Female Film Critics 24/375
The title woman in director Michael Morris’ To Leslie has one defining characteristic. Leslie is an alcoholic with all the baggage destructive to any healthy relationship; that is, Leslie will beg, borrow, or steal money to support her illness and the dysfunctional behavior resulting from it. Inspired by actual events, the story begins more upbeat, with Leslie winning a $190,000 lottery.
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Andrea Riseborough adds yet another memorable performance to her impressive filmography in director Michael Morris’ wrenching drama To Leslie. She’s heartbreakingly vulnerable as a West Texas woman who gets one last chance to turn her life around after she squanders a $190,00 lottery win and her drinking spirals out of control. At stake is her self-respect, any hope of happiness, and her relationship with her son.
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Andrea Riseborough gives the kind of knock down, drag out performance we’ve come to expect from this uncompromising and empathetic actor. To Leslie is a gritty, no holds barred portrait of a woman already on a fast slide to the bottom. An alcoholic single mother, she’s still infamous in her small West Texas town for winning and then blowing a $190,000 lottery jackpot. But when we meet Leslie, she’s already lost more than the money. Alcoholic binges, rage and desperate attempts to manipulate people who gave up on her long ago have alienated her 20 year-old son James (Owen Teague) and her once close friend Nancy (Allison Janney) who still seethes with resentment.
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As a platform to display Andrea Riseborough’s acting chops, To Leslie is a key entry in a filmography that is only going from strength to strength. With Riseborough, this film is capital S “Something” alright, focusing as it does with razor sharp precision on questions of shame, class and redemption.
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