With her life crashing down around her, Linda attempts to navigate her child’s mysterious illness, her absent husband, a missing person, and an increasingly hostile relationship with her therapist.
Being a mom isn’t easy. Thankfully, many modern movies about motherhood have allowed us to take not just a sympathetic look at them, but also to consider the messier perspectives we often miss when we’re interrogating just what it means to be a mom. In “If I had Legs I’d Kick You,” Rose Byrne gives her mom role an all-out explosive kick in the ass to put Linda through the wringer and test the audience’s faith. With deft direction from Mary Bronstein, the whole thing pressure cooks the audience as much as it does Rose Byrne to deliver on a quasi-“Uncut Gems” level of panic attack.
Rose Byrne plays Linda, a down-on-her-luck mother suffering the worst time of her life. It’s not enough that her child has a mysterious illness or her husband feels completely absent, but also there’s a leak in her roof leading to a flood, forcing her to move into a motel that’s out of her way, costing her precious sleep and time. Now she’s late to meetings with her increasingly hostile therapist (played by Conan O’Brien of all people) and cozying up to A$AP Rocky, of all rappers, in her scummy motel building. It’s enough to drive anyone over the edge, and “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” posits just that question: How far can you go before you tip?
The movie lives and breathes through Byrne’s commitment to her role. In her hands, the comedic notes play into frantic bursts, and the audience might squeak out a laugh if only to relieve some of the mounting stress. Notable additions include the late-night talk host Conan, who is on a bit of a media victory lap since shuttering his show. Fold in Christian Slater and add a shocking dash of A$AP Rocky playing off of Byrne directly, and you have a very unconventional cast list that makes this movie stand out, if not intrigue.
Bronstein’s direction elevates this entire experience. Her command of Byrne’s performance pushes the movie to another level. She never quite settles for the easy beat, but instead reaches deeper and deeper for more claustrophobic and more nauseous interactions. Whether it’s the camera holding the unflinching gaze of Rose Byrne or bouncing around as her child cavorts across the screen, we’re never perfectly level. In fact, the film’s central unifying element is its ability to unsettle audiences, both with the character and with the direction. With so many factors playing against it, the film is more seen as a litmus test for characters rather than a straightforward narrative. Can Byrne deliver something so powerful under the microscopic lens of Bronstein’s camera? Indeed, the movie marks the beginning of a new era in filmmaking – the anxious era.
In Theaters Friday, October 24th
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