“To Leslie” Movie Review by Josh Davis : Pop Culture Leftovers

“To Leslie” Movie Review by Josh Davis

October 11, 2022 12:58 pm |

“To Leslie” is the story of a 40-year-old Texas woman who lost everything because of her brutal alcoholism.

In the opening, Leslie (Andrea Riseborough), wins almost $200,000 in the lottery playing numbers based on her son’s birthday. She tells a reporter she plans to buy a house and “have a better life,” then shouts to a crowd of onlookers, “drinks are on me!”

The action cuts to six years later, when things have not gone as planned.

Leslie has just been evicted from a cheap motel for not paying rent and immediately hits the bar, chain smoking, pounding drinks and generally looking like a mess. And she’s all alone.

In the next scene, she’s sitting on a curb in the rain, with a black eye, shivering, and clutching a piece of paper with her son’s name scrawled on it.

James (Owen Teague) picks her up, takes her in and feeds her. The next day, he calls in sick and takes his mother shopping for clothes at a secondhand store. Over the phone, he anxiously tells his grandmother that mom doesn’t smell like booze and “she’s not going to hurt me.” It’s all the film needs to do to characterize their relationship.

It doesn’t take James long to figure out his mother is still drinking heavily. He screams in frustration, flips over the mattress to reveal several empty bottles of vodka, and calls the police to have Leslie taken to a bus station.

Later, Leslie passes out outside a motel run by Sweeney (Marc Maron), a man who takes pity on her and gives her a cleaning job. He also becomes a friend when Leslie needs it the most.

Writer Ryan Binaco penned a bare bones script, but “To Leslie” stands tall on the performance of Riseborough and the direction of Michael Morris (“Better Call Saul,” “For All Mankind”).

Morris has a keen grasp of the color palette of the American southwest, and he often finds the light like vintage Spielberg. It’s an indie aesthetic, to be sure, but it’s also self assured and gorgeous to look at.

Riseborough, an English across, is a singular force. She delivers a brave, bracing, powerful performance, and Morris gives it enough space to breathe and shine, often framing just Riseborough’s face as her expression changes from gleefully shitfaced, to painfully desperate and lost.

At one point, Leslie drunkenly stumbles into the house she used to live in, wistfully reminiscing to the current occupant, blissfully unaware of just how frightening her actions are to others.

The authenticity of it all is heartbreaking, and a lesser actor may could have easily fumbled the role by overdoing it. Riseborough, however, finds truth in the quiet moments. She is raw, but she stays in the moment instead of yelling overtop of it.

Maron, a revelation in “Glow,” adds another strong supporting performance to his recent resume. And Oscar winner Allison Janney, in a small role, is an absolute powerhouse.

“To Leslie” is a beautiful film. It’s raw and real and heartbreaking, with just a touch of hope.

The movie was a hit with critics and audiences during the festival circuit this year. An Oscar nomination may also be in Riseborough’s future.

PCL RATING: TUPPERWARE

ROTTEN TOMATOES RATING: FRESH