The Look of Love

The life and loves of Paul Raymond, pioneer of adult entertainment in the UK, are handled with sensitivity in this London-set biopic of the man who funnelled his porn profits into property to become the richest man in Britain. Beginning in the late 1950s, with the opening of the envelope-pushing topless Raymond Revue Bar in the heart of sleazy Soho, the film offers decade-by-decade snapshots of his life until his retirement from the public eye in the early 90s. Steve Coogan gives a surprisingly moving performance as Raymond, who struggles to communicate with his first wife (Anna Friel), long-term lover (Tamsin Egerton) and daughter (Imogen Poots). Tragedy ensues, but this thoughtful, richly detailed film doesn't take a moral stance on the sex industry. Instead, it's one of prolific director Michael Winterbottom's more human films, a bittersweet study of heartbreak and a fable-like meditation on the true cost of success.