Daryl McCormack Archives

Review: ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,’ starring Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott and Thomas Haden Church

December 28, 2025

by Carla Hay

“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery”

Directed by Rian Johnson

Culture Representation: Taking place in Chimney Rock, New York, the comedy/drama film “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” (the third movie in the “Knives Out” series) features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few black people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A controversial and domineering monsignor of a Christian church is murdered, and during the investigation, it’s revealed that several people had reasons to want him dead.

Culture Audience: “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners, filmmaker Rian Johnson, the “Knives Out” franchise and murder mysteries with charismatic lead investigators.

Pictured clockwise, from left to right: Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Kerry Washington, Thomas Haden Church, Glenn Close and Daryl McCormack in “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” (Photo by John Wilson/Netflix)

“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” maintains the “Knives Out” franchise’s mix of an intriguing murder investigation with memorable characters, engaging performances and some cheeky comedy. This third movie in the series skewers fanatical worship of cult-like leaders. Although much of the mystery is set in and around a Christian church, the movie does not make any statements for or against religion but rather shows how religious beliefs (or non-beliefs) affect people in different ways.

Written and directed by Rian Johnson, “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. The “Knives Out” movie series—which began with 2019’s “Knives Out” and continued with 2022’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”—has a different murder mystery in each movie, which features debonair American Southern gentleman Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig), who is a private investigator, as the lead detective investigating the murder case. It’s eventually revealed in each “Knives Out” movie who hired Benoit for the investigation.

The “Knives Out” series is very much inspired by Agatha Christie novels (Benoit Blanc has been compared to Christie’s eccentric Belgian detective Hercule Poirot), with each investigation having several suspects, who don’t all make it out alive by the time the case is solved. And just like Christie’s novels, each “Knives Out” movie usually has some type of satire or wry observation about social class differences among the suspects. The lead investigator is also usually considered an “outsider” in the place where the investigator is doing the sleuthing.

In “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” Benoit doesn’t appear until about 40 minutes into this 144-minute movie. Instead, the movie’s first-person perspective comes from Father Jud Duplencity (played by Josh O’Connor), a Catholic priest who becomes a prime suspect in the murder of his boss: Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (played by Josh Brolin), a controversial leader of Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude Parish, located in Chimney Rock, New York. (“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” was actually filmed in Leavesden, England.)

Father Jud is the movie’s narrator. In the beginning of the movie, he explains that he was transferred from Albany, New York, to Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude after he punched a colleague named Deacon Clark (played by Kit Burden) during a fight. During a disciplinary hearing that is presided over by Bishop Langstrom (played by Jeffrey Wright), Bishop Langstrom mentions that one of the options would be to transfer Father Jud to a different parish. Father Jud pleads for mercy by saying, “The world needs love so bad. You give me one more shot, and I promise I’ll do that.”

And so, Father Jud relocates from Albany to the much smaller city of Chimney Rock. All that he knows before he gets to Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude is that it’s a parish led by Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, and the parish’s population is dwindling. When Father Jud sees Monsignor Wicks give a sermon for the first time, he finds out why people have been leaving the parish. Monsignor Wicks is a “fire and brimstone” type of preacher, who condemns almost every trivial sin while also demonstrating that he is homophobic and sexist. Several people walk out of the church before the sermon is over.

Monsignor Wicks is also a weirdo who gets pleasure from making people uncomfortable. During Father Jud’s first day on the job, Monsignor Wicks orders Father Jud to listen to Monsignor Wicks’ confessions. Monsignor Wicks then proceeds to describe how many times he masturbated since Monsignor Wicks’ previous confession. Monsignor Wicks also goes into detail about what happened during these masturbation sessions.

Father Jud doesn’t want to show too much emotion during this confession, but the expression on his face indicates that he’s shocked and somewhat disgusted. Monsignor Wicks continues to force Father Jud to listen to Monsignor Wicks’ masturbation confessions. As time goes on, Father Jud tries to make the parish a more compassionate place for parishioners, but control freak Monsignor Wicks thwarts those attempts. It isn’t long before Monsignor Wicks and Father Jud are openly arguing with each other.

Father Jud finds out that Monsignor Wicks abuses his power because Monsignor Wicks inherited this parish from his deceased grandfather Rev. Prentice Wicks (played by James Faulkner, seen in flashbacks), who founded Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude. Prentice Wicks’ daughter Grace Wicks (played by Annie Hamilton, seen in flashbacks) was a “wild child” prodigal daughter who was a single mother to Jefferson until Grace died from a brain aneurysm when Jefferson was about 4 or 5 years old. Shortly before she died, Grace had some type of emotional meltdown over something she believed her father did to hurt her, and she committed extreme vandalism in the church building.

Even though Monsignor Wicks has alienated many of his former parishioners, some have remained as his loyal followers. As expected, Monsignor Wicks wasn’t as pious and upstanding as he proclaimed himself to be to his admiring supporters, many of whom were willing to do anything for him. It’s eventually revealed that all of these parishioners could have a reason to want Monsignor Wicks dead, even though Father Jud remains the prime suspect for most of the story.

Father Jud comes under the most suspicion because he told some of the parishioners about his troubled past when he tried to connect with them in a parish outreach meeting when Monsignor Wicks was still alive. Before he became a priest, Father Jud was a boxer who killed an opponent during a boxing match. Father Jud said this killing motivated him to turn his life around and was one of the main reasons why he became a priest. Some of the parishioners also heard why Father Jud was transferred, so they wonder if Father Jud still has violent tendencies that would make him a murderer.

Monsignor Wicks dies during a church service, when he goes into a side room to start serving the communion, but he collapses and never wakes up. It’s soon revealed that he was drugged by a tranquilizer and then stabbed with a knife that has devil’s head for a handle. All of the parishioners who eventually become persons of interest were in the church when this murder happened. Father Jud was not seen for about nine seconds before Monsignor Wicks died, which is another reason why he’s the prime suspect.

These are the parishioners who are involved in the case as witnesses and possibly more:

Martha Delacroix (played by Glenn Close) is the oldest parishioner, who was part of Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude, ever since she was a girl (played by Cecilia Blair, seen in flashbacks), when Jefferson’s grandfather Prentice was the parish’s leader. Martha is the most devoted of Monsignor Wicks’ followers. She works as the parish’s office manager and was Monsignor Wicks’ personal assistant.
Samson Holt (played by Thomas Haden Church) is Martha’s husband, who adores her immensely and works as the church’s groundskeeper. Samson is a simple man who tends to go along with whatever Martha wants.
Vera Draven (played by Kerry Washington) is a shrewd and cynical attorney who has a law practice that she used to share with her deceased father. Vera, who is a bachelorette, isn’t overly religious, but she attends the church services out of a sense of duty.
Cy Draven (played by Daryl McCormack) is Vera’s adopted son. It’s mentioned early in the story that Cy is believed to actually be the illegitimate son of Vera’s father, who asked adult Vera to raise Cy as her son when Cy was an infant. Cy is a bachelor and an aspiring politician who is a conservative Republican. Cy currently makes a living as a social media influencer who discusses politics and religion.
Dr. Nat Sharp (played by Jeremy Renner) is a divorced sad sack, who is despondent because his ex-wife Darla (played by Nicola Hughes, seen in a brief flashback) left him because she thinks that he doesn’t make enough money for her. Nat is still pining over Darla and feels shame and bitterness that he is divorced.
Lee Ross (played by Andrew Scott) is a bachelor and science-fiction writer who moved to Chimney Rock from New York City about 10 years ago. Lee’s popularity as an author has been on the decline. He wrote a book called “The Holy Man and the Troubadour” about Monsignor Wicks.
Simone Vivane (played by Cailee Spaeny) is a bachelorette and “world-class cellist” who was forced to retire five years ago because of her chronic pain. Simone often uses a wheelchair. It’s hinted that her pain is psychosomatic. Simone is the biggest financial donor to Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude, but shortly before Monsignor Wicks’ death, she began to suspect he was a con artist who was cheating her out of her money.

Chimney Rock is apparently so small, the only police officer who is shown as a homicide investigator is Geraldine Scott (played by Mila Kunis), who is quick to pass judgment on people and is certain that Father Jud is guilty. And when Benoit shows up and demands that there be a thorough investigation before anyone is arrested, Geraldine predictably feels that Benoit is overstepping his bounds and interfering in her jurisdiction. Expect to see conflicts between Benoit and Geraldine.

“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” unfolds at a pace that is sometimes leisurely and sometimes rushed. Father Jud has a spirituality crisis during this investigation. He also begins to doubt his sanity. All of the parishioner characters have fairly interesting backstories, except for Samson, Lee and Simone, whose characters are underdeveloped.

“Wake Up Dead Man” gets its title because there’s a part of the story where Monsignor Wicks (who is buried in a mausoleum) is believed to have risen from the dead. This supposed resurrection increases the tension because it separates the “believers” from the “non-believers.” And there’s a persecution mentality that exists whenever someone else comes under suspicion.

More than the previous “Knives Out” movies, “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” gives a great deal of the perspective from the point of view of the prime suspect. Benoit is not a supporting character in the movie, but his relatively late arrival in the story is not typical for a murder mystery series where the lead investigator is always the star of the series. All of the cast members give skilled performances, but O’Connor and Craig get the most screen time.

“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” has the expected twists and turns in the story. And although much of the cinematography is visually striking, there are parts of the movie that look like they were filmed in front of a green screen. This artificiality can be somewhat of a distraction, but it doesn’t ruin the movie. The movie’s total runtime (144 minutes) is a little too long and would have been better served by have a shorter lead-up to Monsignor Wicks’ murder. “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” has an overly contrived ending, but this suspenseful movie is ultimately a satisfying addition to the “Knives Out” franchise.

Netflix released “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” in select U.S. cinemas on November 26, 2025. The movie premiered on Netflix on December 12, 2025.

Review: ‘Anniversary’ (2025), starring Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Madeline Brewer, Zoey Deutch, Phoebe Dynevor, Mckenna Grace, Daryl McCormack and Dylan O’Brien

October 29, 2025

by Carla Hay

Kyle Chandler and Diane Lane (both standing) in “Anniversary” (Photo by Owen Behan/Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate)

“Anniversary” (2025)

Directed by Jan Komasa

Culture Representation: Taking place in the Washington, D.C./Maryland area, from 2024 to 2029, the dramatic film “Anniversary” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few black people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A tight-knit family is disrupted when a woman, who eventually marries into the family, writes a best-selling book that becomes the bible of a cult-like movement that turns the United States into a totalitarian nation that punishes people for dissenting.

Culture Audience: “Anniversary” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and heavy-handed, soap-opera-type dramas about people in an oppressive society.

Kyle Chandler and Diane Lane in “Anniversary” (Photo by Owen Behan/Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate)

“Anniversary” has a provocative concept about a family affected by the U.S. becoming a massive cult that’s ruled by a totalitarian government. This misguided drama turns into a clumsy mess with hokey and insipid plot twists rushed into the last 20 minutes. The plot twists are not ridiculous on their own, but ridiculous in how they are presented.

The plot twists happen so quickly and melodramatically in the story, it kind of ruins the movie. Meanwhile other parts of the story have huge gaps of missing information that should be in the film. “Anniversary” has the benefit of a talented cast (most of whom give serviceable yet often over-wrought performances), but the cast members are stuck in a movie that is determined to hammer home its points while frequently dropping the hammer.

Directed by Jan Komasa and written by Lori Rosene-Gambino, “Anniversary” takes place from 2024 to 2029, in the Washington, D.C./Maryland area. The movie was actually filmed in Ireland. “Anniversary” has some big ideas, but the movie is quite lazy in developing most of the characters in the family at the center of the story.

“Anniversary” begins by showing a woman in her late 20s rehearsing a greeting in front of a mirror. Her name is Elizabeth “Liz” Nettles (played by Phoebe Dynevor), and she is practicing what she is going to say when she meets the married parents of her boyfriend at the parents’ 25th wedding anniversary party, which will be held at the parents’ Maryland home. “It’s lovely to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor” Liz says in her rehearsed speech, as she adds a congratulations on the spouses’ 25th wedding anniversary.

The way this opening scene plays out, it’s very much like a Lifetime movie, where you know immediately that this seemingly demure and soft-spoken woman is cold and calculating with a devious plan. In other words, “Anniversary” makes it obvious from the beginning that Liz is up to no good and is going to be the main instigator of the chaos in this family. Liz isn’t seen for more than half of “Anniversary,” but that’s not the movie’s only problem.

The next scene shows Georgetown University sociology professor Ellen Taylor (played by Diane Lane) giving a lecture to a classroom of students. The title of the lecture is “What Is Culture?” Ellen says, “I am neither a liberal or a conservative. I prefer to be a free artist and nothing more—free from violence and lies.”

Ellen then talks about the absurdity of human conditions when people are forced to confront realities that contradict their world views. “Does that sound familiar to anyone in here?” Ellen smirks. “America today, perhaps?” There’s muttering in the audience that implies many of her students agree with her.

Ellen is one-half of the couple celebrating this 25th wedding anniversary. Ellen’s husband is Paul Taylor (played by Kyle Chandler), who owns a restaurant that is frequented by powerful politicians and bureaucrats. Unlike his often-blunt and confrontational wife Ellen, Paul prefers to be non-confrontational and diplomatic.

Paul’s tendency to want to diffuse conflicts is evident in Paul’s first scene in “Anniversary.” Two customers named Senator Coyle (played by Carl Austin) and Senator Hunt (played by Phelim Drew) are having lunch together at Paul’s restaurant. After Paul warmly greets these two senators, they ask Paul to settle a debate: Does New York or Chicago have better pizza? The senators name a New York restaurant and a Chicago restaurant as an example. Paul tactfully answers that one restaurant has better sauce, while the other restaurant has better pizza crust.

The Taylor couple’s anniversary dinner party has about 50 to 75 people in attendance and is held mainly in the backyard of the couple’s home. All four of the couple’s children are in attendance. Several friends and colleagues of Paul and Ellen are also at the party. During the party, the various dynamics in the family are seen and will have an effect on many things that happen later in the movie.

These are four children of Paul and Ellen:

Cynthia Taylor (played by Zoey Deutch) is a high-strung attorney who is very focused on her career. Cynthia and her image-conscious attorney husband Rob Thompson (played by Daryl McCormack) are both environmental lawyers. Rob is eager to start a family, but Cynthia doesn’t think it’s the right time and doesn’t seem to like children at all.
Anna Taylor (played by Madeline Brewer) is a famous stand-up comedian who is brash, bawdy and very outspoken. Anna, who is queer or a lesbian, has a tendency to get sexually involved with her female personal assistants. Anna can also be a verbal bully when she wants to feel superior to someone.
Josh Taylor (played by Dylan O’Brien) is an aspiring writer who feels like a failure because his first book (a sci-fi novel) has recently been rejected by every publisher where it was pitched. Many people in the family are aware that Josh feels insecure because he’s perceived as not as successful as his over-achieving sisters. Josh has brought his new girlfriend Liz (also known as the future troublemaker) as his date to this party, where Liz will meet Josh’s family for the first time.
Birdie Taylor (played by Mckenna Grace), the youngest sibling, is a quiet loner who is an aspiring biologist. (She has a mini-scientific lab that she set up in her bedroom.) In the beginning of the movie, Birdie is about 16 or 17 years old and living with her parents. Birdie has a mutual crush on a schoolmate named Moses Ho (played by Sky Yang), whose immigrant mother does some housework for the Taylor family.

It’s mentioned later on in the movie that Paul and Ellen had their children after getting married. One of the disconcerting things about “Anniversary” is that, except for Birdie, none of these adult children look like they’re under the age of 25 when the 25th anniversary party happens. Cynthia, Anna and Josh all look like they’re in their early-to-mid-30s, as were all the cast members playing these characters when they filmed this movie.

The movie never explains how Cynthia is an attorney if she’s under age 25. Although it’s possible in the U.S. to be a practicing attorney who’s under the age of 25, it’s very rare. In other words, the “Anniversary” filmmakers needed to do a better job of casting people who convincingly look like the ages they’re supposed to be in the movie.

“Anniversary” takes place over five years, but in the beginning of the movie, the adult children look too old for people who are supposed to be in their early-to-mid 20s. There was no effort to change how these characters looked over the years, except for changing some of their hairstyles and wardrobe choices. It’s a failure of imagination from the movie’s director and the movie’s makeup department.

The anniversary party goes smoothly except for some tense moments that involve (you guessed it) newcomer Liz. She gives her rehearsed speech when Josh introduces Liz to his parents. Ellen is polite but a little standoffish to Liz. And there’s a reason why, which the movie reveals in a roundabout way: From 2013 to 2016, Liz was a student at Georgetown University, where Ellen was one of Liz’s professors. Liz dropped out of Georgetown because of a feud she had with Ellen.

The feud started because Ellen took offense to an assignment thesis that Liz wrote about how the United States should have only one political party, in order to increase unity among U.S. citizens. Ellen felt that this thesis was very inflammatory and anti-democratic. Ellen flagged the thesis as problematic, which caused some turmoil with Liz’s academic status at the university. Liz argued that she didn’t do anything wrong, but she seemingly backed off from the fight when she dropped out of Georgetown. Ellen didn’t see Liz again until the anniversary party.

When Josh introduces Liz to his parents, he excitedly tells them that he’s helping Liz work on her upcoming book, which Liz describes as a “self-organizing guide.” Ellen eventually tells Liz at the party that she remembers Liz from when Liz was a Georgetown student. Ellen makes it clear to Liz that she still doesn’t trust Liz because of Liz’s controversial thesis. When Ellen privately tries to warn Josh about Liz, Josh responds by telling Ellen that Liz already told him about the past conflicts between Ellen and Liz, and he wants Ellen to move past any grudges and treat Liz with respect.

Ellen suspects that Liz deliberately got involved with Josh as some kind of revenge against Ellen. She also thinks that Liz has dangerously radical ideas and doesn’t want Josh to be brainwashed by these ideas. Ellen voices these concerns to Paul, who tells Ellen that Ellen is being paranoid. Paul is more willing to accept Liz, whom he thinks is harmless. Paul sees that Liz seems to make Josh happy. And for now, that’s all that matters to Paul, when it comes to Liz.

As the relationship between Liz and Josh gets more serious, Liz sends Ellen a gift in the mail: Liz’s published book. It’s called “Change: The New Social Construct.” Ellen notices that the book’s forward is dedicated to “the haters, the doubters, academic stranglers.” Ellen wryly laughs because she thinks the “academic stranglers” description is a thinly veiled dig at Ellen.

Liz’s “Change” book has the same radical ideas that Liz had in her university thesis. The book touts a belief that society is more likely to be unified and peaceful if there weren’t divisions (such as political parties) and if decisions were made for the common good instead of individual freedoms. Liz’s “Change” book is celebrated and taught as a mission by a mysterious think-tank corporation called the Cumberland Company, where Josh and Liz are hired and eventually become wealthy high-ranking leaders.

“Change” ends up selling 10 million copies and has a widespread fan base that becomes a cult for the ideas preached in the book. The “Change” cult ideology becomes so huge, it takes over all aspects of the U.S. government. All political parties are abolished. Government surveillance is everywhere and is used as evidence to persecute people who don’t follow the “Change” groupthink ideology.

Freedom rights for individuals are discouraged or outlawed. People who question, give criticism, or protest against government policies are put on a government watch list or arrested and often falsely accused of serious crimes. Even the American flag is altered, so that the block of stars is in the middle of the flag instead of the side. The last two-thirds of “Anniversary” are about how these drastic changes in America affect the Taylor family.

One of the Taylor family members goes into hiding, out of fear of being arrested. This disappearance serves as a catalyst for most of the trauma cram that happens near the end of the movie. It should come as no surprise which of the family members are the most resistant to the “Change” cult mentality/lifestyle. However, the movie has a very superficial way of presenting these characters, who are mostly underdeveloped.

Ellen has a meltdown that seems to last for the entire five years, where she is seen becoming addicted to smoking marijuana and posting anti-government rants on the Internet. (Not surprisingly, Ellen gets fired from Georgetown University after she did something “un-American” that was caught on video and went viral.) Paul continues to be passive for most of the story until a certain part where he finally shows some backbone, but it might be too late.

Just as Ellen feared would happen, Josh gets married to Liz, starts a family with Liz, and becomes completely sucked into the “Change” lifestyle and cult beliefs. And yet for all of Ellen’s warnings about Liz, this manipulative “mastermind” isn’t seen for most of the movie. Hardly anything is revealed about Liz’s life before her conflicts with Ellen, which means there’s no explanation for why Liz is the way that she is. The only thing that is told about Liz’s personal background is when Liz and Ellen are talking at the 25th anniversary party, and Liz mentions that she’s an “only child by way of a nasty divorce” and that her rage fuels her writing.

Liz being such a mystery just makes the movie look cowardly or unimaginative about depicting someone who is supposed to be the story’s chief villain. A better movie would’ve shown how Liz was able to quickly grow this empire, in order to make the story more believable. Leaders of large cults almost always have some type of magnetic charisma, but the way Liz is written and portrayed in this movie, she’s as dull as a worn-out dishrag.

It’s never depicted on screen whatever Liz did (besides write a book) in her rapid ascent to not just become a leader of the “Change” cult but also a powerful influencer in government policies. She’s never seen actually “working” or hobnobbing with the highest-ranking people in the U.S. government. (Appearing in commercials for the Cumberland Company doesn’t count.) This vagueness about Liz is an example of how “Anniversary” lacks creativity in having memorable characters.

Instead, “Anniversary” wastes time showing several Taylor family arguments in the consecutive yearly increments portraying what happens in the five-year period since Ellen and Paul’s 25th anniversary party. Ellen and Paul’s wedding anniversary is the marking point for each of the years depicted in the movie. As prickly and perceptive Ellen, Lane gives enough humanity that’s needed for her role. Unfortunately, the other characters in the Taylor family are mostly hollow. O’Brien gives a committed performance as Josh, but the character is written as a sad-sack-turned-villain caricature.

The movie’s greatest disservice is in how it doesn’t show enough of the interior lives of the Taylor sisters. Birdie goes through a transformation that is hinted at early in the movie but never explored in a believable way. The story arcs for Cynthia and Anna are also disjointed and look like brief glimpses of their lives instead of making them look like fully formed human beings with lives worth watching. The pacing of “Anniversary” drags in some areas before the movie careens into a very phony-looking, hysteria-filled climax that is more likely to induce eye-rolling disappointment from viewers instead of the intended mind-blowing awe.

Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate released “Anniversary” in U.S. cinemas on October 29, 2025. The movie will be released on digital and VOD on November 21, 2025.

Review: ‘Twisters’ (2024), starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell and Anthony Ramos

July 18, 2024

by Carla Hay

Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos and Glen Powell in “Twisters” (Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures)

“Twisters” (2024)

Directed by Lee Isaac Chung

Culture Representation: Taking place in Oklahoma and briefly in New York City, the action film “Twisters” ( a continuation of the franchise that started with 1996’s “Twister”) features a racially diverse cast of characters (white, Latin, African American and Asian) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A meteorologist, who feels guilty over the death of her three close friends in a tornado five years before, is persuaded to temporarily join a group of scientific tornado chasers, who are competing against a non-scientific group of YouTube tornado chasers.

Culture Audience: “Twisters” will appeal primarily to people are fans of the 1996 “Twister” movie and similar movies about weather disasters.

Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones in “Twisters” (Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures)

“Twisters” is not as suspenseful as 1996’s “Twister,” but “Twisters” still has plenty of action thrills in this franchise story about tornado chasers. The characters’ relationships are predictable but elevated by believable chemistry and good acting. As expected, “Twisters” has better visual effects than “Twister,” but the pacing of “Twisters” somewhat drags in the middle of the movie. Overall, it’s a crowd-pleasing film that does what is advertised.

Directed by Lee Isaac Chung and written by Mark L. Smith, “Twisters” has an entirely new set of cast members from “Twister,” but there are similarities between the two movies. Both movies have the tornadoes taking place in Oklahoma. Both movies feature storylines of “corporate-sponsored” tornado chasers versus “scrappy independent” tornado chasers.

Both movies have bickering between the leading male character and the leading female character because they’re in a power struggle, and they both want to deny an attraction that exists between them. The woman in this would-be couple is the more intellectual scientist, while the man is the less-educated by equally passionate tornado chaser. One of them has tremendous guilt over the tornado death of at least one person close to them. In both movies, the storm-chasing team that aims to find a way to diffuse tornadoes does so by using equipment with names inspired by characters in “The Wizard of Oz.”

“Twister” (directed by Jan de Bont and written by Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin) had Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton starring as divorcing couple Dr. Jo Harding and meteorologist Bill Harding, who unexpectedly get thrown back together into tornado chasing, after Bill says he has retired from tornado chasing. They try to put a stop to high-level tornadoes.

Jo is motivated to be a tornado chaser because she witnessed her farmer father die in a tornado when she was about 5 or 6 years old. Bill visits Jo in Oklahoma because he wants her to sign their divorce papers. Bill has brought his fiancée Dr. Melissa Reeves (played by Jami Gertz), a psychotherapist, along for this trip. Jo and her tornado-chasing team use equipment that they call Dorothy.

“Twisters” updates the franchise by having a racially diverse cast, compared to the all-white cast of “Twister.” Another 21st century update to “Twisters” is YouTube is a big part of the plot because one of the rival tornado-chasing groups has a YouTube channel where the group does many livestreams. “Twisters” also makes more of an effort to show the tornado chasers helping strangers who are tornado victims after a tornado has turned a community into a disaster area. In “Twister,” the tornado chasers were definitely more self-absorbed and more willfully oblivious to helping communities recover from tornado disasters.

“Twisters” begins in an unnamed city in Oklahoma, the U.S. state where the movie was filmed on location. A group of tornado chasers, led by Ph.D. candidate Kate Carter (played by Daisy Edgar-Jones), is chasing a tornado as part of an experiment to see if the scientific powder and data sensory devices and they’ve created will diffuse and track the tornado. They use equipment that they call Dorothy, which is a nod to the first “Twister” movie. The plan is to open barrels of the powders and data sensory devices in the eye of a tornado.

Kate calls this experiment the Tornado Tamer Project, which is part of her Ph.D. thesis about disrupting tornado dynamics. If Kate’s theory works, she hopes that she can get grant funding for the Tornado Tamer Project. The other young people in the group are Kate’s loving and supportive boyfriend Jeb (played by Daryl McCormack) and their close friends Javier “Javi” Rivera (played by Anthony Ramos), who is energetic and opinionated; Addy (played by Kiernan Shipka), who is perky and sweet-natured; and Praveen (played by Nik Dodani), who is thoughtful and nerdy.

It’s mentioned several times in “Twisters” that Kate has an uncanny ability to predict which are the most dangerous tornadoes to follow. It’s an instinct that her farmer mother Cathy Carter (played by Maura Tierney), who’s shown later in the movie, says Kate has had since Kate was a little girl. Kate is an only child who was raised by her single mother. Kate’s father is not seen or mentioned in the movie, although one of Kate’s friends calls Cathy “Mrs. Carter.” She welcomes Kate’s friends into her home and likes to cook meals for them.

In the beginning of “Twisters,” Kate and her Tornado Tamer crew are chasing a tornado where they plan to do their experiment. Unfortunately, Kate miscalculated about what level the tornado was: It turns out to be F5 (highest level of destruction) tornado. Kate, Jeb, Addy and Praveen are all in the same vehicle and are caught right in the middle of the tornado. They escape from the car, but Kate is the only one of the four to survive. Javi was in a safer area in a separate vehicle, so he also survived.

Five years later, Kate is now working as a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in New York City. Through conversations in the movie, it’s revealed that after the tornado tragedy, Kate dropped out of her Ph.D. program and gave up on tornado chasing. At this point in her life, Kate has also been avoiding her mother’s phone calls and has rarely visited Oklahoma since moving away.

One day, Kate gets an unexpected visitor at her office: Javi, who tells her that he also moved away from Oklahoma after the tragedy. Javi says that after he graduated from their university program, he went back to his hometown of Miami and enlisted in the military. He also tells Kate that while he was in the military, he worked with portable radars that detect missiles. Javi has access to the prototypes and says they can use these radars for tornadoes, to make three points in the shape of a 3-D type of triangle. Later, it’s revealed that these radars are called Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion, and their power control center is called Wizard.

Kate turns down Javi’s offer to work with him. Javi is persistent though. Later, he calls Kate and tells her that he’s put together a great team of scientists called Storm Par to help him. Storm Par also has corporate sponsorship for funding. Kate is persuaded to help Storm Par because of Javi’s radar idea and because Oklahoma is having an outbreak of tornadoes. However, Kate tells Javi that she will only work with Storm Par for one week.

One of the flaws of 1996’s “Twister” is that it never explained why so many tornadoes were happening in such a short period of time. “Twisters” avoids that flaw by repeatedly showing flashes of TV news reports saying that Oklahoma is having a “once in a generation” outbreak of tornadoes. In “Twisters,” the tornadoes arrive with little to no warning. If there is any warning, it could be as short as two or three minutes.

Soon after arriving in Oklahoma, an emotionally guarded Kate and the Storm Par team encounter a scrappy group of tornado-chasing YouTubers from Arkansas. The leader of the group calls himself a “tornado wrangler.” The group is led by cocky and frequently smirking Tyler Owens (played by Glen Powell), who is the star of this YouTube channel, which has about 1 million subscribers. Tyler’s tornado-chasing motto is: “If you feel it, chase it.” Like many YouTube content creators, Tyler sells a lot of branded merchandise.

Tyler is the only person in his group with experience as a meteorologist. (He also mentions later that he used to be a rodeo rider, as if the movie wants to prove that Tyler has cowboy credentials too.) The other people in Tyler’s group are camera operator Boone (played by Brandon Perea), a scruffy sidekick who does a lot of whooping and hollering; middle-aged Dexter (played by Tunde Adebimpe), who talks like a science nerd, even if he doesn’t have a college degree; Lily (played by Sasha Lane), a friendly hippie; and Dani (played by Katy O’Brian), an androgynous person who likes to hawk a lot of the group’s merchandise.

Tyler and his group loudly ride around and like to do daredevil things for their YouTube channel, such as set off fireworks in tornadoes. The Tornado Wranglers are being accompanied by a London-based reporter named Ben (played by Harry Hadden-Paton), who is doing an article about storm chasers. Ben, who is bespectacled and often nervous, is the token “buttoned-up” person who feels out of place and does the most screaming in fear as a passenger during these tornado-chasing runs. Dr. Melissa Reeves had that role in the 1996 “Twister” movie.

Besides Javi, the only Storm Par member whose personality is shown in “Twisters” is a frequently scowling or pouting colleague named Scott (played by David Corenswet), a scientist snob. Scott’s uncle Marshall Riggs (played by David Born) is the property developer mogul who is Storm Par’s chief investor. You can easily predict why Marshall would be interested in swooping in on victims of tornado disasters who lost their homes. Scott, who shows hints of sexism, is jealous/mistrustful of Kate.

Just like in “Twister,” the two rival groups of tornado chasers in “Twisters” compete to see who can get to the most dangerous tornadoes first. In “Twister,” the rival group to Jo’s independent group is a corporate-sponsored group led by sneering jerk named Dr. Jonas Miller (played by Cary Elwes), who is such an obvious villain, if he had a moustache, he would’ve twirled it. In “Twister,” Jo has the “underdog” group, which includes a wacky stoner named Dustin Davis (played by scene-stealing Philip Seymour Hoffman). In “Twisters,” Tyler’s group is the “underdog” group.

In “Twisters,” there is no love triangle, although there are hints that Javi is attracted to Kate, but he knows he has no chance of dating her because she sees him only as a platonic friend. The same can’t be said for Tyler. The back-and-forth sniping between Kate and Tyler is the type we’ve seen in many other movies where two people meet under competitive circumstances, they annoy each other with insults, but you know they’re really attracted to each other. After a while, Tyler makes his romantic intentions obvious, but Kate is the one who plays hard to get.

Because of advances in technology, the visual effects in “Twisters” are superior to what’s seen in “Twister.” Oddly though, “Twisters” does not show any signs that animals get killed in these tornadoes. In “Twister,” there’s a memorable scene where Jo and Bill see a cow caught up in the tornado. Maybe the “Twisters” filmmakers avoided showing animals getting swept up in tornadoes because they didn’t want animal rights activists to be offended.

As for the would-be romance, the circumstances are different in “Twister” and “Twisters.” “Twister” is about a couple with a marriage history together, and now a third person is involved. That’s in contrast to “Twisters,” which has a would-be couple who haven’t really begun dating each other. The relationships in “Twister” are more interesting to watch than the relationships in “Twisters.”

After the tornado tragedy happens in the beginning of “Twisters,” Kate is emotionally disconnected from almost everyone for most of the story, until she starts to warm up a little and show her vulnerabilities. Tyler is a stereotype of an overconfident heartthrob, but Powell brings undeniable charisma to this character. Edgar-Jones and Ramos also do quite well in their roles. “Twisters” could have told or showed more personal information about the other people in Tyler’s group. The movie never reveals what motivated these other members to become tornado chasers.

As it stands, “Twisters” capably handles what can be expected from movies about weather disasters, even if some of the scenes (just like in “Twister”) look unrealistic in how people are able to survive situations that would kill people in real life. The scientific aspects of the “Twisters” story are simplified so that the average non-scientist can understand. It’s obvious from the way that “Twisters” ends, many of these characters will be seen again in another movie in the franchise.

Universal Pictures will release “Twisters” in U.S. cinemas on July 19, 2024. A sneak preview of the movie was shown in U.S. cinemas on July 17, 2024.

Review: ‘The Lesson’ (2023), starring Richard E. Grant, Julie Delpy and Daryl McCormack

July 7, 2023

by Carla Hay

Julie Delpy and Daryl McCormack in “The Lesson” (Photo by Gordon Timpen/Bleecker Street)

“The Lesson” (2023)

Directed by Alice Troughton

Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed city in England, the dramatic film “The Lesson” features a nearly all-white cast of characters (with one black/biracial person) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A famous author, who is in an unhappy marriage, hires his teenage son’s literature tutor to secretly finish the novel that is overdue to the book publisher, but this deception leads to more complications.

Culture Audience: “The Lesson” will appeal primarily to people who are people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and dramas about secrets, lies and double-crossing among a group of people.

Pictured clockwise, from left: Richard E. Grant, Daryl McCormack, Julie Delpy and Stephen McMillan in “The Lesson” (Photo by Anna Patarakina/Bleecker Street)

“The Lesson” foreshadows too much in the movie’s opening scene, which is revisited at the very end of this psychological drama. Daryl McCormack gives an effective performance though. He elevates the movie in the areas where the pacing is slow and dull. “The Lesson” (formerly titled “The Tutor”) had its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Festival.

Directed by Alice Troughton and written by Alex MacKeith, “The Lesson” has a relatively small number of people (only four) in its principal cast and only a few locations. The main location is a lavish estate in an unnamed part of England. “The Lesson” was actually filmed on location at Haddon House in Derbyshire, England. Because almost everything in the movie takes place on this estate property, it’s meant to convey that this estate is almost like a prison to the people who live there.

“The Lesson” begins with a scene of Irish author Liam Somers (played by McCormack), who is in his 20s, being interviewed for a one-on-one Q&A on stage for his first novel. He’s in an auditorium that can hold about 500 people. This speaking appearance is well-attended. It’s an indication that Liam’s novel is a success.

The interviewer (played by Tomas Spencer) gives Liam a glowing introduction: “Liam Somers’ story of a fading patriarch presiding over a grief-stricken family has been described as one of the most striking debuts of the year. Here with us to discuss his first novel is the author … What exactly drew you to tell this story?” Just as Liam is about to speak, the movie goes into flashback mode and stays there until the very last scene, which circles back to Liam’s Q&A on stage.

This very long flashback shows what inspired Liam to write his first novel. He was hired for a summer job to be a live-in literature tutor for Bertie Sinclair (played by Stephen McMillan), who’s about 17 years old, at the estate where Bertie lives with his parents. Bertie is mostly introverted and sullen. Bertie has a complicated and tension-filled relationship with his father J.M. Sinclair (played by Richard E. Grant), who is a very famous author. Bertie’s mother/J.M.’s wife Hélène Sinclair (played by Julie Delpy) is a French immigrant who is a homemaker and socialite.

Not long after beginning his job as Bertie’s tutor, Liam finds out that this family is grieving over the death of Bertie’s older brother Felix (played by Joseph Muerer, seen in photos), who died three years ago. Felix drowned in a large pond on the family’s property. J.M. was the one who found Felix in the pond, when Liam had already been dead for a while. Hélène wasn’t home at the time of this drowning because she was traveling in Venice, Italy. Bertie was away at boarding school.

Bertie still goes to boarding school, but his parents have decided Bertie will live with them for the summer, so he can be tutored in their home. It’s mentioned several times that Bertie needs to prepare for an entrance exam to an elite academic institution that is not named in the movie. Bertie is obviously feeling the pressure to be admitted into this institution, but observant viewers will notice that it’s what his parents want. No one seems to have asked Bertie if going to this institution is what he wants, but he’s feeling the pressure to please his parents.

Before Liam took this job, he was already familiar with who J.M. is, because Liam is seen looking at interviews of J.M. on the Internet. In these interview clips, J.M.’s pompous and smug personality is obvious. In one of the archival interviews, he says: “Something can be deferred or derived if you have to do it—which, by the way, is the prerequisite for writing.”

J.M. adds, “You don’t have a choice in the matter. You must write. Average writers attempt originality. They fail, universally. Good writers have the sense to borrow from the better ones. The great writers steal.” And then, J.M. chuckles, which is the exact moment that you know that this story is about J.M. taking other people’s work and putting his name on it.

This isn’t spoiler information, because it’s already show “The Tutor” trailer. Soon after Liam starts his tutoring job, he signs a non-disclosure agreement that Hélène gives him. Hélène tells Liam some “ground rules” about J.M. as a boss: “”We don’t talk about his wor. We don’t talk about Felix. Follow those rules, and we should be find.”

But, of course, J.M. does actually talk about his work to Liam. J.M. tells Liam that Liam has to write the ending of a novel that J.M. has been struggling to finish. The name of the novel is “Rose Tree,” which is overdue to the book publisher that has been pressuring J.M. to finish the book.

J.M. offers to pay Liam extra money and expects Liam to keep this ghost writing a secret. Liam reluctantly agrees. J.M. is also an “old school” writer who has basic knowledge about computers. Liam tells J.M. that Liam has experience in information technology, so Liam is expected to help J.M. in that area too.

There’s more to this story that won’t be revealed in the review. But it’s enough to say that Liam soon becomes ensnarled in the Sinclair family’s dysfunction. J.M. is demanding and has a cruel streak that he mostly directs at Bertie. J.M. can be verbally abusive and prone to temper tantrums, but then he’s apologetic afterward. It’s a common characteristic of abusers who convince people to excuse their awfulness without the abusers making any real effort to change their abusive ways.

J.M. is the type of arrogant host who will try to act superior to everyone in the household. During Liam’s first dinner with the Sinclair family, J.M. has a nearby stereo playing a piece from Russian classical music composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. To test Liam’s knowledge, J.M. asks Liam if he knows anything about Rachmaninoff. Liam then starts listing biographical information about Rachmaninoff, but J.M. isn’t satisfied with that answer.

With a condescending tone to his voice, J.M. repeats the question to Liam. J.M. expects Liam to say what Liam thinks about Rachmaninoff’s music. Liam admits that he’s not familiar with Rachmaninoff’s music. J.M. then smirks and looks at Liam, as if to silently say, “I know you’re not as smart as you think you are.”

Hélène acts as if she’s emotionally checked out of this marriage but only stays because of Bertie and because she doesn’t think she has anywhere else to go. One of the biggest problems with “The Lesson” is that there are hardly any backstories for the four main characters in this movie. Hélène and Liam are the characters that needed backstories the most.

Sure, Hélène is a “trophy wife,” but what led her into this marriage in the first place? Was J.M. always this obnoxious? Don’t expect answers to those questions. Hélène briefly mentions her interest in fine art and that she’s learning to play classical piano, but that’s about it. J.M. and Hélène seem very isolated from having family and friends in their lives. Outside of the family home, J.M. and Hélène are only seen communicating with people about J.M.’s career. Hélène has the role of being an intermediary when J.M. is trying to avoid the people who want updates on when his next book will be completed.

But sometimes, J.M. can’t avoid these questions. In an interview on stage that’s similar to the one that Liam does in the movie’s opening scene, J.M. is asked by the interviewer if J.M.’s grief over Felix’s death is affecting J,M.’s work on J.M.’s next novel. J.M. angrily replies, “I will not be writing about his death. I will be writing in spite of it. I will have your novel when it’s ready!” J.M. then abruptly gets up, rips off his microphone, and storms out of the room.

Liam remains a mystery throughout the entire movie, which never reveals what type of background he has. Viewers can assume that he took the job working for the Sinclair family because he needs the money, but there could have been other motivations that are hinted at but never fully explored later in the movie. During the entire time that Liam is living on the Sinclair family’s property, he is never seen contacting any family members or friends.

A few other things about “The Lesson” don’t ring true. There’s only one servant seen on this vast property: a butler named Ellis (played by Crispin Letts), who is seen interacting mostly with Hélène. He is also helpful when Liam needs anything, such as fresh coffee. It’s hard to believe that the Sinclairs just have this one butler taking care of everything for this lavish estate.

Where are the cooks? Where are the housekeepers? Where are the gardeners? Where are the maintenance workers? J.M. is the type of successful author who should have a personal assistant, but no such person is seen or mentioned in “The Lesson,” presumably because it’s a low-budget independent film. But surely, it’s not that hard or costly to hire a few extras to be in the background for these roles.

At any rate, the middle section of “The Lesson” really drags with a lot of repetitive tedium showing J.M. pressuring Liam to finish the book and being an argumentative jerk to everyone, while Hélène goes through the motions in being a dutiful wife. There’s a scene where Liam accidentally sees Hélène and J.M. start to get sexually intimate through a nearby window. Liam stares but then discreetly looks away. However, if you’ve seen enough movies like this, then you won’t be surprised by what happens when J.M. is away on a business trip, and Hélène and Liam find themselves alone in a room together.

There is very little shown of Liam actually giving tutoring lessons to Bertie. Instead, Liam (who is a calm and patient tutor) seems more like he was hired to be a companion for a lonely and unhappy teen. Bertie eventually opens up a little to Liam when Bertie sees that J.M. is also rude and volatile to Liam. During Liam’s first day on the job, he was warned by Bertie that the Sinclair family has gone through other tutors who quit. Liam is not intimidated when he hears that there’s been high turnover rate for other tutors hired by this family.

There’s some interesting psychological context of the marriage between J.M. and Hélène. Based on what Hélène tells Liam, J.M. calls her “the missing mother,” because she was away on a trip when Felix died. It’s Hélène’s way of telling Liam that J.M. unfairly blames Hélène for Liam’s death. In J.M.’s mind, if someone had been home at the time that Felix was drowning, maybe Felix could have been saved. And it just goes back to an unanswered question that the movie never bothers to answer: “Where were the servants?”

As for the secrecy over finishing “Rose Tree,” it has some twists and turns. All of these plot developments aren’t too surprising. The movie would’ve been better off not having the opening scene that it does, because this opening scene reveals too much of the outcome that’s shown toward the end of the film. This climactic scene isn’t very suspenseful but more like a confirmation of what was already hinted at early in the movie.

In the role of domineering J.M., Grant sometimes overacts, especially in a showdown scene toward the end, when the movie veers dangerously close to being campy. Delpy is quite good in her portrayal of someone who is emotionally numb, but she’s not unaware of everything going on in the household. McCormack gives as much depth as he can to a character that needed more development. In the end, “The Lesson” is a flawed but still fairly engaging drama that can be enjoyed by viewers who know that this movie is not intended to be a masterpiece.

Bleecker Street released “The Lesson” in select U.S. cinemas on July 7, 2023.

Review: ‘Good Luck to You, Leo Grande,’ starring Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack

June 12, 2022

by Carla Hay

“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”

Directed by Sophie Hyde

Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed city in England, the comedy/drama film “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” features a small number of cast of characters (a few white people, one biracial person and one Asian person) representing the working-class and the middle-class.

Culture Clash: A repressed, middle-aged widow hires a gigolo to help her get in touch with her sexuality, and they have debates and other discussions about sexual confidence, relationships and his escort work.

Culture Audience: “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” will appeal primarily to people interested in well-acted movies that explore issues about how middle-aged women are often viewed by society and by themselves when it comes to sexuality and being “lovable.”

Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack in “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” (Photo by Nick Wall/Searchlight Pictures/Hulu)

The title of “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” has the name of the gigolo in this comedy/drama, but the movie’s more fascinating story arc is with Nancy Stokes, the woman who hires Leo. Emma Thompson, who plays Nancy in the movie, gives a stellar performance in this conversation-driven film that has authentic, poignant and sometimes hilarious depictions of sexuality, sex work and the need for human beings to connect with each other in a meaningful way. “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

Directed by Sophie Hyde and written by Katy Brand, “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” has a very small number of people in its cast, with two characters (Nancy and Leo) getting the vast majority of screen time. That’s because almost all of the scenes in the movie take place at in a room at the Duffield Hotel, where Nancy and Leo meet for their trysts. “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” takes place in an unnamed city in England, but the movie was actually filmed in Norwich, England. It would be easy to assume from the way that the movie is structured that it was adapted from a stage production, but Brand’s “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” is an original screenplay.

“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” doesn’t waste any time in getting directly to the reason why Nancy and Leo have met. The first scene shows Nancy meeting Leo (played by Daryl McCormack) in the hotel room that she has rented for their first sexual encounter. Nancy is a 55-year-old widow and retired schoolteacher who used to work at a religious school for teenage girls. It will be the first time she has been with a sex worker and the first time she’s had sex with someone other than her husband.

Nancy has hired Leo because, as she tells him, Nancy and her late husband, whom she was married to for 31 years, had a boring sex life. Nancy also tells Leo that sex with her husband was so dull and predictable, he always wanted to have sex quickly and in one position. Nancy confesses to Leo that she’s never had an orgasm and has never had oral sex (because her husband refused to give or receive oral sex), so she wants to know what she’s been missing out on for all these years.

Leo is about 25 to 30 years younger than Nancy, who found Leo on a website where he advertises his services as a sex worker. In their first meeting together, Nancy is very nervous, while Leo is very confident. Leo asks Nancy if he can kiss her on the cheek, and she hesitantly obliges. He compliments her by telling her that the Chanel perfume that she’s wearing is sexy. She adds sarcastically, “For my age.” Leo clarifies, “At any age.”

Much of the movie is about insecure Nancy questioning how sexually attractive she is because of her age, her physical appearance, or lack of experience in having orgasms and trying new things sexually. She often makes self-deprecating remarks in a comedically sarcastic way, but always with an underlying sense of emotional pain. When Nancy and Leo first see each other, one of the first things she says to him is: “Am I a disappointment, so to speak?” Leo’s response is to gently kiss her.

Nancy is not digging for compliments. Nancy has been sexually repressed for years, so it’s affected her self-esteem. She knows it, and she’s ashamed of it. She tells Leo, “I made a decision after my husband died not to fake another orgasm again.” In an example of one of her self-deprecating comments, Nancy later jokes to Leo: “There are nuns with more sexual experience than me. It’s embarrassing.”

Leo deliberately doesn’t reveal much about himself to Nancy, which he says is a policy that he has for all of his clients. During the first meeting between Leo and Nancy, he says he’s originally from Ireland (which is obvious because he has an Irish accent) and that he’s been an escort for a while, without going into detail about exactly how many years he’s been in this line of work. At various times, Nancy tries to get Leo to talk more about himself, but Leo artfully dodges her questions or outright refuses to answer.

However, Leo is quick to tell Nancy that he’s not a desperate or unhappy sex worker. He says he’s willingly doing this work, and it makes him happy to give pleasure to the people who hire him. Leo also says that he has men and women for clients. Nancy doesn’t seem to mind what Leo’s sexual identity is, or the fact that he’s biracial. (Leo appears to be half-black and half-white.) This open-mindedness is an early indication that Nancy isn’t as uptight as she might first appear to be.

Nancy tells Leo in their first meeting, “I’ve never bought anyone before.” Leo gently corrects her: “You didn’t buy me. You bought my services. I’m not being exploited.” Nancy has told Leo up front that she will only meet him for secret encounters in this hotel. She doesn’t want to be seen in public on a “date” with him. Nancy doesn’t want to take the chance that anyone she knows might see her and Leo together, because Nancy doesn’t want to have to lie about or explain to anyone how she knows Leo.

Nancy is still very jittery during this first meeting, so she and Leo have some wine to help her relax. When she tries to get him to talk about himself, so that she can get to know him better, Leo skillfully steers the conversation back to talking about Nancy. A typical response that he gives to avoid answering a personal question is: “I’m whatever you want me to be, here in this moment.”

At times, Nancy seems eager to have sex, by saying, “Let’s get the sex over with.” But when Leo guides her to the hotel bed, Nancy stalls and says, “It feels controversial.” Even when she changes into lingerie, Nancy is still visibly uncomfortable. Nancy wants to talk some more before anything sexual happens between her and Leo.

During this conversation, Nancy demands to know the age of the oldest client Leo has ever had. He tells her 82. She seems relieved to know she’s not the oldest one. Nancy also wants Leo to tell her what he thinks is physically attractive about her. He tells her, “I like your mouth,” which he touches seductively.

Nancy still has a hard time relaxing, so she talks a little bit more about her personal life. She reveals to Leo that she has two adult, unmarried children: a son named Matthew and a daughter named Pamela. Nancy says that she has a better relationship with Matthew than she does with Pamela.

Nancy describes Matthew as “boring.” He has girlfriend who’s studying to be a primary schoolteacher, which Nancy also describes as “boring.” A psychiatrist might have a field day speculating over why Matthew has a girlfriend and a mother who’ve gone into the profession of being schoolteachers, and why Nancy doesn’t seem to approve of this girlfriend’s career choice.

Pamela is described as living a bohemian life in Barcelona, Spain. According to Nancy, she and Pamela don’t have a very good relationship with each other because Pamela thinks Nancy is “cold.” It’s obvious from the way that Nancy talks about her children, she rarely sees them and isn’t very close to them emotionally.

Slowly but surely, Leo reveals a little bit more about his personal life. He mentions that his single mother doesn’t know that he’s a sex worker. Leo has lied to his mother by telling her that he works at an oil rig. It’s still not enough information for Nancy, who keeps wanting to know more about Leo, especially after they meet for more than one tryst.

Nancy and Leo end up having sex during their first meeting, which is not spoiler information because the entire movie is about what Nancy hired Leo to do and how it affects both of them. (The sex scenes in movie, which has full-frontal nudity, are not pornographic, but they’re very explicit.) Over time, Nancy becomes emotionally attached to Leo. And at times, she gets a little jealous or possessive about him. Nancy wonders how much Leo might have feelings for his other clients.

Leo can see that Nancy is starting to develop romantic feelings for him, so he resists in a way that won’t offend her. “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” realistically shows the balancing act that sex workers have to do when they know that a client might fall in love, but the sex worker has to keep a professional distance while trying not to alienate someone who could be a loyal customer.

Nancy reminds Leo that she’s not a rich woman, and she’s spending a lot of her retirement money on him. It’s a somewhat manipulative way to try to get Leo to open up to her, but he doesn’t really take the bait. And why should he? No one is forcing Nancy to hire a sex worker. No one is telling her how she should spend her money.

Nancy also tries to endear herself to Leo by telling him that she can recommend him to female friends of hers who are also single and looking for sexual satisfaction. It’s another manipulation, because observant viewers can see that Nancy doesn’t really like knowing that Leo has other clients. Nancy knows that what she and Leo have isn’t love, but it seems like she has somewhat of a fantasy that she could be Leo’s favorite client because of the way that she has opened up emotionally to him.

One of the best things about “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” is how it candidly depicts the complications that can happen between a sex worker and a client when emotions get involved. The movie presents these complications in a way that’s very mature and completely believable. “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” also shows how confusion and resentment can arise when a client starts to wonder how genuine a sex worker’s compliments are when the sex worker is essentially being paid to give compliments to the client.

Thompson has the more intricate role to play in the movie, which she handles with great skill and nuance. However, McCormack holds his own very well as the deliberately mysterious Leo, who seems to know how to say all the right things to a client, but Leo gets uncomfortable when it comes to saying things about himself. Fortunately, the last third of the movie gives more depth to Leo than being a sex worker who avoids answering personal questions.

Because “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” takes place mainly in a hotel room, the movie might disappoint some viewers who are expecting more action outside of this hotel room. However, the last third of the movie does have a few scenes outside the hotel that offer a glimpse into what Nancy is like in another environment. These scenes also demonstrate how she might have changed because of her relationship with Leo.

There’s a very illuminating scene where Nancy has an unexpected encounter in a restaurant with a woman in her 20s named Becky (played by Isabella Laughland), who is a former student of Nancy’s and who now works as a server at the restauarant. Becky’s encounter with Nancy gives viewers a perspective of how Nancy was as a teacher. This scene is a way of showing how Nancy’s sexual repression affected other areas of Nancy’s life.

There have been many scripted movies about sex workers and their clients, but if they’re told from the clients’ perspectives, these clients are usually men. “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” is a rare movie that honestly depicts what it’s like for a middle-aged woman to reclaim and explore her sexuality by hiring a sex worker. It’s not trying to sell a gigolo fantasy, because the movie shows the pitfalls of ignoring the realities of sex work. “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” is ultimately an impressive story about a woman who hired a sex worker for one thing, and she ended up getting more than she expected.

Hulu will premiere “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” on June 17, 2022.