For years, I have been a huge admirer of Conan O’Brien as a comedian but, at one time, I was struck by the thought of how cool it might be to see him give drama a try. The former late night talk show host does not actively pursue acting roles and has even expressed, in his signature self-effacing manner, that he does not believe he has the skill for it, which I believe is genuinely a great incentive to make a dramatic performance work and made me even more hopeful to see him play earnest someday.
Well, it looks like some wishes do come true, because O’Brien has a role in an upcoming A24 movie called If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. That may sound like a title primed for comedy but the film’s story is actually no laughing matter. Learn more about the plot, O’Brien’s involvement, and why I am thrilled to see it below.
Who Conan O’Brien Plays In If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
While Conan O’Brien has made many fun cameos (usually as himself) and had a major role in Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain in 2023, the host of the popular podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, has never appeared in anything like If I Had Legs I’d Kick You before. The sophomore feature of writer and director Mary Bronstein, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, stars Golden Globe nominee Rose Byrne as Linda – a therapist suffering a crisis involving her ill child and absent husband.
Making matters worse for Linda is her own personal therapist, who was described as “a dick,” to say the least, during a post-screening Q&A at Sundance, which was captured and released on YouTube by IONCINEMA. Said character is played by O’Brien, channeling a personality type that is dramatically different from the affable, generous person he has made himself out to be after a decades-long career of talking to people.
Reviews For The Film And Conan’s Performance Are Looking Good
Following its premiere, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You scored a sweet 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics have been almost unanimously united over its ambitious approach to a story about mental health from a modern female perspective, its panic-inducing material that practically qualifies it as an upcoming horror movie, and their shock at seeing Conan O’Brien in a film like this.
However, for most reviewers, that shock has been met with genuine surprise over the quality of his performance, including from The New York Post, who said he is “quite good as a cold, distant, un-empathizing jerk.” Byrne herself, when interviewed by SFGate at Sundance, praised O’Brien as a “great scene partner” who showed great commitment to the role in the film’s most intense and weird moments.
I’ve Never Been More Excited To See A Dark, Existential Drama Like This
You know, I must be honest about something. Speaking as someone who has loved many great A24 movies over the years and even considers the studio to be my all-time favorite production company, I do not know if I would have been as interested to see If I Had Legs I’d Kick You if it were not for Conan being in it.
With all due respect to movies that get real about mental illness, I rarely look forward to the kind of unsettling, introspective stories that this film is projected to have. Yet, I am now hoping to see it acquire a release date in the upcoming 2025 movie schedule so I can see how O’Brien handles this career milestone as soon as possible. I cannot even begin to describe how gratifying it is to see my all-time favorite talk show host acting in a serious drama – something I never thought was likely to happen – become a reality.
In other Conan-related news, he is hosting the 97th Academy Awards on March 2, 2025. Just how amazing would it be if he returned for next year’s ceremony but as a nominee for his performance in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You? Eh, maybe I should just be glad one wild wish of mine came true and leave it at that for now.