I love the wit and wonder of actress/screenwriter Emma Thompson. She has a unique, independent voice and she makes some strong choices that provide a new view. Such is the case with the Hulu original production titled GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE. In it, we see Emma Thompson as Nancy. Nancy has just checked into a tasteful hotel room in London. She's middle-aged and her attire is rather on the ho-hum side. She's dressed as if she and a friend are catching a weekend matinee performance of a dramatic stage play. In other part of the city, we see a handsome young man leave for an appointment. In the colors of his stylish attire, there's a match with what Nancy is wearing. He arrives at Nancy's hotel room.
His name is Leo Grande and he's a sex worker that she has booked.
Nancy is nervous, awkward and chatty. Leo is charming and smooth and focused on the job he's there to do. "So what is your fantasy?," he asks. She replies that she's been a widow for two years, the only man she'd ever had sex with was her late husband and that she's never had an orgasm. Later, she will show Leo how to used to fake orgasm with her husband.
They talk a lot before they have sex for that first meeting. The conversation is fascinating as we learn more about Nancy and start to learn something about Leo. She has hired a sex worker. However, the older woman does not come off as predatory or pathetic or a deviant. She is not like Norma Desmond in SUNSET BOULEVARD or Mrs. Robinson in THE GRADUATE. Nancy has lived her life within margins and has not always gotten what she desired nor has she always been noticed.
They get together again. For Meeting #2, her attire is smarter. And she has a list of sexual practices she'd like to try with Leo. Again, the most fascinating thing about the encounter is the conversation. It continues from their first encounter and gets deeper.
We hear about sex, desires, age, motherhood and careers. There is humor. There are laughs. There will be two more meetings that will include emotional conflict and transformation. We see the humanity in both characters. You won't be bored. This is Emma Thompson in top form.
There is frank sexual talk and full frontal nudity in this 97-minute feature. There's also intelligence and empathy and surprise. It's a simple, classy production that may seem like a good original cable movie instead of a big screen feature. There's not a lot of action. It's driven by dialogue and there are sex scenes. Daryl McCormack is very good opposite Emma Thompson and puts a new spin on the "boy-toy for hire." GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE was written by Katy Brand and directed by Sophie Hyde.
This movie is a must-see for Emma Thompson fans.
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