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If you view If I Had Legs I’d Kick You as escapist entertainment, you must have the perfect life. A descent into manicism through the eyes of a spiraling therapist, the movie is an immersive, anxiety-inducing thrill ride headlined by an Oscar-worthy performance by Rose Byrne.
Byrne, one of today’s best actresses and also one of today’s most under-appreciated actresses, is a tour de force here. Byrne, still known stateside more as a comedic actress (IMDb’s “Known for” algorithm reserves three of her four slots for comedies), taps into the dark recesses of her massive talent to play the troubled Linda. The role is almost comedic—everything that happens to her and how she reacts could be spun as funny, if not for the fact that she is on the verge of a psychotic break and becoming messier by the moment. If Byrne doesn’t garner massive award attention, I don’t know what will.
The movie, written and directed by Mary Bronstein, is also very good, a visceral, engrossing depiction of a woman pushed beyond her limits. Few movies really make me feel anything, but If I Had Legs I’d Kick You certainly induces “these feelings” I hear of, from angst to anxiety to an accelerating sense of foreboding and inevitable destruction.
They may not be happy emotions, but If I Had Legs I’d Kick You makes you feel them anyway. That is a testament to what Bronstein has done here, amplified by Byrne’s incredible performance. This isn’t escapism—unless you’re looking to be freed from your wonderful, beautiful, perfect life for a couple of hours.
Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.