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To Leslie Movie Review

To Leslie is a 2022 independent drama film directed by Michael Morris and starring Andrea Riseborough. It’s an underrated gem that deserves more love.

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“You know, some people can’t see a good thing,

even when it’s dropped on their plate“

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A single mother turns to alcoholism after using up all the prize money she received after winning the lottery. She soon finds the chance to turn her life around when a motel owner offers her a job. This is a film that is so delightfully old-fashioned, being reminiscent of those late seventies and early eighties movies that were in essence a simple character study. We rarely get character studies these days, so this one is all the more important for it.

We also rarely get movies that are as positive in outlook as this film clearly is. Though obviously most critics and audiences today are too cynical to embrace a happy ending, I personally love this type of conclusion when it’s executed well, which is exactly what happened here. I bought the happy ending because it was telegraphed well and it made sense in the context of the story.

There is a strong message here and that is the fact that we all need emotional support in the form of at least one person who cares for us and wants us to succeed in life. Yes, each and every one us will still need to improve ourselves on our own, but the movie truthfully depicts that this would not possible most of the time without an outside help. It’s a wonderful message that made the entire film very human.

Whereas the second half is this heartwarming, sweet tale of redemption, the first half is a bleak, difficult to watch portrayal of an alcoholic who wasted her entire life and lost everything. Undoubtedly seeing the protagonist embarrass herself and plunge deeper and deeper into the hopeless abyss was tough to watch, but important as only independent movies in America deal with these hard issues, such as alcoholism and poverty. Hollywood doesn’t ever deal with these issues, which makes independent cinema all the more important.

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To Leslie is famous for its Oscars “controversy”. Apparently, people are concerned that all these actors and actresses lobbied for Andrea Riseborough unfairly, which led to her getting an Oscar nomination. This line of thinking is utterly ludicrous and hypocritical when you realize that everybody lobbies and campaigns for the award, but this one just went out differently. The treatment of her nomination was beyond unfair, especially when you get to witness the majesty of her performance.

Riseborough is incredible in the role of Leslie. She entirely disappeared in the role physically and emotionally, delivering a powerhouse performance that demands viewers’ attention. She particularly excelled at the film’s most emotional moments, making Leslie feel very much real. The depiction of her character is so complex and she received great dialogue too, but without this amazing performance, it wouldn’t have worked nearly as well as it did.

Others also impressed in smaller roles. Marc Maron as the wonderful Sweeney was a delight and the romance that develops between the two is so sweet. Allison Janney is initially unlikable, but eventually humanized as a person who’s had a very difficult relationship with Leslie. Another highlight is Andre Royo as the crazy, but likable Royal.

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To Leslie is a very cheap indie movie, thus it is technically only serviceable with no really cinematic moments to be found whatsoever. Still, the direction from Michael Morris is impressive for what is a feature debut while the dialogue and script are consistently sophisticated and layered. The movie is also highly realistic and that happy ending did not impact that realism all that much.