Oscar Nominee Film Review: IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU

People were surprised when Rose Byrne - she of such comedy classics like BRIDESMAIDS and THE INTERNSHIP as well as horror films like 28 WEEKS LATER and INSIDIOUS - was nominated for an Oscar, having no idea she could do dramatic work.

But, if you were a fan of the Glenn Close led court-room series DAMAGES (that ran from 2007-2012), then you know that Byrne HAS the dramatic chops as she went toe-to-toe with Close in almost every episode and held her own very well.

It has been years since the BankofMarquis has seen Byrne stretch her dramatic acting chops but in IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU she shows that she still has her dramatic fastball as her performance as a woman on a verge of a nervous breakdown is haunting and very, very real.

Written and Directed by Mary Bronstein (ROUND TOWN GIRLS - yeah, I’ve never heard of it either), IF I HAD LEGS…tells the story of Linda, a therapist that is definitely in need of therapy for she is trying to navigate an absentee husband (he’s in the military), an unlivable living situation and a daughter who has an undisclosed illness that requires a feeding tube. All of these things - and a few others - add up to push Linda to the brink of a nervous breakdown.

These items could have been melodramatic and over-the-top (and I did, at times, say to the screen “C’mon, what else are you going to throw at this poor woman”), but Bronstein’s direction is light and she does not punch you in the gut again and again, but rather lets the scenes and Linda’s poor responses to what is happening around her tell the story rather than hit you over the head to tell you what is going on…and what to think.

It is this restraint that elevates this film above the norm.

Besides Byrne’s strong, (well deserved) Oscar nominated performance, Bronstein gets two very good performances out of 2 personalities that one would not equate as actors - Conan O’Brien (as a fellow therapist) and A$AP Rocky as a neighbor that’s just trying to help - even though Byrne’s character makes it very clear she needs no help…she can screw up pretty brutally on her own.

And that’s the point of the film, it shows a woman spiraling and making bad decision after bad decision and it is a fascinating glimpse into this woman’s life.

Not a fun watch, but essential…for Byrne’s performance alone.

Letter Grade: B+

7 1/2 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the BankofMarquis