'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You' Review: Rose Byrne’s Descent Into Chaos [TIFF 25]
While ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’ may be inconsistent at times, Rose Byrne stuns in role as chaotic and spiralling mother who, despite her best efforts, is trapped in one dark spiritual hole after another.
Every year, a select few films make their debuts early in the film festival circuit and, almost instantly, they generate buzz. This year, Mary Bronstein’s sophomore feature, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, made its debut at Sundance Film Festival in January, and initial reactions sang its praises. First thoughts compared the film to Benny and Josh Safdie’s Uncut Gems, similarly an anxiety-inducing thriller following a chaotic, morally gray protagonist. Uncut Gems also screened at TIFF to an eager crowd of theatregoers and, this year, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You was just as highly anticipated.
The film follows Linda (played by Rose Byrne) over the course of several tumultuous weeks. With her husband out of the country on business, she is alone to balance being both a therapist and a full-time caregiver for her young daughter, who needs to be off of her feeding tube as soon as possible. On top of that, the film begins with the ceiling of her apartment literally caving in – with a massive mystery hole spewing water and destroying her home, she’s forced to relocate to a motel and, alone, tries to keep everything under control. As her life begins to unravel, she grapples with her career, struggling to invest the attention and care into her patients. This is only exacerbated when she feels ignored by her own therapist (played by Conan O’Brien) – who is conveniently stationed right down the hall from her. In her free time, she finds herself arguing – with her husband, with her daughter, with her daughter’s doctor, with the parking attendant at the hospital, with her landlord, and, naturally, with the motel receptionist over the rules around late night purchases of wine. The one person that seems to try to cut her some slack is the motel superintendent (played by A$AP Rocky), but his sympathy comes in unorthodox ways – does buying hard drugs together count as support?
Although entertaining, the viewer can’t help but feel for Linda – even when she makes very questionable choices. Without her husband there to provide support, she is consumed by her duties as a mother to a sick child. Isolated motherhood is already intimidating, but also being responsible for your child’s recovery from their mystery illness, pushing your child to eat when they refuse, and then taking the brunt of the doctor’s judgement – terrifying. Although many parts of this film are exaggerated, this aspect of parenthood through sickness mirrors reality for many parents. Feeling helpless and responsible at the same time, swallowing frustration and desperation, and somehow staying afloat. Although Linda makes her best efforts to help with what little bandwidth she has left, she often ends up making things even worse than they were. Indeed, the viewer may react to Linda’s unwieldy decisions, but her situation genuinely feels impossible – surrounded by holes (in her ceiling, in her daughter’s stomach to allow for a feeding tube, and in the floor swallowing her up), it’s unimaginable and, accordingly, difficult for the viewer to criticize too heavily.
There are many similarities between this film and Uncut Gems, so naturally, it follows that the first viewers drew connections. Beyond the anxiety and thrill each movie provides as it follows the characters’ spirals, both movies are piloted by outstanding actors. Indeed, one of Uncut Gems’ most praised features is its phenomenal lead performance by Adam Sandler – in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Rose Byrne is similarly incredible as lead Linda (exhibited by her win of the Berlin International Film Festival’s Silver Bear for Best Lead Performance). Despite the similarities between the two movies, however, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is just not as electric. At times, it’s bogged down by needless repetition and some turns to plot feel unnecessary or play out too long. This is a danger that comes with comparisons – when the movie is great, it’s great, but when it doesn’t quite rise to the same level as its predecessor, it can disappoint. Tonally, the film is a little inconsistent – at times, it appears to attempt to ramp up the anxiety and stress Linda is experiencing, but at other times, it tries to slow down and strike a more emotional chord with the viewer. Most of the time, it works, but there are sequences that could be tightened or even left out altogether, which would help in keeping the viewer hooked throughout the film.
For viewers that appreciate a descent into chaos, heralded by a bold performance, this is a strong film, but viewers may benefit from watching without any expectations. Although tonally inconsistent, Byrne’s strong performance is enough to keep the viewer engaged – undoubtedly, viewers will care about Linda’s journey, cringing their way through her decisions and groaning at the consequences. For those who love an intense ride, this is a solid film, and for those who track awards contenders, this may be one to keep on the radar (crossing our fingers for you, Rose!).