Rose Byrne Earns Acclaim for Dark Comedy “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”

Australian actress Rose Byrne is making waves again with her latest role in the dark comedy “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”, written and directed by Mary Bronstein. The film, distributed by A24, premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and later competed at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), where Byrne won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance. The movie will see a U.S. theatrical release on October 10, 2025.

In this unsettling yet absurd comedy, Byrne plays Linda, a mother juggling her sick daughter’s care, a collapsing home, and an increasingly strained marriage. Her character’s emotional unraveling forms the core of Bronstein’s story — one that blends dark humor, dread, and surrealism into an unpredictable mix. Linda’s life spirals after the ceiling of her home caves in, forcing her and her daughter (played by Delaney Quinn) to move into a rundown motel while her husband remains absent.

Things only get stranger from there. One of the movie’s most bizarre moments involves Jack Nicholson — the hamster, not the actor. After her daughter repeatedly begs for a pet, Linda gives in. But when the hamster escapes after a minor car accident, chaos ensues. The scene turns gruesome, and as Byrne recalls, she couldn’t stop laughing when she first read it: “On the page, the hamster is described as Jack Nicholson from The Shining trying to scratch through the door. And I fell apart.”

The film walks a delicate line between horror, absurdity, and emotional realism. Bronstein even used both a real hamster and a puppet for the messy aftermath of that scene. According to Byrne, this project pushed her humor and dramatic range “to lengths that I’ve never played before,” calling it “a tightrope of dark, dramatic, and sometimes horrifying comedy.”

The supporting cast includes Conan O’Brien as Linda’s increasingly antagonistic therapist, Christian Slater as her absent husband, A$AP Rocky as a motel superintendent named James, and Danielle Macdonald as Caroline, a fellow mother. The movie was filmed in Montauk, New York, during August and September 2023, with Christopher Messina handling cinematography and Lucian Johnston editing.

Critics have praised Byrne’s performance as one of her best to date. The Guardian called her “a knockout in an anxious dark comedy,” while Vogue’s interview with Mary Bronstein highlighted how the film tackles the under-examined pressures of motherhood and identity. The movie currently holds around 95% positive reviews from critics across major outlets.

Bronstein, known for her 2008 indie film Yeast, described this new project as “emotionally true rather than autobiographical.” She drew inspiration from her own experiences caring for a sick child, shaping the film into what she calls “a surreal reflection of maternal anxiety.”

Byrne says she feels “very emotional” about the recognition she’s receiving: “I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’m just grateful for such an incredible opportunity with this character.”

As for her signature dark humor, Byrne sums it up simply: “Gosh, isn’t that just waking up? That’s life. I don’t even know how funny it is — it’s just real dark.”

For more insights, check out Reuters’ interview with Byrne and the official trailer coverage by People.