If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
| If I Had Legs I'd Kick You | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Mary Bronstein |
| Written by | Mary Bronstein |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Christopher Messina |
| Edited by | Lucian Johnston |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | A24 |
Release dates |
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Running time | 114 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
If I Had Legs I'd Kick You is a 2025 American psychological comedy-drama film, written and directed by Mary Bronstein. It stars Rose Byrne, Conan O'Brien, Danielle Macdonald, Christian Slater and ASAP Rocky.
The film had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2025. At the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, Byrne won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance. It is scheduled to be released by A24 on October 10.
Cast
[edit]- Rose Byrne as Linda[2]
- Conan O'Brien as Linda's therapist
- Danielle Macdonald as Caroline, a mother who abandons her newborn baby
- Christian Slater as Charles, Linda's husband[3]
- ASAP Rocky as James, motel superintendent
- Ivy Wolk as Diana, a motel clerk
- Daniel Zolghadri as Stephen
- Delaney Quinn as Linda's terminally ill daughter
- Ronald Bronstein as Caroline's husband
- Lark White as Vanessa
- Josh Pais as Brad
- Eva Kornet as herself
- Mark Stolzenberg as a clinic parking attendant
- Helen Hong as Eva
- Ella Beatty as Kate
- Manu Narayan as Landlord
- Amy Judd Lieberman as Melanie
Production
[edit]If I Had Legs I'd Kick You began filming in August[4] and September 2023[5] in Montauk, New York after SAG-AFTRA granted an interim agreement for the film amidst the actors' strike.[6]
Release
[edit]
If I Had Legs I'd Kick You premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2025.[7] It had its international premiere in February 2025 at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival in competition for the Golden Bear.[8][9] Rose Byrne won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance.[10] It will be screened at the 52nd Telluride Film Festival,[11] the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival,[12] the 2025 New York Film Festival,[13] and the 2025 BFI London Film Festival.[14] The film is scheduled to be released by A24 on October 10, 2025.[15]
It will be screened in the 'Best of 2025' section of the 20th Rome Film Festival in October 2025.[16]
Reception
[edit]Critical reception
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 41 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Liable to leave audiences in a cold sweat, this fever dream immersion into parental stress connects with thunderous force thanks to Rose Byrne's gutsy star turn and director Mary Bronstein's uncompromising vision."[17] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[18]
Accolades
[edit]| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin International Film Festival | February 23, 2025 | Golden Bear | If I Had Legs I'd Kick You | Nominated | [19] |
| Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance | Rose Byrne | Won | |||
| Mill Valley Film Festival | October 10, 2025 | Mind the Gap Award | Won | [20] | |
| Middleburg Film Festival | October 19, 2025 | Agnès Varda Trailblazing Film Artist Award | Won | [21] | |
| Sitges Film Festival | October 19, 2025 | Best Feature Film | If I Had Legs I'd Kick You | Pending | [22] |
| Savannah Film Festival | November 1, 2025 | Luminary Award | Rose Byrne | Won | [23] |
References
[edit]- ^ "IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU". British Columbia Film Classification Office
Consumer Protection BC. September 24, 2025. Retrieved September 24, 2025. - ^ Evans, Greg (February 21, 2024). "'Feud's Ella Beatty To Join Broadway's 'Appropriate'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ Garner, Glenn (January 24, 2025). "'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You' Review: Rose Byrne Falls Into A Mom Shame Spiral In Mary Bronstein's Tense Dramatic Comedy — Sundance Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
- ^ "SAG-AFTRA" (PDF). sagaftra.org. SAG-AFTRA. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ "PRODUCTION WEEKLY – ISSUE 1367 – THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 / 163 LISTINGS – 33 PAGES". productionweekly.com. Production Weekly. September 14, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (November 7, 2023). "SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreements: Full List Of Movies And TV Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 11, 2024). "Sundance 2025: JLo, Sly Stone, Putin, Ayo Edebiri, André Holland, & Ex-NZ PM Jacinda Ardern Films Among Park City Festival Offerings". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ "Berlinale Programme". www.berlinale.de. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (January 21, 2025). "Berlin Film Festival Lineup: Richard Linklater, Jessica Chastain, A$AP Rocky & Marion Cotillard Movies Among Vibrant Selection". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
- ^ "The Prizes of the International Jury". www.berlinale.de. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ Neglia, Matt (August 28, 2025). "The 2025 Telluride Film Festival Lineup". Next Best Picture. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 21, 2025). "TIFF Galas & Presentations: World Premieres 'Good Fortune', 'Nuremberg', Sydney Sweeney Pic 'Christy', Angelina Jolie 'Couture'; North American Debuts Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein', Dwayne Johnson 'Smashing Machine'". Deadline. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (August 5, 2025). "New York Film Festival Unveils 2025 Lineup: George Clooney's 'Jay Kelly,' 'Sentimental Value,' Park Chan-wook's 'No Other Choice'". Variety. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ Neglia, Matt (September 3, 2025). "The 2025 BFI London Film Festival Lineup". Next Best Picture. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ Dunn, Jack (August 6, 2025). "'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You' Trailer: Rose Byrne Plays a Spiraling Mother in A24 Dramedy". Variety. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ "Festa del Cinema di Roma 2025, il programma completo (diretta)" [Rome Film Fest 2025: Full program (live)]. Ciak Magazine (in Italian). September 19, 2025. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
- ^ "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
- ^ "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You". Metacritic. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
- ^ "Prizes of the International Jury". www.berlinale.de. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
- ^ "MVFF48 SCHEDULE – Mill Valley Film Festival". www.mvff.com. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
- ^ Jones, Marcus (September 18, 2025). "'Jay Kelly' to Open Middleburg Film Festival, with Chloé Zhao and Colin Farrell Among 2025 Honorees". IndieWire. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
- ^ "We Complete the 2025 line-up: Guillermo del Toro, Yorgos Lanthimos, Park Chan-wook, Carmen Maura, and Other Big Names in Contemporary Fantastic Genre". Sitges Film Festival. Archived from the original on September 14, 2025. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
- ^ "AwardsWatch - 2025 SCAD Savannah Film Festival Honorees Include Rose Byrne, Oscar Isaac, Dylan O'Brien and Tessa Thompson". AwardsWatch. October 1, 2025. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
