Deviating from the standard Hollywood biopic, Sheridan's chronicle told with candor, realism, and humor the story of paraplegic writer-artist Christy Brown, embodied in a tour-de-force Oscar-winning performance by Daniel Day-Lewis.
My Left Foot (1989)
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Reviews Counted: 31
Fresh: 31
Rotten:0
Average Rating: 8.3/10
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a performance for the ages in this film based on DOWN ALL THE DAYS, the autobiography of Christy Brown, who overcame severe physical limitations to become an accomplished... Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a performance for the ages in this film based on DOWN ALL THE DAYS, the autobiography of Christy Brown, who overcame severe physical limitations to become an accomplished painter and writer. The film describes the astounding arc of Brown's life, starting with a childhood in which his debilitating cerebral palsy causes everyone but his mother to believe he is brain-damaged. Brown begins to shatter this perception by using his left foot and a piece of chalk to scrawl a one-word message on the floor to his mother. Though Brown's subsequent growth into an artist of great profundity is nothing short of miraculous, he is never presented in the film as anything more nor less than human. Director Jim Sheridan contributes to a fully three-dimensional portrait of the artist by showing such things as Brown playing soccer with his brothers, experiencing the sting of unrequited love, and battling alcoholism. Day-Lewis, in an Academy Award-winning performance, brilliantly captures the wicked genius of Brown's mind as he observes the tone and timbre of his local Ireland with courage and determination. His physical characterization of Brown's condition, portrayed with remarkably little sentimentality, is absolutely astounding. A first-rate ensemble cast includes Hugh O'Connor as young Christy and Brenda Fricker (who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar) and Ray McAnally as his devoted parents. [More]
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Ray McAnally, Brenda Fricker, Fiona Shaw
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Ray McAnally, Brenda Fricker, Fiona Shaw
Director: Jim Sheridan
Director: Jim Sheridan
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Reviews for My Left Foot
[The film] leaves one with an overwhelming sense of the miraculousness of life and of this man's spirit.
Even if all My Left Foot had to offer was Day-Lewis's performance, it'd be a must-see movie.
For all his character's travails the film as a whole winds up surprisingly upbeat.
Nothing can detract from the power of this film, especially Daniel Day-Lewis' astonishing performance as Christy Brown.
Day Lewis' re-creation of writer/painter Christy Brown's condition is so precise, so detailed and so matter-of-fact that it transcends the carping about casting an actor without cerebral palsy.
A rich cinematic experience, this uplifting British production will leave you in awe of the extraordinary Christy Brown.
This wonderful film, perfect in setting the scene of the era and locale, could not be a better story of hope and inspiration.
It's easy to imagine what My Left Foot might have looked like in the hands of a lesser director like, say, Ron Howard.
Inspiration is inherent in Brown's story, but Sheridan, co-screenwriter Shane Connaughton, and Lewis refuse to sanctify him.
...a boisterous, joyous affair, often funny, often brawling, sometimes sad, but always affecting.
A bit rudimentary in form and style, but full of bracing performances and an admirably light-and-dark tone.
Latest News for My Left Foot
September 06, 2007:
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November 11, 2005:
In Other News..."Get Rich" Suffers From PA Shooting
An abysmally low Tomatometer and offensive billboards aren't the only problems plaguing this week's Jim Sheridan-50 Cent release, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" -- one... More...
August 04, 2005:
Trailer Bulletin: Get Rich or Die Tryin'
From Jim Sheridan, the director of "In America" and "My Left Foot," comes the big-screen tale of Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's bitter life on the... More...
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