- Rose Byrne, Conan O'Brien, A$AP Rocky
- February 20th 2026
- 113
- Mary Bronstein
Rose Byrne plays a mother unable to cope with all the obstacles thrown her way in this stressful dark comedy-drama.
Rose Byrne is currently nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for her career-best performance as a mother on the verge of a nervous breakdown in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.
In Mary Bronstein’s dark comedy-drama, the Australian actress plays Linda, a psychotherapist who is left to parent her sick daughter on her own for eight weeks while her boat captain husband is away for work.
Everything goes wrong at the same time, and it becomes too much for Linda to handle.
For example, her daughter (who is not seen or named) has to reach a certain weight in order to get her feeding tube removed, their apartment ceiling caves in and they have to move to a motel, and she is unable to focus on work and give her full attention to a very troubled patient.
As more and more issues keep being added to her already-full plate, Linda self-medicates with alcohol and drugs and barely gets any sleep.
She is only making matters worse as she has to deal with her never-ending problems in a sleep-deprived, hungover state.
Unsurprisingly, Linda is constantly on edge, holding on by a thread and is not in her best state of mind (to put it mildly), and her mental health continues to spiral as the film progresses.
Bronstein places the audience in Linda’s shoes by shooting Byrne in extreme close-ups. This immersive style means we are always focused on Linda and her mindset, as her daughter is only heard.
But there are other characters on-screen, such as an unexpectedly serious Conan O’Brien as her no-nonsense therapist and co-worker, Danielle Macdonald as her scarily vulnerable patient, and the magnetic A$AP Rocky, who works at the motel.
But this film is all about Byrne, who has won a Golden Globe already and is currently nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA.
After years of being best known for comedies, it’s a delight to see her achieve such recognition for a dramatic role.
She gives a fearless, frazzled performance as Linda descends into madness and attempts to navigate life despite her troubled mental health.
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You has some darkly funny moments (just wait for the hamster scene), but it’s overall a stressful experience that will have you holding your breath for prolonged periods. This is easily Byrne’s career-best performance.
In cinemas from Friday 20th February
By Hannah Wales
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