Valet, The

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

A satisfying contraption of twists, missteps, and blithe repartee that produces old-fashioned, honestly earned guffaws.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

A complete master of cinematic farce, Veber's latest venture, The Valet, makes creating deliciously funny comedy look a lot easier than it has any right to.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

If you love to hate the superrich, The Valet, a delectable comedy in which the great French actor Daniel Auteuil portrays a piggy billionaire industrialist facing his comeuppance, is a sinfully delicious bonbon.

The Hollywood Reporter Bernard Besserglik

Francis Veber's latest offering, remains faithful to the formula -- broad farce leavened with witty dialogue -- that has made him France's most bankable comedy writer-director and a surefire hit with international audiences.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

This sublime French farce reminded me most of Billy Wilder.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

Kristin Scott Thomas delivers an unnervingly smooth performance as Auteuil's suspicious wife.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

An enjoyable farce, with lots of laughs and a strong cast. At 80 minutes long, it's that rare case of a short film that should have been longer.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

Far from his best work ("Le Placard," "Le Jaguar"), but even off-form Veber has its moments of inspiration and the movie is definitely worth seeing.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

When Veber is on form there's no one better. And when he's not, well, give The Valet a look anyway -- there's still much to admire.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

An old-fashioned joy.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

The original French title is "La Doublure," but The Valet fits Veber. He has become a one-man service industry when it comes to spreading Gallic barbed humor and good cheer.

The New Yorker Anthony Lane

The Valet does not show Veber at his best. His palate for misunderstandings of every vintage is as refined as ever; what he has lost is his taste for human failing.

Variety Lisa Nesselson

Layers of intrigue mesh with Hollywood-style efficiency, pitting sincere feelings against ruthlessly mercenary machinations. Also in Hollywood style, sincerity and integrity carry the day.

Village Voice Robert Wilonsky

Of all of Francis Veber's farces (The Dinner Game, La Cage Aux Folles, etc.), this is the one that feels most like a sitcom pilot, which is to say it's a farce most forced.

New York Post Kyle Smith

As always in Veber's films, the predictability is part of the fun.

Premiere Glenn Kenny

Its punchline, imagining the worst that could happen to Auteuil's slimy exec, is weak and kind of dumb, but the rest of the film is genial, appealing, and brisk.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

The new movie is tart and weightless, and it entertains without leaving a mark. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but at 85 minutes, The Valet at times feels like a blueprint for a farce rather than the farce itself.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

This mildly amusing tale of infidelity, blackmail, class differences and corporate greed not only strains credulity - it strains for laughs.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

Veber's early stage training serves him well both as an adapter (he wrote the "La Cage aux Folles" screenplay) and as a maker of originals though, truth be told, The Valet isn't especially original.

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

A sunny, cheerful, thoroughly artificial concoction, going nowhere with no particular speed. Still, better than your average airplane movie.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

With so much potential, The Valet is disappointingly flat and wan, with few of the moments of cringe-and-laughter-inducing mortification that are Veber's stock in trade.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

The films of writer/director Francis Veber are a bracing reminder that French comedies can be every bit as broad, unsophisticated and cliched as their American counterparts.

Austin Chronicle Toddy Burton

Shot with the creative energy of a mediocre sitcom, the scenes play out predictable plot devices with minimal creativity and even less risk.