Despite my negative take on the film, Emma Thompson could have probably gotten an Oscar nomination for “Leo Grande.” However, Disney and Fox Searchlight decided to bypass theaters and dump “Leo Grande” on Hulu. It is now available to stream.
I found the film and Thompson’s performance to be devoid of the sexual tension and eroticism needed to spring its tepid and stagey screenplay to life. Despite reservations towards the film, you have to feel bad for the creatives behind it, especially Thompson, who was probably thinking this would be heavily campaigned. I had even heard TIFF was interested in screening it. Oh, well.
Directed by Sophie Hyde and written by Katy Brand, it seems as though “Leo Grande,” which got very positive notices at Sundance, is now DOA. At least, when it comes to Oscar. It’ll have to now relegate itself for Emmy contention. The film has a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 111 reviews) and a 79 on Metacritic.
“Leo Grande” was bought for $7.5 million by Searchlight back in January, with a clear understanding that Emma Thompson would be campaigned as a Best Actress contender next year. It was the second biggest sell of the fest, after Apple’s $15 million acquisition of “Cha Cha Real Smooth.” (Which is now also streaming on Apple TV)
The ‘Smile’ franchise has a new director. David Bruckner, who made “The Night House” and the 2022 “Hellraiser” reboot, has been hired to direct “Smile 3” for Paramount.