84
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The PlaylistJason BaileyThe PlaylistJason BaileyRyan 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.
- 90The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenA stirring character study ... To Leslie recalls the grit of 1970s American indie cinema at its most indelible.
- 90SlashfilmEthan AndertonSlashfilmEthan Anderton"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.
- 90VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanIt’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.
- 80We Got This CoveredMartin CarrWe Got This CoveredMartin CarrWhat this film celebrates more than anything, is the fact that it’s never too late to make a change.
- 80The New York TimesBeandrea JulyThe New York TimesBeandrea JulyThe 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.
- 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.
- 70TheWrapFran HoepfnerTheWrapFran HoepfnerFull-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.
- 67IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid Ehrlich"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.