Themes: Living With Disability, Mothers and Sons, Writer's Life
Main Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Ray McAnally, Brenda Fricker, Ruth McCabe, Fiona Shaw, Hugh O'Conor
Release Year: 1989
Country: UK/IE
Run Time: 103 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
An alternative to the general run of "triumph over the odds" biopics, My Left Foot is the true story of Irish cerebral palsy victim Christy Brown. Paralyzed from birth, Brown (played by Hugh O'Conor as child and Daniel Day-Lewis as an adult) is written off as retarded and helpless. But Christy's indomitable mother (Brenda Fricker) never gives up on the boy. Using his left foot, the only part of his body not afflicted, Brown learns to write. He grows up to become a well-known author, painter, and fundraiser, and along the way falls in love with nurse Mary Carr (Ruth McCabe). There's no sugarcoating in My Left Foot: Brown, a heavy drinker, was by no means lovable. Day-Lewis and Fricker both won Academy Awards for their performances, and the film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Also notable are the late Ray McAnally in his next-to-last film role as Christy's father, and venerable Cyril Cusack as Lord Castlewelland. Director Jim Sheridan co-scripted with Shane Connaughton from Christy Brown's autobiography. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Film and TV productions about the severely ill frequently dwell only on a character's Jekyll, not his Hyde. The idea is to give viewers a feel-good character to root for or cry about, someone who overcomes impossible odds to live a triumphant life or who dies gently without the burning and raging advised by Dylan Thomas. This 1989 production presents the whole of its central character, Christy Brown, a victim of cerebral palsy who has one functioning appendage, his left foot. Not only does the film show viewers a courageous, persevering Christy who contorts himself into a pretzel just to write with his toes, but it also shows them an angry, wrathful Christy who resorts to screaming, kicking, and the foulest of four-letter words to vent his spleen. Daniel Day-Lewis won a Best Actor Academy Award for his moving portrayal of the adult Brown, but young Hugh O'Conor was also impressive in his portrayal of Brown as one of 13 children of a Dublin bricklayer. Unforgettable is a scene in which young Christy huddles in the shadows of his shoddy home, a wretched lump of flesh that his family thinks cannot function physically or mentally. And then, without warning, he shocks everyone by using a piece of chalk and the toes of his left foot to scrawl a word on the floor. Brenda Fricker won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar as Christy's mom, a woman of fierce resolve who helps him liberate his brilliant mind from its prison of darkness. As Christy's father, Ray McAnally ably portrays a weak man who musters enough courage to keep his son at home rather than institutionalize him. The real-life Christy Brown went on to become a famous author and painter -- and an alcoholic -- and this outstanding film gives you all of him, for better or worse. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
Cyril Cusack - Lord Castlewelland; Alison Whelan - Old Sheila; Declan Croghan - Old Tom; Eileen Colgan - Nan; Marie Conmee - Sadie; Sarah Cronin - Girl Friend; Phelim Drew - Brian; Martin Dunne - Waiter; Tom Hickey - Priest; Patrick Laffan - Barman; Eanna Mac Liam - Old Benny; Darren McHugh - Young Benny; Keith O'Conor - Young Brian; Ger O'Leary - Mourner; Derry Power - Customer in Bar; Owen Sharp - Young Tom; Britta Smith - Nurse; Adrian Dunbar - Peter; Jean Doyle - Woman with Pram; Milt Fleming - Mourner; Julie Hale - Rachel; Patricia Higgins - Viola; Simon Kelly - Liam; Eileen Kohlmann - Violin; Conor Lambert - Punch and Judy Puppeteer; Margaret Lyons - Piano; Ulick O'Connor - Critic; Hilery O'Donovan - Cello; Daniel Reardon - Tony; Charlie Roberts - Mourner; Kirsten Sheridan - Young Sharon; Lucy Vigne Welsh - Petra; Jacinta Whyte - Jenny; Don King - Double Bass
Credit
Joan Bergin - Costume Designer, Jim Sheridan - Director, J. Patrick Duffner - Editor, Elmer Bernstein - Composer (Music Score), Elmer Bernstein - Musical Direction/Supervision, Ken Jennings - Makeup, Austen Spriggs - Production Designer, Jack Conroy - Cinematographer, Paul Heller - Producer, Noel Pearson - Producer, Steve Morrison - Producer, Arthur Lappin - Producer, Shirley Lynch - Set Designer, Gerry Johnson - Special Effects, Peter Brayham - Stunts, Shane Connaughton - Screenwriter, Jim Sheridan - Screenwriter, Christy Brown - Book Author
Best Young Supporting Actor - Motion Picture (Hugh O'Conor)
Cultural references
On the television sketch show In Living Color, Jim Carrey played a taekwondo expert who could only move his left foot. The sketch was known as My Left Foot of Fury.
An episode of The Critic has Jay Sherman wearing a My Left Foot sock, a promotion item given to him when viewing the film.
In the Animated T.V series The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack; A Movie poster promoting a film called "My Left Tentacle" in front of a theater, a reference to the film; is seen as Flap jack leads Captain K'nuckles around the docks during the episode "Lead em' and Weep"[1]
In the 1999 film Flawless Walter Koontz (played by Robert De Niro) suffers a stroke and is partially disabled. When one drag queen (Cha-Cha) meets him for the first time, she remarks, "You've got a kind of My Left Foot thing going on, huh?" For the rest of the movie, she refers to him as 'Mr. My Left Foot.'
In an episode of Family Guy, there is a flashback joke of Stewie Griffin performing a song & "dance" routine from a staged musical production of "My Left Foot", wherein Stewie, while seated in a wheelchair, performs an elaborate tap dance with only his left foot.
In an episode of Gilmore Girls Lorelai tells Luke that she was just doing a rendition of Daniel Day-Lewis's performance in My Left Foot and how she did it with her right foot to give a very different effect.
