X
- 2012
- PG-13
- IFC Films
- 1 h 27 m
- 2012
- PG-13
- IFC Films
- 1 h 27 m
Summary When his father abandons him, Cyril obsessively tries to find his bicycle—after all, his father must have cared about him enough not to sell that off, he reasons. Almost by accident, he becomes the ward of a kind hairdresser, a woman who seems surprised to find herself so determined to help him. With his wild, unpredictable behavior and ...
Directed By: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Written By: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
- 2012
- PG-13
- IFC Films
- 1 h 27 m
- 2012
- PG-13
- IFC Films
- 1 h 27 m
The Kid with a Bike
7.5
Where to Watch
Summary When his father abandons him, Cyril obsessively tries to find his bicycle—after all, his father must have cared about him enough not to sell that off, he reasons. Almost by accident, he becomes the ward of a kind hairdresser, a woman who seems surprised to find herself so determined to help him. With his wild, unpredictable behavior and ...
Directed By: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Written By: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 33 Critic Reviews
87
94% Positive
31 Reviews
31 Reviews
6% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 33 Critic Reviews
87
94% Positive
31 Reviews
31 Reviews
6% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
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.
Working on a scale that's minuscule by studio standards, the Dardenne brothers have made yet another movie that does what Hollywood used to do - keep us rapt, and leave us grateful.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 71 User Ratings
7.5
79% Positive
56 Ratings
56 Ratings
15% Mixed
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
6% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 71 User Ratings
7.5
79% Positive
56 Ratings
56 Ratings
15% Mixed
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
6% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
Simple tale with satisfied execution, The Kid with A Bike is deeply inspiring film about the power of random act of kindness. The whole of those things geniusly wrapped by Dardenne's original style which makes this drama more attractive and realistic.
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'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.
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How the Dardennes, time and again, turn gritty, mundane subjects into transcendent moments of honesty and truth is one of the great cinematic wonders.
If The Kid with a Bike is a fairy tale, it's the unsentimental kind that locates the dark enchantment in characters discovering themselves during their most despairing moments. Still, it's certainly the Dardennes' fleetest, warmest film to date.
In outline it sounds trite - a disenfranchised kid is turned around by a kindly stranger - but the Dardennes' make it so much more. Raw but compassionate, naturalistic but compelling. If you're looking to get into the Dardennes, this is a great place to start.
An edge-of-your-seat emotional roller-coaster ride about ordinary people in a nondescript neighborhood, it's sometimes terrifying, often heart-rending and completely worth it.
In The Kid With a Bike, Belgian filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne offer a sly but finally banal update of the Italian neorealist classic "The Bicycle Thief."
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.
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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.
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[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
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Production Company
Les Films du Fleuve,
Archipel 35,
Lucky Red,
France 2 Cinéma,
Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF),
Belgacom TV,
Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC),
Eurimages,
Canal+,
CinéCinéma,
France Télévisions,
Région Wallone,
Tax Shelter du Gouvernement Fédéral Belge,
Taxshelter. be,
Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles,
Inver Invest,
Casa Kafka Pictures,
Dexia, Making Of,
Soficinéma 7,
MEDIA Programme of the European Union,
Wild Bunch,
Kid with a Bike
Release Date Mar 16, 2012
Duration 1 h 27 m
Rating PG-13
Genres
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
Magritte Awards, Belgium
• 1 Win & 8 Nominations
European Film Awards
• 1 Win & 4 Nominations
