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Rating: 5 out of 5
Have you ever thought about how the world and your life would be if you could only write with one foot? Take a second and think if you could go through life writing with one foot. I can hardly write well with my right hand. I’m telling you that my handwriting is AWFUL, but if I could only write with one foot, I might as well not even try. That takes some serious coordination and freakin skills.
I knew absolutely nothing about Christy Brown. To be absolutely honest, the only reason I watched this movie was because it was on the Academy Award-winning list, along with the fact that it starred Daniel Day-Lewis. I love me some Daniel Day-Lewis. I think he is one of the greatest actors of all time. The mangoes hard when he does a role. I was interested in seeing the very first movie he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for. I was not disappointed.
Directed by Jim Sheridan, My Left Foot is the 1954 memoir by Christy Brown. The film tells the story of Christy Brown. An Irish man born with cerebral palsy who could control only his left foot. A story about a man who grew up in a poor working-class family and became a writer and artist.
First, the film is split between young boy Christy (O’Connor) and adult Christy (Day-Lewis). In the first half, the film starts off in 1932. Christy is born into a family of freakin 15. I didn’t even know if that is possible. Actually, he had 22 siblings. Out of these 22, 13 lived, and 9 died in infancy. That is a lot of love and baby-making right there. After his birth, Doctors discovered her had cerebral palsy. He could not walk or talk, but his siblings loved him no matter his frail and tiny structure, and his dear ole mother, Bridget Fagan Brown (Fricker), adored him with all her heart. His father didn’t think much of him and thought he was slow. Even though he couldn’t talk, Christy showed tremendous awareness when his mother tripped down the stairs while in labor, and Christy was the only person home to see it. He was able to alert some of the neighbors who came and helped.
I believe the scene that made this movie fun to watch in the first half is when Christy writes with his left foot. His father, a drunk, and didn’t believe that Christy would amount to much. One day, Christy grabs the chalk with his foot and writes the word mother with all his might and determination. His father witnessing this, has a complete change of heart and takes his son to the bar. He proclaims that Christy is a Brown in front of the crowd.
In the second half of the film, we see grown-up Christy. This half of the film begins with Christy and his brothers playing soccer. Dudes lay Christy on the ground, and he belts a soccer ball in the goal. Also, in this period, Christy begins painting as a hobby and stealing coal when his father gets laid off. Christy’s loving mother buys him a wheelchair as she has been gradually saving some of her money. Christy is also introduced to Eileen Cole (Shaw), who takes him to her school for cerebral palsy patients. She also persuades a friend to hold an exhibition of his work. Christy falls hard for Cole, but when he learns that she is engaged to get married during dinner, the dude completely loses it. He drinks hard, throws insults, and considers suicide. Once again, his loving mother comes through and helps him build a private studio for himself. When his father dies of a stroke, Christy instigates a brawl during a remembrance at his favorite pub. How does one dude start so much s**t from a wheelchair? At this juncture in life, Christy starts writing his autobiography, My Left Foot. Cole comes back into his life, and during a charity event, he meets his handler, a nurse named Mary Carr, to which the sly Christy asks on a date.
Now, I’ll admit that the second half of this film is highly entertaining from the brawl at a funeral. For a dude who can only move his head around and his left foot, he sure does talk a lot of s**t, but that is what’s great about Christy. Dude had such a hard life, he has zero f**ks in the world. Also, we have all had our heart broken, and homeboy went insane at that table during dinner. If dude can’t lean that far over, why keep putting booze in front of him? That makes no sense at all.
Watching the film, I didn’t know if I should be inspired by Christy or be highly grateful for the life that I have. It’s inspirational as Christy wrote a best seller and had a painting career while only being able to control his left foot. That is some hardcore stuff right there. I am grateful because even though life can be hard, this homeboy was dealt some cards that most people wouldn’t strive in, and he kept marching through that door and didn’t seem to give up only when his heart was broken. Gotta applaud the determination.
The acting is superb in this film. First, what can you say about Daniel Day-Lewis. Even though I have seen him in other films and seen his other works, the dude goes hard for a role. You want to talk about committing everything you have to a role, look no further than Daniel Day-Lewis. Hugh O’Conor as young Christy Brown was just as good. He must’ve sat around and taken notes from Daniel Day-Lewis because the transition between them seems seamless and natural. Also, Brenda Fricker as Bridget Fagan Brown, Christy’s mother, was terrific. I love her character as the warming mother who did everything she could for her children. When mama saves for your wheelchair, you know you have a great mother.
My Left Foot is a great movie to watch. The acting was superb as Daniel Day-Lewis showed why he is one of the best actors ever with his first Academy Award win. Brenda Fricker also is someone who did her role to near perfection as the loving mother. Watch a man with a server disability overcome everything to be a renowned writer and painter.
