The Kid with a Bike
User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 30 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 30
  3. Negative: 2 out of 30

Review this movie

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. TheDRauch
    Jan 2, 2013
    10
    'The Kid with a Bike' is the first film from the Dardenne brothers which I have been lucky enough to come across. What I can say about it is that I was amazed by how emotionally impacting the story was, which played out as simple as its straightforward title may suggest. These directors have a way of making the mundane seem grand and the everyday feel cinematic. The film has the sense that it was directed with the greatest of ease, as if these were the actions of real people being filmed as they went about their everyday lives. Realism this deep and authentic is often incredibly hard to capture and these Dardennes, well, they make it seem like second nature to them. Many themes are explored in the film (all wrung out with the greatest of subtlety) such as redemption, cruelty, and kindness, never leaving the feeling that the easy solution was presented to the situation at hand. We are blessed with two wonderful performances that are great in their own respects. The first comes from Thomas Doret who plays Cyril, a young boy whose father has abandoned him, with the kind of gravity that professional adult actors can barely manage to flesh out themselves. The second great performance comes from Cecile de France, playing the caring hairdresser Samantha, who takes over the role as Cyril's legal guardian. I feel that the critic that described her performance as a credible portrait of goodness was spot on. I am not saying that her character is saintly, but she represents the undying qualities of care and forgiveness that seem to exist in everyone. I would recommend this to anyone yearning to experience a genuinely uplifting tale about humanity. You will leave rocked to your core.… Expand
  2. Parera_Starr11
    Jun 27, 2012
    5
    The first 30 minutes of this film are quite impressive an falsely make you believe that is going to become something its not. The lackluster performance from Thomas Doret who plays the lead Cyril, uneven script and poor direction ruin this film. Instead of delving into some of the key sub-plots we instead get to see Thomas Doret "Cyril" ride around on a bike and do nothing but look angry for the entire film. Cécile de France performance as Samantha the kind hearted women who forever changes Cyril's life is the best thing about this disappointing movie.… Expand
  3. nutterjr
    Jun 4, 2012
    8
    A touching story that manages to capture the purity of love in more ways than one in just 87 mins: Firstly through the love and almost adoration of a child for his father even when his father's love towards him is not reciprocated. And then the random but true and deep love of a woman stranger to this boy which he is not in a position to appreciate as he keeps on seeking for his father's love... Subtle and poetic.… Expand
  4. TVJerry
    May 6, 2012
    5
    This film examines the plight of a boy whose father abandons him. From a group home to a foster parent to rejection to trouble, this is as bleak as you'd expect from the French. Also, the pacing is Gallic, which means glacially slow: every scene runs just a bit longer than necessary. It starts with promise, but the relentless misfortune makes it a dreary downer.
  5. GreatMartin
    Apr 23, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. We never find out what happened to Cyril's mother but we do know his father doesn't want him and also sold his bike which Cyril gets back along with the foster mother he finds in a doctor's office. It only takes the first 20 minutes of this 88 minute film to find that out along with the fact that he lives in a foster home. Along with watching Cyril ride his bike at all kinds of speeds in all kinds of directions plus very intrusive bars of Beethoven we watch him become involved with all sorts of situations that in an American film would have sent "The Kid With A Bike" in a completely different direction than this French film goes.

    When Samantha, played by Cecile de France, the woman who becomes Cyril's (Thomas Doret) weekend foster mom, is asked by her boyfriend to choose between him and Cyril she chooses the latter. Cyril is befriended by Wes (Egon de Mateo) a drug dealer and thief who comes from the same foster home who seems to be leading Cyril in an additional direction besides becoming a robber.

    Will Samantha make everything right? Will she love, hold on to, Cyril enough to turn him away from he life Wes seems to be taking him? Will Cyril get his father back? Will get on his bike and go in the right direction? That last question isn't as crazy as it sounds because a lot is not explained in this film including who Cyril is and what he wants or needs except his father and bike.

    Cecile de France gives a warm performance who slowly brings the boy into a circle of love while Thomas Doret goes through the film mainly looking angry. Jeremie Renier has the small but tough role of a man who feels he has no choice but to give his son up. Egon de Mateo is scary as the drug dealer who leads Cyril astray and into a tough spot.

    The co-directors, and co-writers, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne didn't seem, to me, to know what to do except give Doret more reasons not to be loved and, yet, let him be loved more and more while whenever they didn't know what to do they put him on a bike and had him ride around. I just finished reading the New York Times review which brings a whole religious aspect to it. I very seldom ever read reviews before I see a film and after reading these reviews I wonder if I saw the same film, did all the themes go over my head or did I just not get it?    … Expand
  6. TinaB
    Apr 17, 2012
    10
    This is a movie that draws you in and holds your attention, because you care very much what happens to the main character. It's a movie about fate that ends on an optimistic note. Outstanding acting.
  7. cabrita
    Apr 15, 2012
    8
    A wonderfully acted film which really evokes pathos for it's abondoned child. However the most intriguing character might bee the hairdresser. The end of the film will also conjure up mixed feelings for me it felt kind of like an anticlimax. This does not take any of the power of the film away however.
  8. lasttimeisaw
    Apr 2, 2012
    8
    A Febiofest screening of Dardenne Brothersâ
  9. BHBarry
    Mar 31, 2012
    10
    â
  10. MossyCDL
    Mar 25, 2012
    10
    Sometimes a movie comes around that has so much emotional power that you're taken aback by just how touching it is. I had high expectations going into the film, because I've heard about how good the Dardenne brothers are with their films, but I must say that this movie will exceed your expectations. The story is simple itself, following the life of a young boy searching for trust and love after his loser father abandoned him. The Dardenne brothers can seemingly convey heartbreaking emotions instantly at certain points in the film, which are magnified by the use of the 2nd movement of Beethoven's 5th. At first glance, the boy is so recalcitrant that you want to strangle him, but then you realize that he is only acting out because he needs to feel loved by someone. This kid has a terrific acting career ahead of him. And then there is the magnificent Cecile de France, whose acting has never been better. Her character Samantha may be the most selfless, compassionate, honest, and loving I have ever seen. She practically radiates these qualities. If there were more people like Samantha in the world, the world would be a better place. Not one thing is this film is forced; everything is genuine and heartfelt. Highly recommended. Go see it before it disappears out of your nearest movie theater.… Collapse
  11. MarcDoyle
    Mar 18, 2012
    9
    And outstanding film which effectively sheds light on an abandoned child's (Cyril) yearning for the love and affection for his dead-beat father. Cecile de France (Samantha) is amazing as the the woman who agrees to host Cyril on his weekends away from the state home which is raising the boy. Totally selfless person who immediately connects with Cyril during a chance meeting. I was struck by the scene during which Samantha and Cyril first track down the boy's father, and it becomes stunningly clear the latter has no interest in raising his child because he's simply an inconvenience. I've never seen something like this on film. Sure, there are thousands/millions of deadbeat dads, but you don't often see the kind of matter-of-fact reliance on the government - or just other people - to raise your child as was depicted in this film. It seems like the social safety net in certain countries has become so well-developed, so institutionalized, that parents see shoving their children off on the state as a viable, reasonable option - as if this were Plato's Republic - where the state raises all the children. Truly heartbreaking. Samantha's willingness to stick by Cyril despite his subsequent transgressions is heartwarming. And the "tag" at the end of the film is so well-done. This is a clear recommendation.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 33 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Reviewed by: Calvin Wilson
    Apr 13, 2012
    88
    This is a film that's not always easy to watch, but just about impossible to forget.
    Read full review
  2. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    Apr 11, 2012
    89
    How the Dardennes, time and again, turn gritty, mundane subjects into transcendent moments of honesty and truth is one of the great cinematic wonders.
    Read full review
  3. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    Apr 5, 2012
    100
    Leery filmgoers can exhale: The Kid With a Bike may hew faithfully to the Dardennes' house style of spare, lucid storytelling. But without giving anything away, let's just say that with this simple, deeply affecting tale, they never set out to break your heart.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »