Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Newly engaged, Thomas meets his future father-in-law Gilbert, who has been married for 30 years to Suzanne. Disillusioned Gilbert is convinced that his marriage has meant he's missed out on life. He persuades Thomas not to marry his daughter Lola and encourages him to drop everything else in his life as well. The two men then throw themselves into a new brats' life full of adventure, convinced that freedom is elsewhere. But at what cost do we rediscover our adolescent dreams?
The Brats is a French comedy with a familiar mid-life crisis premise — a disillusioned older man corrupting a younger one into abandoning responsibility for adolescent freedom. The plot hits recognizable beats without much surprise, and the cinematography is serviceable but unremarkable. Acting holds the film together with decent chemistry between the leads, and the ending offers mild reflection on the cost of chasing lost youth. Novelty is limited given how well-trodden the 'escape from domesticity' comedy template is, though the intergenerational dynamic adds a slight wrinkle.