To Leslie
Momentum Pictures | Release Date: October 7, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
84
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperOct 6, 2022
Every character in To Leslie feels “lived-in.” Every scene rings true, sometimes in surprising ways. Read full review
100
ColliderEmily BernardOct 6, 2022
Riseborough’s impeccable performance cannot be overstated. Her passion shines consistently whether Leslie has hit her lowest low or is riding her highest high. All of this contributes to the film’s poetic ending, which is sure to leave you teary-eyed and reinvigorated with a new lease on life. Read full review
100
The PlaylistJason BaileyMar 16, 2022
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. Read full review
90
ABC NewsPeter TraversJan 27, 2023
This week’s shocking, out-of-nowhere Oscar nomination for British actress Andrea Riseborough as an alcoholic single mother from West Texas who squanders her $190,000 lottery win on booze turns an indie movie no one ever heard of into an absolute must-see. Prepare to be wowed! Read full review
90
VarietyOwen GleibermanApr 6, 2022
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. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenMar 16, 2022
A stirring character study ... To Leslie recalls the grit of 1970s American indie cinema at its most indelible. Read full review
90
SlashfilmEthan AndertonMar 16, 2022
"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. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzOct 11, 2022
Morris' direction offers other filmmakers a template for how to make a small movie that feels big, just by making definitive choices and sticking to them. Read full review
83
Paste MagazineAurora AmidonOct 12, 2022
Leslie’s journey is at once unflinchingly intimate, aching and melancholy—qualities accentuated by Larkin Seiple’s sublime cinematography, which resembles a somber travelogue. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawJan 30, 2023
The ending of this film does not entirely measure up to the standard of tough realism set in the rest of the drama, but what a great performance from Riseborough. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayOct 7, 2022
It’s a story often told, but this movie tells it well, energetically dramatizing the in-the-moment experiences Leslie has and showing how they inform the choices she makes. And Riseborough is a dynamo, making sure that even at her worst, Leslie has enough personality and humanity that the audience roots for her just to get through another day. Read full review
80
The New York TimesBeandrea JulyOct 6, 2022
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. Read full review
80
We Got This CoveredMartin CarrMar 25, 2022
What this film celebrates more than anything, is the fact that it’s never too late to make a change. Read full review
75
The Film StageJohn FinkApr 13, 2022
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. Read full review
70
Screen DailyTara JudahMar 16, 2022
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. Read full review
70
TheWrapFran HoepfnerMar 16, 2022
Full-hearted, albeit conventional ... That long first act feels, at times, punishing. ... The drama that plays out in the film’s second half is much more engaging, the script gaining momentum alongside Leslie. Read full review
67
IndieWireDavid EhrlichMar 16, 2022
"To Leslie" doesn’t always make things easy, but it’s deeply touching to watch the film’s characters learn how to share their mutual good fortune. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreJan 26, 2023
Riseborough’s performance is in the pocket, letting us reach for her instead of assaulting us with needy antics. The way she switches from feeble come-ons and pleas for help into furious F-bomb tantrums is a marvel. It’s totally-committed acting, no doubt about it. Read full review
60
EmpireIana MurrayJan 24, 2023
An award-worthy performance from the reliably exceptional Andrea Riseborough elevates an affecting portrait of the road to recovery that fails to tread new ground. Read full review
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