If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (2025)

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

• I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting to watch this. Well, it hasn’t actually been that long. But because of all the awards buzz around Rose Byrne, and being an A24 fan in general, I’ve been itching for this to hit streaming. How that it’s finally on HBO Max, I immediately jumped on it, and my goodness have I been missing out. I really wish I got a chance to see this when it first came out. It’s so much deeper than I thought it would be, but it’s A24, so that’s always gonna be the case. It focuses hard on mental health, motherhood, and relationships, so it can be very relatable to everyone. Even if you aren’t a mother or a woman, it’s still very easy to get sucked into Linda’s mind and find some sort of connection. I absolutely love the structure of the story, which honestly isn’t even that complicated. It’s just a day-to-day account of Linda’s life and certain issues, but it’s told in a very compelling way. You don’t see her daughter’s face (until the end) or her husband, so rather than seeing everyone for who they were, you could put yourself into Linda’s shoes and use her situation to create your own reality. It’s a small detail, but I think it’s absolutely genius. Rather than being handed details and ideas, you’re forced to use your mind to fit your own thoughts into feeling into the story. Genius, whether that was the intention or not. The writing is sublime, with a strong psychological edge that elevates this into a non-horror horror film, but still grounded enough to be told through the eyes of an everyday person. Rose Byrne’s performance certainly deserves all the awards talk, with a well deserved Golden Globe win. I think Buckley will still take the Oscar, but Byrne is a hard second. She absolutely radiates her emotions in such a natural way, and in a way that everyone does. Just her eyes alone are enough to tell her entire story. It’s truly one of the best female performances of 2025, maybe even the decade. It was also sweet to see Conan O’Brien, who took his role very seriously and executed it very well. I wouldn’t mind seeing him in more dramatic roles, because like Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler, he can really put his comedy aside and pull out his more serious side. Overall, this is a pretty immaculately written and performed film, with very personal themes that are central to the human soul and mind. I would recommend it to everyone. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!