Room(h)ates (2017)

Room(h)ates takes a wonderfully absurd premise—an ex-husband moving back into his ex-wife’s home because he technically owns 20% of it—and spins it into a sharp, breezy comedy about boundaries, pride, and the messy aftershocks of love. Dominique Farrugia keeps the tone light on its feet, letting the humor come from everyday awkwardness and the tiny humiliations of cohabitation rather than big, forced gags. Gilles Lellouche and Louise Bourgoin make the sparring feel lived-in and oddly tender, with Manu Payet adding a welcome jolt of comedic energy when things threaten to settle. If you like French comedies that are more about character friction than slapstick chaos, this is a charming, easy watch—even if it won’t win over viewers who want high-stakes plot twists instead of domestic fireworks.

Room(h)ates is clearly aiming for a breezy French rom-com setup: two newly divorced people trapped under the same roof, squeezing laughs out of petty boundaries and lingering feelings. The problem is it often plays like a sitcom premise stretched thin, leaning on familiar beats and bickering rather than building genuinely sharp escalation. If you’re not already sold on relationship comedies where the characters’ bad decisions drive most of the plot, you may find it more mildly amusing than actually funny. That said, the cast has enough charm to keep it watchable in spots, especially if you just want something light and undemanding.