AllMovie

Based on the oft-filmed French play La Mome, The Brat stars pert Betty Balfour in the title role. Our orphaned heroine drifts from one disaster to another, finally landing a job as a singer in a seedy dive. A slick safecracker talks her into helping him "knock over" a joint, but Balfour changes her mind when she meets the safe's owner, a handsome young composer (John Stuart). Taking a liking to the girl, the composer gives her free voice lessons, and soon she's on the verge of full-fledged stardom. It's at this point that the safecracker re-enters her life, whereupon Balfour resigns herself to the knowledge that she'll never be any better than she ought to be.