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Valet, The
Sony Pictures Classics
FILM:
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for sexual content and language
Starring
Gad Elmaleh,
Alice Taglioni,
Daniel Auteuil,
Kristin Scott Thomas,
Richard Berry,
Virginie Ledoyen,
Dany Boon,
and
Michel Jonasz
When billionaire Pierre Levasseur is snapped by a papparazzo with Elena, his dazzling, supermodel mistress, he tries to avoid a catastrophic divorce by coming up with an outrageous lie. (Sony Pictures Classics)
| GENRE(S): |
Comedy
|
Foreign
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Francis Veber
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Francis Veber
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: September 18, 2007
Theatrical: April 20, 2007
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
85 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
France |
| LANGUAGE(S): |
French (with English subtitles) |
Original title "La Doublure"; Nominated, Best Supporting Actor (Boon), 2007 César Awards
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
91
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
A satisfying contraption of twists, missteps, and blithe repartee that produces old-fashioned, honestly earned guffaws.
90
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.
80
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.
80
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.
80
Chicago Reader
J.R. Jones
This sublime French farce reminded me most of Billy Wilder.
80
Washington Post
Ann Hornaday
Kristin Scott Thomas delivers an unnervingly smooth performance as Auteuil's suspicious wife.
75
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.
75
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.
75
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.
75
New York Daily News
Elizabeth Weitzman
An old-fashioned joy.
75
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.
70
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.
70
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.
70
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.
63
New York Post
Kyle Smith
As always in Veber's films, the predictability is part of the fun.
63
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.
63
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.
63
Philadelphia Inquirer
Steven Rea
This mildly amusing tale of infidelity, blackmail, class differences and corporate greed not only strains credulity - it strains for laughs.
63
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.
60
Salon.com
Andrew O'Hehir
A sunny, cheerful, thoroughly artificial concoction, going nowhere with no particular speed. Still, better than your average airplane movie.
58
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.
38
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.
30
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.
 The average user rating for this movie is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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