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.
MovieMagicScore Overview
Auto-generatedJim Sheridan's 1989 drama tells the story of an Irish man born with cerebral palsy into a working-class family, who, against all expectation, discovers he can communicate and create art using his left foot, growing into a painter, poet and writer. Rooted in resilience, family devotion and the refusal to be defined by limitation, it balances hardship with humor and fierce spirit. The tone is moving, unsentimental and deeply human. It appeals to viewers who value inspiring true-life dramas and richly drawn character portraits. With a MagicMovieScore of 7.5, it stands as a celebrated, emotionally powerful achievement.
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Trailer
Top Cast
Daniel Day-Lewis
Christy Brown
Brenda Fricker
Mrs. Brown
Alison Whelan
Sheila
Kirsten Sheridan
Sharon
Declan Croghan
Tom
Eanna MacLiam
Benny
Marie Conmee
Sadie
Cyril Cusack
Lord Castlewelland
978 ratings. The score is reasonably stable but could shift up to 0.09 as more ratings come in.
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Movie Info
Release Date
April 7, 1989
Runtime
1h 43m
Rating
R
Genres
Drama
Director