Daniel Day Lewis. If this name is unfamiliar, learn it, because he may just be the best actor on the planet right now.

Lewis gives an incredible performance as Irish writer Christy Brown in Jim Sheridan's My Left Foot. Lewis reportedly was so much in character that he had crew members dress and feed him, so he could better simulate Brown's cerebral palsy.

The rub of Lewis' tour-de-force performance is his ability to make Brown just another person. Brown's drooling, impaired speech and uncontrolled body movements seem to disappear as Christy Brown the man comes out. These behavioral traits become completely obsolete and even unnoticeable. Lewis' ability to "normalize" this illness makes his portrayal extraordinary.

Following Brown's life via flashbacks, the film creates a strong sense of how it is to live as / with a physically challenged individual. My Left Foot is like a breath of fresh air because it does not dwell on an illness but instead concentrates on familial ties and Brown's search for acceptance.

Brenda Fricker turns in the film's other memorable performance as Christy's mother. M-O-T-H-E-R is the first word Christy scribbles on the floor with his left foot, and the relationship between mother and son is well presented. The mother never dismisses the boy as a feeble moron as some others do; instead she continually encourages his artistic endeavors. Mother Brown seems like any mother, and Fricker shows this by keeping her character detached from Christy, yet visually concerned for his well-being.

The script, co-written by Sheridan, preaches a simple message: Christy Brown, or any handicapped person for that matter, was not a great artist because of his affliction -- that is an insult to Brown -- he was simply a great artist. It is this doctrine that allows for the easy breakdown of the disability boundary; once Christy Brown is accepted as being like any other person, he ceases to be inhibited. This idea comes to light when Christy opens his first exhibit of paintings.

Despite the film's heavy-handedness -- and its scenario -- the film celebrates Brown's life in a basically upbeat way. There are moments of exhilaration and humor sprinkled between the more pessimistic scenes, such as when Christy loses faith in himself and wallows in self-pity. One especially depressing part comes when Brown learns that a woman with whom he has fallen in love will marry.

The movie also moves along a perfect pace, never becoming too slow. A tedious pace is something from which several recent films have suffered, but here frequent flashbacks keep the filming moving and orient the audience.

As a biography, My Left Foot fashions itself somewhat like a TV movie: always going where the viewer wants. This could be construed as a fault, but this format helps the film roll along and hold the audience's attention with material that might fail to stimulate if presented in another manner.

My Left Foot is neither a painful look at a handicapped man, nor sentimental drivel; it is a well-conceived and well-acted drama that entertains on the highest level.