Arriving today on Hulu with little fanfare is a charming new sex comedy you’re not going to want to miss: Good Luck To You, Leo Grande is a mouthful in more ways than one.
The great Emma Thompson stars as Nancy Stokes, a 55-year-old widow who hires a sex worker, Leo Grande, so that she can enjoy a night of exploration and pleasure. A bit out of practice and insecure—she says she’s never had an orgasm—Nancy even prepares a to-do list for her time with Leo (“Number one: I perform oral sex on you,” the list goes on).
True to his last name, Grande has a lot to offer Nancy. It’s an incredible breakout for relative newcomer Daryl McCormack, an Irish stage actor perhaps best known for his recurring role in Netflix‘s Peaky Blinders. Sweet and patient, Leo is a total professional who senses Nancy’s hesitance, to it’s not like he immediately sheds his clothes off and jumps into bed. But when he does, well, you won’t be disappointed! McCormack bares all, body and soul, in what feels like a true star-making performance.
Related: 5 more shows to stream that feature full-frontal male nudity
And, speaking of stars, Thompson is never better as Nancy. Though she got her start in comedy, Thompson has revealed herself to be a jack-of-all-trades over the years (she two Academy Awards, one for acting in Howard’s End, and one for writing Sense And Sensibility—the only person to do so), but this is her finest performance yet, quietly moving while still very, very funny.
From filmmaker Sophie Hyde, Good Luck To You, Leo Grande was received warmly when it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where critics called it a touching, sensitive crowd-pleaser. Largely set in a single hotel room, the film is undeniably a product of the pandemic, but the lively repartee between Thompson and McCormack—and their undeniable sexual chemistry—keeps things from feeling confined or stale. Plus, the way it treats Leo Grande’s profession with compassion and an open mind means Good Luck To You is an all-too-rare feature that understands that, yes, sex work is work.
Oh, and did we mention there’s full-frontal male nudity?
Good Luck To You, Leo Grande is streaming now, exclusively on Hulu. Watch the trailer below.
bachy
This looks like fun.
mikespurts
Emma Thompson alone sells me on this movie.
cuteguy
Without sounding racist, the lead actor is black, or at least bi. The only reason I mention it is bc the writer here couldn’t stop mentioning his size. It’s like when they couldn’t stop talking about Jesse Williams on his Broadway shower scene. Why does every lgbtq movie have to have nudity? Look at the hit Netflix series Heartstopper. G rated so even kiss can watch it. The only selling point for this lgbtq film is full frontal of a black man. So many unfortunate stereotypes
Bengali
You sound more envious than anything. What genre doesn’t use tactics that attract their specific intended audiences?
Brian
“Why does every lgbtq movie have to have nudity?”
What an absurd exaggeration. Almost no LGBTQ movies have full frontal nudity. Nowhere near “every” movie.
mujerado
So the writer alluding to the actor’s “size” is the only reason you mention that he’s “black, or at least bi.”? (Bi-what? Biracial? Bisexual? Bipedal?) The writer didn’t mention his race, so it seems only you are making the “stereotypical” connection of race and size. Are you complaining about something? What’s really behind your post??
BigJohnSF
This isn’t an “lgbtq film.”
henare
This isn’t a LGBTQ* movie! Clearly you barely read what’s written above!
You sound racist and ignorant.
nm4047
can you give us 5 movies that are LGB that have nudity (not that I want to watch them for that reason) to the best of my knowledge the bulk of the movies (not an HBO series) most have little to no full frontal nudity, lots of arse shots & torsos and that it.
Michael1500
Why don’t you give it a rest? I’ll bet you whine and piss and moan about EVERYTHING.
Bengali
In the pics in this article actor looks a lot like Ramy Malek.
Jaquelope
I noticed that, too.
nitejonboy
Man I’d love to see Ramy full frontal! Doesn’t even have to be an LGBTQ role
johncp56
I need this man
ChrisGMN
He’s mine, bitch. I will scratch you bald!
Jimmy T
I just watched this movie, and though it was sort of interesting, calling a millisecond sideways flash of the lead actor’s dick full-frontal male nudity is ludicrous. He does have a beautiful body, a great ass, and a charming demeanor, but the real full-frontal nudity comes in the last few minutes, and it’s Emma Thompson body we get the whole shot of, and as a totally gay man, that I could have lived without.
Jaquelope
But *other* viewers, with different tastes were targeted, not just your personal tastes. This IS about a Hetero business deal, after all.
Even as a “totally gay man”, I can still appreciate feminine beauty, although it doesn’t excite me one iota.
CatholicXXX
Does it still count as full frontal if the “frontal” is a prosthetic?
Prax07
I’ll pass. I have zero interest in watching an old lady trying to get her orgasm on.
G R
The film is terrific and is a tour-de-force for Thompson’s immense talents, she’s FANTASTIC! Idea: bring this film to Broadway, it would make a wonderful play??
Kangol2
This movie looks very interesting, and though it has zero LGBTQ content, I’ll probably check it out because Emma Thompson is in it and Daryl McCormack is really beautiful and supposedly gives a great performance. But given that there are any number of older gay and bi men who have this same experience, I personally would like to see that filmed. I mean can we please have a lot gay films that deal with the range of gay male experiences in particular, involving all kinds of men, after the age of 17-25?
RyanMBecker
There are such movies, both foreign and domestic. A notable recent one is Supernova (2020), with Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth as lovers on a road trip, battling dementia. The two are more than twice “18-25.” Go to the movie on IMDb. Then click on the keyword, “older man older man relationship” and you’ll get a list of similar boobies.
Kangol2
I know there are movies of the kind I’ve described. I’d like to see more. If you go to a gay streaming service like HereTV, for example, the vast majority, whether domestic or non-US, fall into that 17-25 category. Coming out movies, movies about teens, movies about early 20 somethings, etc. The gay male and broader LGBTQIA+ communities are expansive, and our films should be too.
ScottOnEarth
Don’t care about the guy’s full-frontal so much as the talented, charming, adorable Emma Thompson.
bachy
Saw this last night and really enjoyed it. But the one thing it brought home is how heterosexual encounters tend to involve a lot more “talking” than homosexual encounters. In my experience, two guys generally prefer to shut up and get it on.