Film Review: IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU: Rose Byrne Delivers a Performance That Should Receive Unanimous Acclaim in a Tension-Filled Drama [NYFF 2025]

Thomas Duffy October 4, 2025Last Updated: October 4, 2025

Rose Byrne If I Had Legs Id Kick You

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You Review

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (2025) Film Review from the 63rd Annual New York Film Festival, a movie written and directed by Mary Bronstein and starring Rose Byrne, Conan O’Brien, Christian Slater, Danielle Macdonald, Delaney Quinn, Mary Bronstein, A$AP Rocky, Mark Stolzenberg, Manu Narayan, Ella Beatty, Eva Kornet, Helen Hong, Daniel Zolghadri, Josh Pais, Laurence Blum and Lark White.

Filmmaker Mary Bronstein’s fascinating character study of a mother on the brink of sanity, If I Had Lets I’d Kick You, is, thus far, the year’s best film. This terrifying tale of craziness and redemption is driven by the work of actress Rose Byrne which is one of the top 10 lead female performances I’ve ever seen. Bronstein builds tension like a pro and this picture features Byrne’s character, Linda, going off the rails early on with little hope of getting on track until the last moments of the picture. By then, though, it could be too late. Byrne delivers a fierce, fascinating and brilliant performance which should definitely be remembered come Oscar time.

Linda is having a really bad day. No, make that a bad week. Scratch that, Linda is having the worst period of her life by the time the film’s main story begins. Her husband, Charles (Christian Slater), seems to be little more than a voice on the other end of the phone as Linda struggles to take care of her sick young daughter who typically sits in the backseat of the car and appears to be nothing more than added difficulties for the working mom that Linda is. It all starts when there is a monster hole in the ceiling of their apartment. We see the daughter’s legs and feet as she’s sitting on the toilet as the bathroom becomes flooded and Linda must flee the apartment and get help fixing the hole. To her disappointment, it seems like Linda and her daughter will have to take up residence in a hotel while they wait for the ceiling to get patched up. Charles barks orders to Linda on the other end of the telephone and Linda seems to be reaching every day to make it through from morning to night.

This film’s director, Bronstein, plays Dr. Spring, the one who is trying to help Linda with the treatment of her daughter. Spring heads up a support group and needs Linda to commit to making an appointment to discuss the further treatment of her daughter, but Linda tries to book a date that has already passed to get out of facing the responsibility. She’s overwhelmed and needs help. One of Linda’s patients at her practice is Caroline (Danielle Macdonald) who ends up calling Linda at an off-time for stupid reasons. Caroline, a new mom, is clearly off her rocker and something is wrong with her, but Linda deals with people like her everyday and hopes for the best.

The plot thickens as Caroline leaves her crying baby at Linda’s office and disappears without a trace. When Linda tries to call Caroline’s baby’s dad, he gets mad at her and he asks her to bring him the baby rather than come and get it himself.

This film is filled with raw intensity. One of the best scenes has Linda telling a support group of people in a similar situation she’s in that it “is” their fault that they’re there. Dr. Spring tries to get Linda under control, but it’s clear she’s way over the edge and nothing can be done to stop her from acting out at any given moment. And, why is she so pissed, you ask? One day, Linda’s daughter asks for a hamster which Linda gets her and it comes out of the box in the car. The hamster proceeds to bite Linda and gets out onto the street where it meets an unfortunate fate. This film is essentially about the principle of Murphy’s Law- whatever could go wrong, will go wrong, a concept which seems to be on repeat every other minute of Linda’s life.

Conan O’Brien is featured in a supporting role as Linda’s own therapist who can only do so much to help the troubled Linda. O’Brien adds some depth and emotion to his role as the concerned professional who is forced to prioritize Linda’s well-being over her seeing her patients as she is in an unstable state of mind. A$AP Rocky plays James, who is “not'” the babysitter, but rather a resident and worker at the hotel Linda and her daughter are staying at. James has to be there to answer Linda’s screaming daughter when Linda abandons the scene at one point and the results of Linda’s responses could become harrowing by the climax of the film.

There is no reason to reveal any more plot details. This movie’s specialty is providing the type of bizarre situations that plague everyday life and make it almost impossible for certain people to function successfully as all hell breaks loose around them. Linda probably wants to be a good mother, but can’t be one given her unusual predicament and lack of support. By the time Charles actually shows up, well, let’s just say he may be a day late and a dollar short. Maybe.

Rose Byrne rips into this character with unparalleled ferociousness that has been unmatched in any performance I’ve seen in recent cinematic history. Byrne can make the viewer feel sympathy for her, but, at the same time, one can also realize she’s a bit mad, too. Byrne captures Linda’s pains a bit more than her passions and rightfully so. When does Linda have time to pursue any passions given her unfortunate series of events?

Christian Slater is terrific in a last-minute appearance in the picture that will have audiences on the edge of their seats. A$AP Rocky’s James is a nice guy trying to help, but he’s simply given the run-around by Linda who’s lost it all while trying to care for a daughter who just seems not to be getting better, for whatever reason. Rocky adds another nice supporting performance to his distinguished resume.

It is Conan O’Brien who surprises the most with a subtle and very effective turn that makes his character come to life as the hope that Linda needs which could change her very dire situation. O’Brien’s scenes with Byrne are like a well conducted opus about frustration and the desire for salvation. Both performers play off each other like masters of the acting game here.

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is a master class in unrelenting tension. It is anchored by Byrne’s bravura performance that hits the ball out of the park scene after scene each and every time she’s on-screen which is 95 percent of the time, if not 100. It’s no wonder that she got a standing ovation at a recent screening at this year’s New York Film Festival. I could see her getting another one of those at the Oscars. While I haven’t seen all the lead performances’ best actress contenders this year, yet, it would have to be an epic year for anyone to come close to surpassing Byrne’s brilliance and her manic turn here is the stuff legendary roles are made of in a devastating and haunting gem of a film. Don’t miss it.

Rating: 10/10

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