Rose Byrne delivers one of the best performances of the year in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, which more than lives up to the hype as a prospective Oscar contender. While many of the projected Oscar contenders this year are movies with clear genres and tones, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is a compelling outlier.

The film, which alternates between darkly funny, existentially terrifying, and quietly heartbreaking, is a fascinating character study about a woman who finds herself cracking under the pressure she’s been put under by her family, patients, and the world at large. Rose Byrne plays it with a frantic believability that stands out as one of the year’s most Oscar-worthy performances.

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You Is Rose Byrne’s Best Showcase Ever

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is a phenomenal showcase for Rose Byrne. Byrne plays Linda, a mother, wife, and therapist who finds her life unraveling even as more pressure keeps being placed upon her. Forced to contend with her daughter’s illness alone while her husband is away for work, Linda spends the film perpetually on edge.

Linda is a wonderfully tricky character, someone who needs to be as sympathetic, frustrating, and compelling as any real-life person. Bryne does terrific work, especially considering the full scope of high and low emotions she experiences over the film. Linda is constantly on edge, always on the verge of yelling, even when trying to be polite and empathetic.

The film plays this flexibility for comedy and drama, with her impromptu therapeutic meetings with her exhausted colleague often alternating between the funniest and saddest moments in the film. Linda is someone who wants the world to tell her what to do, but who also doesn’t want to be pushed around or ordered into a corner.

Linda is frequently funny, consistently tragic, and just flawed enough to make her feel deeply human as her world crumbles around her. It’s a wonderfully fleshed-out character in Mary Bronstein’s script, a challenging role that requires equal parts humor and vulnerability. Byrne’s versatility as an actress is key to making the character work on-screen.

Bryne makes Linda hilarious when she needs to be, whether with a low-key delivery or a sudden burst of emotion. That same volatility pays off in more dramatic and tragic moments, with Linda’s breakdowns deeply affecting. Even the quiet moments where Linda stares off into nothingness are compelling, a mulтιтude of emotions swirling around in brief slices of silence.

In the wrong hands, Linda would be a caricature. She could come across as shrill or melodramatic, one-note as a depiction of womanhood in a chaotic world. Bronstein’s script never lets her become one-note, and Byrne never backs away from the heartwrenching or hilarious turns that Linda experiences. It’s a truly terrific and varied performance.

Rose Byrne Deserves An Oscar Nomination For If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

The award season is in full swing, but If I Had Legs I’d Kick You has been a frontrunner for award consideration ever since it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. Byrne won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance at the Berlin International Film Festival, and she’s earned other accolades from smaller festivals.

Now that the film is available to a wider audience, it’ll hopefully pick up more steam in the race for a Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards. Byrne is facing off against stiff compeтιтion from the likes of Jessie Buckley, Emma Stone, Renate Reinsve, Cynthia Erivo, and plenty of other performers who also delivered great performances this year.

Byrne’s performance is one of the most effective in a year full of remarkable turns, with a tonal versatility and raw emotional edge that makes it hard to turn away from. It would also be a fitting film to celebrate Byrne’s career with, considering that she’s become a consistent but versatile presence in the world of film and television.

After getting her start in Australian projects and making appearances in blockbusters like Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Troy, her breakthrough performances in 28 Years Later and FX’s Damages brought her into the spotlight. Byrne has since become one of Hollywood’s most effective utility players, capable in indie dramas, franchise flicks, and goofy comedies alike.

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You gives her a chance to showcase that impressive range all within a character that never stops feeling real and lived-in. It’s frantic without ever feeling impersonal or unrealistic. It’s quietly similar to Adam Sandler’s fantastic work in Uncut Gems, just relocated to a supposedly simple suburban environment.

Rose Byrne established herself as a frontrunner for an Oscar nomination with her award win in Berlin. Rising momentum behind other actresses like Buckley can’t derail Byrne’s chances. Rose Byrne has never been better than in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, and it’d be genuinely shocking (and incredibly frustrating) to not see it pick up some Oscar attention.