Fresh
All performances are on the mark in this perfect little film.
Variety Staff, Variety
My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown
A film about life, laughter, and the occasional miracle.
1989 · 1h 43m · R
Drama
Directed by
Jim Sheridan
Overview
No one expects much from Christy Brown, a boy with cerebral palsy born into a working-class Irish family. Though Christy is a spastic quadriplegic and essentially paralyzed, a miraculous event occurs when, at the age of 5, he demonstrates control of his left foot by using chalk to scrawl a word on the floor. With the help of his steely mother — and no shortage of grit and determination — Christy overcomes his infirmity to become a painter, poet and author.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
98%
Tomatometer
Fresh
For all his character's travails the film as a whole winds up surprisingly upbeat.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Fresh
An intelligent, beautifully acted adaptation of Christy Brown's first book.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
Fresh
My Left Foot is a great film for many reasons, but the most important is that it gives us such a complete picture of this man's life.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Fresh
Not only does Day-Lewis master the physical aspects of the role, the minute-to-minute struggle of almost complete paralysis, he lives the painful genesis of an artistic character.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
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