To Leslie: Where to watch and stream it online

Lauded by celebrities as a must-watch for Riseborough's stellar performance - here's where to watch To Leslie online.

We've officially reached that time of year again when the best TV and Film moments of the last 12 months are celebrated in a number of prestigious award ceremonies, including The Oscars 2023 (opens in new tab) and the upcoming 2023 BAFTA awards (opens in new tab). Cue red carpet looks, emotional acceptance speeches and every Tom, Dick and Harry telling you to watch this unmissable screen piece. But of the latter, we really do have a recommendation of our own that you should sit down and stream immediately.

Indie flick To Leslie explores the subject of addiction through single mother Leslie protrayed by the brilliant British actress Andrea Riseborough (who most recently appeared in Netflix's Matilda the Musical (opens in new tab)) A gritty and emotional watch, Riseborough's performance has been praised by critics and viewers alike. We've shared details of where to watch To Leslie in both the UK and US.

To Leslie: Where to watch and stream it online

To Leslie is available to watch and rent via Amazon Prime, Youtube, Google Play and Apple TV in the UK and US. American audiences can also stream it on VUDU.

You'll find it cheapest to rent in Standard Definition on Amazon Prime (opens in new tab), Google Play (opens in new tab) and Youtube (opens in new tab) for £3.49 or $6.99. Meanwhile AppleTV (opens in new tab) is offering a 4K version to rent and stream for £4.49 or $6.99. You can also stream it via VUDU (opens in new tab) - though this is exclusive to US viewers only.

If you've watched the film and want to buy and keep the film forever in your collection, pick it up for £7.99 at Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play and Youtube.

To Leslie was acquired by Momentum Pictures (opens in new tab) in September 2022 and was later released on demand and select cinemas on October 7. The film enjoyed it's world premiere at the Texas-based South by Southwest (opens in new tab) film festival in March 2022.

What is To Leslie about? Plot details

The official synopsis for To Leslie reads: "Years after a lottery win, a West Texas single mother is alone, living hard at the bottom of a bottle. Nowhere left to go, she is forced to come home and confront her past."

The film opens with Leslie being evicted from a filthy motel room. After a few cursory words to the other residents and manager, she packs herself and her life up (one pink hardshell suitcase) and heads for the streets. Dirty, downtrodden and bruised she boards a bus and is picked up by her son James. Though this marks just the start of her sofa-surfing tale and struggle with alcohol.

To Leslie: Cast list

• Andrea Riseborough (Birdman, Nancy) as Leslie Rowlands
• Allison Janney (Lou, I Tonya) as Nancy
• Marc Maron (GLOW, WTF with Marc Maron) as Sweeney
• Andre Royo (The Wire, Empire) as Royal
• Owen Teague (It, The Stand) as James
• Stephen Root (Barry, Get Out) as Dutch
• James Landry Hebert (Westworld) as Pete
• Catfish Jean (Survivor's Remorse) as Darren
• Scott Subiono (The Tragedy of Macbeth) as Rancher Glen

Riseborough's performance in the film has been heavily praised by a number of Hollywood stars, who believe the 41-year-old Brit should be recognised in upcoming award ceremonies like the Oscars.

Gwyneth Paltrow was left "stunned" (opens in new tab) by Riseborough's portrayal and is cheering her on "to win every award there is and all the ones that haven’t been invented yet". In a recent Q&A with the film's star, Kate Winslet also hailed it as "one of the greatest performances I have ever seen in my life."

Then at the Critics Choice Award in January, Best Actress winner Cate Blanchett called out Riseborough's 'extraordinary' performance (opens in new tab) in To Leslie. 

Andrea Riseborough's co-star Allison Janney has also promoted the film and the lead star, telling people to "please go find this gem".

To Leslie - Reviews

To Leslie has a 98% 'fresh' critic's rating on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer (opens in new tab), with a audience score of 85%. "To Leslie's familiar framework is granted extra depth through a stellar Andrea Riseborough and a sensitive and nuanced approach to the cycle of addiction," reads their critic's consensus.

Matt Zoller Seitz gave it 3.5 stars on RogerEbert.com (opens in new tab), singling out one moment in To Leslie that is "up there" with the likes of Robert De Niro's turn in Goodfellas: "The film's tour-de-force, for the lead actress as well as the filmmakers, is an unbroken tracking shot of Leslie sitting at a bar at closing time, listening to a song whose lyrics seem to be a withering comment on her life ("Is this a joke?" she says to the ceiling)."

The Los Angeles Times (opens in new tab) also highlighted the lead actress's work in their review of the film. "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," writes Noel Murray.

All in all - the verdict is out: To Leslie is a film not to be missed.

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