95% The Kid with a Bike

All Critics (79) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (75) | Rotten (4)

The Dardennes' quiet, naturalistic style strips this story of melodrama but not of emotion.

Without diminishing the boy's intensity or making him in any way ingratiating, the Dardennes take us into his mind, and we begin to appreciate not only his predicament but his resiliency.

The Dardennes' latest is one of their best, a memorable cinematic portrait of troubled youth and soul-saving charity.

Young Thomas Doret fills the role with natural sincerity and focus, and not a second that seems contrived.

Makes a powerful statement about the plight of unwanted children. But it also incorporates elements of melodrama, film noir, and even the fairy tale that engage our empathy and confirm the Dardennes' great compassion.

A wonderfully human and humane story about one of those lost-and-found children who tend to slip through society's not-so-safe safety nets.

[The Dardennes'] latest threads back to previous works in intriguing and satisfying ways...

To their credit, the Dardennes portray their subjects with a minimum of sentimentality.

It seems like a fairly minor movie, although one with major emotional pull.

Remains an effective picture with a genuine feel for human behavior, unearthing a direct sense of disturbance and a few select moments of stunning psychological clarity.

A film of rosy optimism it features a beguiling performance from screen newcomer doret who achieves a wonderfully natural, touching chemistry with de France.

Beyond Samantha's hard-to-fathom loyalty, many of the plot twists are predictable and contrived.

You wouldn't exactly call The Kid With a Bike a feel-good movie, but by the end it certainly invites the viewer to be hopeful about human nature. Another gem from the boys.

Dardenne heroes are crafty and restless, down but not out, and Cyril ought to be one of their best. For whatever reason, he isn't, quite.

Compassionate, humane but never sentimental.

Simple grace is a quality rarer in modern films than one might expect, as is the yard-by-yard, in-the-trenches slog of messy human connection, absent a lot of cathartic speechifying. Both are on rich display here.

The Dardenne siblings keep the story moving at a cracking pace, scrupulously avoid any syrupy sentiment, and deliver a drama that's both emotionally wrenching and morally complex.

An organically unfolding plot and riveting performances make this Cannes prize winner searing and sad.

...never soft-pedals the treacherous byways and alternative routes that [protagonist] Cyril only narrowly avoids on his road to security and happiness.

The Kid With A Bike cuts to the humanist heart of a boy's troubled 'rite de passage', without ever resorting to exaggerated emoting or cheap sensationalism.

Belgian writer/director/producers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne capture with heartfelt verisimilitude a boy's misplaced determination to find a father figure.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_kid_with_a_bike/

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