now retired from his job as an IT professional, he is owner of One Mann's Movies and an enthusiastic reviewer of movies as "Bob the Movie Man". Bob is also a regular film reviewer on BBC Radio Solent.

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