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Lack of good storyline.

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Based on the memoir by Kevin Lewis, The Kid is an intense British drama film which focuses on the theme of child abuse. It is a riveting story, about fighting adversity. It shows that no matter how dark things are, there is a light at end of tunnel.Kevin Lewis grew up in utter hell, but he didn't follow the same destructive paths as his parents. His mother Gloria (an unrecognizable Natascha McElhone), constantly abused Kevin, both mentally and physically. His father was an alcoholic, whom sometimes helped him and sometimes, gave him a punch. After social services became involved, Kevin was in and out of the system, bouncing from foster home to foster home. He found kindness in the form of a social worker (Bernard Hill), however, his violent inherited attitude became unforgivable to the foster families. Kevin was introverted and fragile in his teen years (played by Augustus Prew), but is able to escape his bleakness with the help of his teacher (Ioan Gruffudd) and the foster parent that makes the biggest impact on him (James Fox).His teacher was like the good angel because his physical education teacher did nothing to help his situation, even when he saw all the bruises all over his body. But Kevin is tough and smart and just needs a break to fulfill his true potential. Kevin as an adult decides to quit studying to join the striving millionaires, thus attempting to be an entrepreneur. A kind soul at heart, even adult Kevin (Rupert Friend) is taken advantage of for other people's gain. Even his foster mother turned out to be only looking after her own interests as she wouldn't give Kevin his inherited money or home after his foster father dies. It was important for him to keep the home that meant so much to him as that was the only place where he had some happiness. Meeting cunning con men along the way and becoming involved in street fights, Kevin soon ended up in the worst possible state. Until, he met the love of his life.The lovestory is the crucial point in the film showing how love conquers all. His love for Jackie (Jodie Whittaker) is why he wrote the book that the film is inspired by. He wrote the book for the right reasons, out of love. It was originally supposed to be for her eyes only, but she sent it to a book publisher and it went on to become a bestseller. Through the love he felt for his wife he turned his life around. His nightmare became a dream. Each performance by every actor portraying Kevin were inspiring, however I wish they would have stuck to one actor for the teen/adult portrayals of Kevin. I am sure Augustus Prew could have pulled it off. You have already bonded with one actor and when the actor is changed yet again for the adult Kevin, it starts to take you out of the film and makes it loose it fluidity. You have to get use to them again and their new mannerisms. One of the first things to strike you about The Kid is the unassuming style it's directed with. Director Nick Moran really captures the 80's grain of TV and film of the time. The way in which Moran directs it just makes it feel all the more real and authentic. Certainly a triumph over adversity tale, and one that has been told before in different guises, but it's the heart that is put into The Kid that makes it resonate. Everyone involved obviously had a strong connection to the material and the film handles this difficult subject matter with aplomb. The Kid shows you that you have to look in yourself, look at the voice within, and be strong. You also can't rely on other people to dig you out, you must believe in yourself. A fantastic British film you need to check out, just make sure to have tissues handy! More film reviews at http://breakawaydaily.com

There must be less than one in a thousand that make it with the background of Kevin, the protagonist of this movie. And he does it with the help of his own story only, which, of course, would quickly wear thin if it was told by millions, which, of course, is the reason why so few of these stories are published.Why not tell the story of one who did not succeed, the story of the 999 others? Well, such a story would not glorify the system that produces these stories, now would it? If you take the story of teen Kevin - now, there was a good story that ringed true! The first half of this film is a 10. The second half, I would like to describe as a -10 if I believed in negative numbers, which I do not.And for all of those who do not understand what I am saying with this review because they are not very used in thinking at all, I give a hint. It's a pyramid, you see. And it's a pyramid because that stabilizes power the best. And in a pyramid you see, one has to climb down from above to let one from below climb up so that the pyramid stays the same. Got it? Get it. Good!

British films tend to be either comedies about class (Full Monty et al) or rock hard dramas. This is the latter without a doubt, but it is not out and out gangster violence - it is a serious and thoughtful drama punctuated with several bare knuckle fight scenes and frankly the home life is starker. For my money this is the best British drama since the excellent Brick Lane and it bought to mind most though earlier films of the 80s, the era it depicts, Mona Lisa and The Long Good Friday.Yes, it is gritty and the script doesn't need any Nick Hornby touches to get to reality - this is a frankly startling look at the underside of an abusive family and the story of the Kid and how he tries again and again from childhood to manhood to get out from under only to find himself trapped again and again by unbelievable twists of fate.Knowing this is based on a true story adds poignancy. This really is an involving film, even given the excessive language and violence which in its context is (just about) justifiable. At the end of the day this was, for me, a brilliant drama, totally engrossing, well-made, the performances were unbelievably believable, though God help the child that has parents like that.....Highly recommended as being one of the best and strongest British dramas - it captures the spirit of the 80s and the amazing true story involved.

I watched a screening of this movie at a film festival, and had no expectations prior to watching the movie. At first, i was stunned by the incredible soundtrack which really adds to the movie. "The Kid" is beautifully shot, and the story is compelling and full of emotion. I was lucky to see this movie early on, and I recommend it to most people. Especially the cast is very well casted. The characters are believable, and you grow to love them (and in some cases hate them), and to me, this is what great acting is about. You start to care for the character, especially knowing that it's based on a true story Amazing movie with great actors, Worth seeing even if you are not a big fan of the genre