The film centers around Waël, a con man whose life is changed when he is forced to work as a mentor for a group of teenagers who face expulsion from school.
(meta data) TITLE: 'Bad Seeds' Review: A Scam Artist Teaches From the School of Life - The New York Times (meta data) PUBLISHED DATETIME: 2014-04-08T06:06:54-04:00 Skip to contentSkip to site indexMoviesLog InToday's PaperMovies|'Bad Seeds' Review: A Scam Artist Teaches From the School of Life Supported by Streaming Movie Review # 'Bad Seeds' Review: A Scam Artist Teaches From the School of Life ImageCatherine Deneuve and Kheiron in a scene from "Bad Seeds. "CreditCreditJean-Claude LotherBad SeedsDirected by KheironComedy1h 40mMore InformationFind Tickets When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. By Scott Tobias Dec. 24, 2018 "Bad Seeds" opens with a quote from Victor Hugo. ("There are no weeds, and no worthless men. There are only bad farmers.") Then it pivots on another quote about troubled teens. ("Remember, a problem child is a child with problems.") Eventually, it just gifts the lead character, a scam artist turned educator, with a literal book of quotations. This sweet-and-salty redemption tale from France, written and directed by its mononymous star, Kheiron, wants to deliver a message about the outcasts and ne'er-do-wells of Paris banlieues. And it arrives one corny aphorism at a time. As Wael, a former street child who steals wallets and hearts, Kheiron prowls through "Bad Seeds" with a sprightly restlessness that seems rooted in his stand-up comedy. Catherine Deneuve graciously cedes the floor as Monique, Wael's adoptive mother and partner-in-crime, who has mastered her part in a nifty fake purse-snatching scheme. When Victor (André Dussollier), an old acquaintance of hers, catches them in the act, he threatens to press charges unless they agree to take part in his organization, which seeks to rehabilitate teenage delinquents. There's some fun in watching Wael con his students into learning — while also teaching them the art of the con — but the film, which debuted last week on Netflix, can't keep the sentiment at bay for long. Between flashbacks to Wael's hardscrabble past in an unnamed, bombed-out Middle Eastern city and its insistence on solving the problems of each and every one of his six students, "Bad Seeds" mostly sticks to an earnest syllabus. #### Bad Seeds Find Tickets When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. DirectorKheironWriterKheironStarsKheiron, Catherine Deneuve, André Dussollier, Louison Blivet, Adil DehbiRunning Time1h 40mGenreComedy Movie data powered by IMDb.com A version of this article appears in print on , Section C, Page 4 of the New York edition with the headline: Lessons From the School of Street Life. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe ### Related Coverage OpinionPamela Druckerman ## Not Yet Rolling in the Aisles April 8, 2014Image ## 'The World Is Yours' Review: Isabelle Adjani Revitalizes the Comic Caper Dec. 11, 2018Image ## Site Index ### news ### opinion ### arts ### living ### more ### Subscribe
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Bad Seeds (2018 film)
Abstract.
"Bad Seeds" (French: "Mauvaises herbes") is a 2018 French drama-comedy film written and directed by Kheiron who also plays the lead role, with Catherine Deneuve and André Dussollier in starring roles. It was released on 21 November 2018 in cinemas in France, and on 21 December 2018 on Netflix. 
