A film about life, laughter, and the occasional miracle.
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.
Ratings
Curator score: 8.9/10
IMDb: 7.8/10
Letterboxd: 3.94/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Metacritic: 97
TMDB: 7.5/10
Director
Jim Sheridan
Production
Ferndale Films, Granada Television, RTÉ
Cast
Daniel Day-Lewis, Brenda Fricker, Alison Whelan, Kirsten Sheridan, Declan Croghan, Eanna MacLiam, Marie Conmee, Cyril Cusack, Phelim Drew, Ruth McCabe, Fiona Shaw, Ray McAnally, Pat Laffan, Derry Power, Hugh O'Conor, Darren McHugh, Owen Sharp, Eileen Colgan, Keith O'Conor, Tom Hickey
Where to watch
fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A moving, unsentimental biographical drama anchored by one of Daniel Day-Lewis’s defining performances. It balances hardship, wit, and dignity, turning a disability story into a full portrait of an artist and a family.
Best for
viewers who want a powerhouse acting showcase
fans of inspirational true stories with emotional weight
audiences interested in Irish social dramas and working-class life
people who prefer character study over melodrama
Skip if
you want a light or feel-good crowd-pleaser
you’re looking for fast pacing or a plot-driven film
you dislike intense physical-performance acting
you prefer stories that avoid suffering and medical hardship
Overview
My Left Foot is one of those biographical dramas that earns its emotion through specificity rather than uplift. Jim Sheridan keeps the film grounded in the textures of working-class Dublin, and the result feels lived-in rather than inspirational by formula.
Worth noting
Daniel Day-Lewis gives a ferocious, fully embodied performance that never reduces Christy Brown to a symbol. The film is strongest when it lets Christy be funny, stubborn, wounded, and brilliant all at once, with Brenda Fricker providing a vital emotional counterweight as the family’s anchor.
Bottom line
It can be heavy, but it is rarely sentimental in the cheap sense. What lingers is its respect for artistic self-expression, family sacrifice, and the stubborn will to be seen as a complete person.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Eli Hayes (4★) · 538 likes
Daniel Day-Lewis now holds the crown for my TWO favorite performances of all-time: first There Will Be Blood and now this? Nothing tops them, in my opinion. He is truly the king.
Wesley R. Ball (4.5★) · 435 likes
So tomorrow is my 21st birthday, and to celebrate my sister said she would watch any film with me under one condition: It had to be in English. I scoured my Netflix queue until I found this film, which I'd been meaning to see for quite awhile, if only because of the subject's physical condition. I myself have cerebral palsy, although it isn't nearly to the dramatic extremes that Christy Brown had. Luckily my own impairment was limited to my… more So tomorrow is my 21st birthday, and to celebrate my sister said she would watch any film with me under one condition: It had to be in English. I scoured my Netflix queue until I found this film, which I'd been meaning to see for quite awhile, if only because of the subject's physical condition. I myself have cerebral palsy, although it isn't nearly to the dramatic extremes that Christy Brown had. Luckily my own impairment was limited to my… more
Sean Fennessey · 419 likes
Chilled out after the Mets collapse by watching My Left Foot.
jack (4★) · 390 likes
daniel day lewis is too talented for this planet.... how did he do that
gabriel (4.5★) · 313 likes
A broken body is nothing to a broken heart.
I think the biggest compliment I can give My Left Foot is that it isn't fully reliant on Daniel Day Lewis' performance to be a great film, showcasing Christy's story in a way that is respectful, not pitiful, and grounded, not overly glorifying. It accepts Christy's witty personality and happiest times as well as his flaws and the ways his life was tougher than many others, all of those that didn't… more