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 .
