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The Valet (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:80
Fresh:55
Rotten:25
Average Rating:6.6/10
Consensus: Like much of director Francis Veber's work, The Valet is a witty, madcap farce with memorably zany characters.
Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Synopsis: Francis Veber (The Dinner Game and The Closet), the living master of French farce, has combined his classic elements of hilarious slapstick with quick-witted dialogue in the new film THE VALET. The... Francis Veber (The Dinner Game and The Closet), the living master of French farce, has combined his classic elements of hilarious slapstick with quick-witted dialogue in the new film THE VALET. The tale begins when François Pignon, (Gad Elmaleh) a restaurant car service valet at a posh Paris hotel gets caught-up in a billionaire industrialist's sneaky infidelities. Veber's plot quickly turns on the fall guy, when François – an innocent passerby - is photographed by a paparazzo leaving the hotel along with Pierre Levasseur (Daniel Auteuil), the wealthy tycoon and his beautiful supermodel mistress Elena (Alice Taglioni). In a desperate attempt to avoid an ugly divorce with his wife Christine, (Kristin Scott Thomas) Pierre's scheming lawyer Maitre Foix (Richard Berry) concocts an outrageous plan. By paying the valet a large sum of money to live with Pierre's mistress, the two men hope to mislead the tabloids and most importantly hide the affair from his wife. Meanwhile, the ruthless Pierre must convince the stunning Elena to live with François in his cruddy apartment until the dust settles. All the while, continuing to reassure his wife that the other man in the photo, François, is really Elena's boyfriend. Francis Veber's intricate and lively plot, tick-tock timing and variety of unusual characters make THE VALET a hilariously good time. --© Sony Pictures Classics [More]
Starring: Gad Elmaleh, Daniel Auteuil, Kristin Scott Thomas, Richard Berry
Starring: Gad Elmaleh, Daniel Auteuil, Kristin Scott Thomas, Richard Berry, Virginie Ledoyen, Michel Aumont, Philippe Magnan, Irina Ninova, Alice Taglioni, Dany Boon, Michel Jonasz, Laurent Gamelon, Patrick Mille, Michele Garcia, Jean-Yves Chilot
Director: Francis Veber
Director: Francis Veber
Screenwriter: Francis Veber
Producer: Patrice Ledoux
Composer: Alexandre Desplat
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
Reviews for The Valet
There are a few extra plot threads that feel like parking spaces that don't quite fit, but the story is squeezed in anyway. I'd still check out the valet.
A charming if familiar French comedy of manners, again showing writer-director Francis Veber's skillful touch as a farceur, this time with elegant British actress Kristin Scott Thomas and vet Daniel Auteuil, who could have played this role in his sleep
The movie is so tame you may find your mind wandering toward the casting of the inevitable Hollywood remake. (Jonah Hill as Pignon, perhaps?)
I can even see Adam Sandler starring in an American remake. Can't you just see a dopey, befuddled Sandler sharing a lumpy little twin bed with, say, Jessica Alba?
Except for a slightly misguided final scene, LA DOUBLURE (THE VALET) is a great dessert movie: a brisk and breezy romp that will leave audiences smiling.
I kept fantasizing about how great this film would have been if Eric Rohmer had made it.
It's not as outrageous or as hilarious as his best work, but it's still charming, even when it isn't finding the funnybone.
If you're in the mood for Gallic lightheartedness, you know where to go.
One can see Moliére being jealous of the plot line, and Karl Marx applauding. You see capitalists who exploit the masses do not fare too well in this venture.
Veber fills the film with engagingly quirky characters and bright gags that keep it floating along with such assurance that it constantly charms.
Improbable? Perhaps, but one of writer-director Francis Veber's gifts as a farceur is to make the unlikely both credible and amusing.
Veber's dialogue is as witty as ever, and he gets great mileage out of his likable cast, particularly Elmaleh and Taglioni.
The Valet is a trifle with a few good ideas strewn about, but which feels rushed and too flimsy for its own good.
Latest News for The Valet
September 21, 2007:
A sophisticated screwball comedy right up there with the best of Billy Wilder. ![]()
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April 28, 2007:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
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April 19, 2007:
Critical Consensus: Check In With "Vacancy"; "Fracture" Is Solid; "Fuzz" is Hot; "Women" Is Not
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