Kid with a Bike is, first of all, gripping. The Kid is, like M. Leaud, a scene stealer, not deliberately, rather because the acting is so natural. Every moment he is on the screen, which is almost every moment, you cannot not watch. The reactions to what happens to him are inscrutable at first--you immediately see determination, but without understanding what drives it. Then, slowly, the reasons behind the reactions reveal themselves through the face and the eyes of the Kid. While there are a couple of plot twists that don't seem completely necessary, on reflection they are cathartic and underline the evolution of the characters. If this movie doesn't grab your heart, you don't have one. The references to 400 Blows are subtle--it isn't a retelling at all--and the final frame has the same heart-stopping effect of the final frame in the earlier movie--the entire experience flashed back through your mind as the camera lingers on the one final shot. Less dramatic, equally effective

Another of the Dardenne brothers depictions of the tenacity (often wrong-headed) of neglected and abandoned children. Looking at the film as a part of a series with La Promesse, and L'enfant (with the Jérémie Renier character depictions as the thematic arc), one can see the effects of neglect propagating both in the immediate surroundings and over multiple generations. Contrasting with Tuffaut's more indulgent treatment of his Antoine Doinel character, the Dardenne's present a darker view of the impact of masculine resistance to domesticity and responsibility.

not predictable it makes you think not a cute little moppet tugging at your heartstrings but an angry kid in a terrible situation and you end up rooting for him all the way realistic and believable not corny or eye rolling emotion a must see!

There was nothing to like here. The child was unlovable, the plot was unrealistic and I can't think of any redeeming features. Please don't waste your money.

I was looking forward to catch this movie after seeing the previews but was a bit disappointed. Very slow. I caught myself checking my phone a few times throughout out of boredom. This was the second movie I've seen this week with Cécile De France. She's a good actress and a beauty. The boy was good. My heart did go out to him, but wish I could have waited for this as a rental.