Film Review: TO LESLIE: Andrea Riseborough is Terrific in a Somber Character Study [SXSW 2022]

To Leslie Review

To Leslie (2022) Film Review from the 29th Annual South by Southwest Film Festival, a movie directed by Michael Morris, written by Ryan Binaco and starring Andrea Riseborough, James Landry Hebert, Allison Janney, Stephen Root, Marc Maron, Matt Lauria, Owen Teague, Andre Royo, Chris Coy, Derek Phillips, Mac Brandt, Tom Virtue, Lauren Letherer, Paula Rhodes, Scott Subiono, Jeanette O’Connor, Blake Robbins and Juan Carlos Cantu.

Director Michael Morris’ To Leslie opens with footage of a West Texas woman winning a nice small fortune (almost 200 grand) from the lottery. It soon flashes ahead some years later, and that same woman, Leslie (the fantastic Andrea Riseborough), is being evicted from her home in a motel. Leslie’s stuff is put out on the sidewalk and Leslie must call her son, James (Owen Teague), in order to have a place to stay. All these early scenes ring true-to-life so when the movie’s story line peters out and loses its way in its second half, it feels like the beginning scenes were a missed opportunity to explore more of what led Leslie to the predicament where she found herself being evicted. But, nevertheless, the movie moves forward, not backwards, and it sometimes feels the most interesting part of the story was overlooked in favor of a more conventional redemption story.

With that being said, Andrea Riseborough is mesmerizing as Leslie, a woman who is losing everything the more she lives and not accumulating the wisdom that people seem to gain from life experience. Leslie’s son James is moving into maturity and adulthood while living with a roommate named Darren (Catfish Jean) but James still takes his mother in. We soon learn that Leslie is a compulsive alcoholic who goes through money like water and drinks like a fish. She’s more than James can handle and even though he sets ground rules, Leslie can’t follow them so she is sent packing back to where she came from.

The next chapter of the film is quite interesting. Old friends who seem bitter take Leslie in. They are Dutch and Nancy portrayed by Stephen Root and the always terrific Allison Janney, respectively. Perhaps, James believes that Leslie will take their rules more seriously but things quickly escalate into a disaster. As Leslie tries to play her old games, things get more complicated as Dutch and Nancy soon grow tired of her shenanigans.

Enter Sweeney (the solid Marc Maron) who takes an interest in Leslie and offers her his hospitality by suggesting she work for him and he even offers her a place to live. Sweeney challenges Leslie to change her ways. Will Leslie prove a leopard can change its spots or will she forever stay stuck in the rut she has become accustomed to?

Many scenes of the film are painfully authentic and the direction by Michael Morris is on point most of the time although the script by Ryan Binaco repeats several character flaws of Leslie over and over again. It feels like Groundhog Day if it were a somber, depressing drama instead of a comedy as Leslie keeps repeating her same mistakes repeatedly.

The performances are all phenomenal. Riseborough makes a bid for nominations with her raw, vulnerable and stubborn performance. When Leslie hides bottles under her pillow and tries to steal money to get more alcohol, we truly feel for her. Right from the opening we care, but as the film goes on, she seems more and more like a lost cause. Maron more than holds his own beside Riseborough as a man who has the potential to make a difference in a life that seems to be aloof and unaware of reality. The real scene stealer, though, is Allison Janney who turns her character Nancy into a force to contend with and the movie comes full circle with her character at the end when Riseborough and Janney share a scene together in a diner that Leslie has come to find herself operating. Both actresses prove to be forces to contend with in this sequence.

There are also some nice turns in the supporting cast who may have minor roles but nevertheless excel. Andre Royo as a motel owner shines as does James Landry Hebert as a friend named Pete. This film is certainly not short on complex performances. It does however fall short in the plot department with the second half of the movie acting as more of a character study than anything else. The picture lacks plot development but focuses in more on character which isn’t a bad thing. However, the movie becomes depressing to watch at times.

With that being said, To Leslie is nevertheless a noble effort for portraying its lead character as realistically as it does. Andrea Riseborough has never been better and captures her character’s misfortunes and the reasons for them to a tee. This film may have its flaws but remains a picture of integrity for those interested in a powerful leading female performance. Riseborough delivers in the acting department and makes the film more noteworthy than it could have been with a lesser actress in the part.

Rating: 6.5/10

Leave your thoughts on this To Leslie review and the film below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more South By Southwest Film Festival news can visit our South By Southwest Film Festival Page, our Film Festival Page, and our Film Festival Facebook Page. Readers seeking more film reviews can visit our Movie Review Page, our Movie Review Twitter Page, and our Movie Review Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, and Flipboard.