Synopsis
A West Texas single mother wins the lottery and squanders it just as fast, leaving behind a world of heartbreak. Years later, with her charm running out and nowhere to go, she fights to rebuild her life and find redemption.
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Cast
- Andrea RiseboroughLeslie
- Andre RoyoRoyal
- Owen TeagueJames
- Stephen RootDutch
- James Landry HébertPete
- Matt LauriaHandsome Outlaw
- Catfish JeanDarren
- Marc MaronSweeney
- Allison JanneyNancy
- Drew Youngblood13-Year-Old James
Recommendations
- 100
The Playlist
Ryan Binaco’s screenplay is full of tiny, keenly observed touches, but its greatest virtue is its attitude towards her addictions, the way it occupies her space with her, looking on passively but not judgmentally. It’s a movie that understands the desperation of alcoholism. - 90
The Hollywood Reporter
A stirring character study ... To Leslie recalls the grit of 1970s American indie cinema at its most indelible. - 90
Slashfilm
"To Leslie" doesn't reinvent the wheel when it comes to alcoholic drama, but director Michael Morris ... knows how to dig into these characters without relying on overt sentimentality. Alongside the performances, this is largely what makes "To Leslie" work so well in the face of being conventional. - 90
Variety
It’s a downbeat diary that hooks us by taking the form of an addict’s picaresque. For two hours, we don’t know where Leslie is going to land next any more than she does, and that lends the film a searing, unvarnished quality. - 80
We Got This Covered
What this film celebrates more than anything, is the fact that it’s never too late to make a change. - 80
The New York Times
The director, Michael Morris, knows from the start what movie he’s making: one that robs us of our easy assumptions about who Leslie is. She’s unbearably flawed, and the screenwriter Ryan Binaco explains why without forcing long beats of exposition upon the viewer. - 75
The Film Stage
While perhaps a bit too neat in terms of its plot and resolution, the film is an unflinching portrait and powerful character study that hinges upon Andrea Riseborough’s nuanced performance. - 70
Screen Daily
Andrea Riseborough gives a guttural and reliably first-rate performance as the titular Leslie in Michael Morris’ painfully earnest feature debut about the limits of control.
