Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022)

3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Sex Strive

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

In Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, a woman called Nancy (Emma Thompson) does the craziest thing she has ever done in her life; she hires a sex worker and meets him in a hotel. She's a nervous wreck; her late husband was her first and only sexual partner, and it was a largely passionless relationship. She has never even had an orgasm. But Leo (Daryl McCormack) is amazingly understanding, listens to her, and speaks calmly and confidently. The movie is almost all talk (it does have some sexual situations and nudity), but it's smart talk, about real things. The dialogue — by comedian Katy Brand — and the outstanding performances manage to explore taboo situations like pleasure and age. Director Sophie Hyde keeps the largely interior, one-set movie lively and kinetic, never letting it feel constricting or stage-bound.