A prudish retired schoolteacher hires a male escort after a lifetime of failed intimacy. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is a body-positive charmer from a delightfully fresh perspective. Cinema rarely explores the wants and needs of older women. The protagonist’s goal for physical satisfaction cannot be achieved without crossing personal boundaries of guilt and shame. Conversely, a prostitute’s services are momentary fantasies. The desire for something more shatters the agreed-upon illusion. The characters are in a transactional relationship. The film embraces honest sexuality from an all-encompassing viewpoint.
Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson) fidgets nervously in a posh hotel suite. She’s in a near panic when the handsome and chiseled Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack) knocks on the door. Nancy comments that he looks even better in person. She apologizes for her agitated state. Nancy has never hired a sex worker. She worries that she may be ugly, boring, or even worse, victimizing someone. Leo assures that he’s there of free will. He enjoys giving his clients pleasure.
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Nancy rambles about her reasoning. Her husband of three decades passed away unexpectedly. She’s never had an orgasm or another partner. Other men have been interested but she wasn’t. Nancy didn’t want an old man. Leo promises to be anything she wants. That answer unnerves Nancy. She feels like a creepy pervert.
Leo skillfully puts her fears at ease. They won’t do anything that makes her or him uncomfortable. Leo laughs at Nancy’s checklist of planned activities. These sessions aren’t cheap. She tells Leo not to be disappointed if she doesn’t climax. Nancy’s timid steps grow bolder. She wants to know the real Leo Grande. Her efforts to see behind his sultry facade have an unexpected reaction.
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Nancy Needs to Feel Alive Again
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is not a lewd skin flick that resorts to cheap tactics. The characters get down to business early, but that’s not initially seen. The film builds up to showing nudity and various carnal positions. The first act explains why Nancy has made such an out-of-character decision. She’s been unfulfilled by her choices. Nancy always played it safe. She never “overshadowed” her husband. Nancy was the “designated driver” at parties. They had unremarkable children that sadly bore her. Nancy needs to feel alive again.
The second act brings tension to the narrative. Nancy wants to know Leo’s real name. She doesn’t mind telling him hers. Leo has a deep attraction to Nancy but cannot reveal his true self. Everyone has hurt and pain they try to hide. Nancy’s efforts to uncover his past and identity causes turmoil. The film’s cheeky humor takes a welcome dramatic turn. They’re not friends, lovers, or even casual acquaintances. Nancy pays for the pleasure of Leo’s company.
Thompson is superb in a raw and daring performance. Low self-esteem, subservience, and judgmentalism leads to repression. Nancy climbs out of her shell. She experiences newfound freedom that unshackles her soul. The character represents a voice clamoring to be heard. She just had to strike up the courage to do something about it.
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande gets top marks for perspective. Older men cavorting with younger women is a Hollywood and societal standard. It’s refreshing to see a mature woman have her needs met. The film discusses legalizing sex work. It doesn’t touch sticky topics of birth control or STDs. The writing is very good, but an opportunity was missed to be even more truthful.
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is a production of Genesius Pictures and Align. It will have a June 17th US streaming premiere exclusively on Hulu.
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