I remember seeing a trailer for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You and liking it. I made a mental note to keep an eye out for it, which was easy considering the name. What stuck with me about the trailer was seeing Rose Byrne in a different kind of role and Conan O’Brien showing up in a film at all. I'm so used to seeing Rose in comedies like Bad Neighbors and Bridesmaids, but I think her best work was in the TV drama series Damages.

Well, until now.

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You follows Rose’s character, Linda, as she cares for her daughter with a mystery illness while her husband is away. Life comes crashing down when the family home’s ceiling caves in, forcing the mother and daughter to take refuge in a dingy motel.

By day, Linda is running her daughter from appointment to appointment while also trying to earn a living as a therapist. By night, she’s smashing bottles of wine and puffing on the devil’s lettuce to try to keep her sanity in check.

Watching Rose Byrne emotionally break down throughout the film is mesmerising. I think part of the reason is that most of the shots are close-ups of her face. You can see the pain and anguish take their toll with every obstacle she hits. You’re watching her try to keep it all together while her daughter cries about cheese on top of a pizza or a patient whines about the tiniest inconvenience they had to put up with.

I can see why Rose has been nominated for so many awards. The small details like her eye twitch getting worse throughout the film add to the realism.The supporting cast also hold their own. Conan is great as the passive-aggressive colleague who also happens to be her therapist. I was even shocked at how well A$AP Rocky acted, despite not knowing a single song of his. He tried to be a friend while the family was staying in the motel, but Linda kept shutting it down. They had a few friendly moments together that were memorable.

I even liked that the daughter didn’t appear on camera. You only ever hear her in the background, so you never miss a second of Linda’s reaction to her tantrums. Everything happens in real time. You can feel her squirming and unravelling.

I’m not going to say that If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is a perfect movie, but there’s nothing I would change about it. Every moment has purpose and no scene feels unnecessary. It all builds to the finale, which doesn’t wrap everything up in a bow. It feels like a release after everything you’ve witnessed.

By now you should know if I’m recommending If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. It’s not a feel-good movie. You’ll need to be in a certain type of mood to watch it. When you are, I highly recommend checking it out.

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