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A24’s ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’ Reaches Theaters With Strong Notices for Rose Byrne

Bronstein keeps the child offscreen to focus empathy on a mother’s unraveling.

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In Mary Bronstein’s new film, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” Linda, played by Rose Byrne, is a woman who is exhausted, physically and mentally. (Courtesy of A24)
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Overview

  • New reviews praise Rose Byrne’s intense performance as a therapist-mother pushed to the brink, with the Associated Press awarding three stars out of four.
  • Writer-director Mary Bronstein draws on personal caregiving experience and shoots in tight 35mm close-ups to lock the perspective to the protagonist.
  • Conan O’Brien delivers a rare dramatic turn as Linda’s therapist, with Christian Slater as her distant husband and A$AP Rocky as a motel handyman.
  • A24 begins the October theatrical rollout following a Sundance debut and recent New York Film Festival spotlight, with Boston opening on Oct. 17.
  • The Motion Picture Association rates the film R for language, some drug use and bloody images, and critics note echoes of Josh Safdie–produced anxiety dramas.