New Tricks

Movies: Good Luck to You, Leo Grande

A favorite theme of mine in films is sex positivity. Not all films about sex are sex positive, of course. For example, a comedy I love despite its imperfections, The 40 Year Old Virgin, is not a sex positive film. It's a film that is prescriptive about how sex should ideally be and makes fun of women who are too sexual.

Some good examples of sex positive films (at least, in my opinion) include Kinsey, Call Me By Your Name, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, Magic Mike (and Magic Mike XXL even more so), The To-Do List, and many more. These are just the ones that came to me (heh) off the top of my head. They are films that celebrate sex even as they acknowledge that sex is complicated and not always as freewheeling as we'd like it to be.

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is an intimate, charming, sex positive film and, for an added bonus, sex worker positive film, that hit Hulu a week or so ago.

Directed by Sophie Hyde, Leo Grande is about a neurotic, anxious widow, Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson, delightful as always) who hires a sex worker, the titular Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack, both lovely to look at and a lovely actor), since it's been two years since she's been with anyone.

We find out that Nancy and her husband never did anything beyond basic intercourse throughout their marriage. No oral (he found it "demeaning"), no positions other than missionary, and no orgasms for Nancy (she just faked it). Though Nancy is clearly anxious about her meetings with Leo, she also desperately wants to experience her own sexuality. 

Leo brims with sensitivity, patience, and understanding--up to a point. Throughout their encounters, Nancy keeps trying to get Leo to reveal more and more about his personal life and about his relationship with his mother in particular. It's clear that Nancy is projecting, as she has a lot of disrespect for her own children. Nancy isn't always likable in this movie. She is a prude, judgmental, a busy-body, and honestly kind of a dumbass. She violates Leo's boundaries and is surprised when he begins to pack up his stuff and tells her they're never going to meet again.

However, Nancy makes amends to Leo by the end of the film. It's a bit unrealistic...I mean, I guess I don't know how most male escorts do business, but if I were an escort I would have blocked Nancy's number. But the movie really wants to show character growth and it only has 90 minutes to do so (it's a short-ass movie). I do dock the film a few points for making Nancy such a pill but also resolving it so quickly and seamlessly. But only a few points because overall, the movie is very good and sweet. 

Leo Grande uses its two characters to explore greater social issues about sexuality. Nancy is skeptical of sex work, even as she pays for it herself. Her main concern is that it's "degrading" to Leo. However, Leo seems right for the line of work because he finds something to be attracted to in all his clients, and he legitimately loves to help them experience pleasure and release. Nancy represents old school ways of thinking and, indeed, ways of living. She gives up her dreams to be a mom because she believes that's just what's done...and it leads her to resent her children. Leo represents new ways of thinking about sex and life--he's gone through some very, very hard things too, but he doesn't let those terrible things keep him from living the life that he feels is the best fit for him. 

Though the film is British, of course I can't help but see it through an American lens. America is deeply dysfunctional when it comes to sexuality. There is a deep river of hatred and repulsion of sexuality and sexual freedom in this country, even though we cannot deny how powerful sex is and how much people want it--politics and religion be damned! Instead of finding a way towards sexual freedom and health, our country fucks with the lights off, so to speak. We do it, but we don't talk about it or think about it honestly and point the finger of blame to others to get the eyes off of us. I'm speaking in generalities here, of course. 

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is a charming, delightful film with two excellent leads which explores what sex could be like if we strove to be vulnerable and sensitive to ours and our partners' needs. 

Grade: B+