La Doublure

Dany Boon (Joyeux Noël) got a César nomination for supporting actor as the best friend of a really lucky guy.

Daniel Auteuil (Caché, Girl on the Bridge) is hilarious as the billionaire caught with his supermodel mistress, France's Actress of the year for 2006, Alice Taglioni (The Pink Panther). François (Gad Elmaleh) just happened to be in the published picture, so they paid him to fake a relationship with Taglioni to fool Auteuil's wife, Kristin Scott Thomas (Four Weddings and a Funeral, The English Patient, Gosford Park). She's no dummy, knows he's lying, and that's when the fun really begins.

Of course, our man François is really in love with Émilie (Virginie Ledoyen - 8 Women, Saint Ange).

It is all good fun and credit for that is not only due to a fine cast, but to writer/director Francis Veber (La Cage aux folles), who put together some great lines and a funny situation.

Please do not let them make a stupid American remake. It won't possibly be as good as the French version.

see this one! THE VALET is hilarious! I haven't laughed so loudly and enjoyed a French farce so much since LA CAGE AUX FOLLES in 1980. No doubt there will be a terrible USA remake (hello Nicholas Cage, Nic, pick up the phone, it's Disney remakes on the line) which will blunt the silliness and sharpness of this Gallic comedy. Another comment on this site said it is a sure successor to Billy Wilder comedies and that is probably as close to the mark, generating the audience goodwill before they buy at ticket. And you should too; THE VALET like Wilder's ONE TWO THREE or KISS ME STUPID, is intelligent ridiculousness, all glossy with flowers and puzzled faces, retorts and door slamming, bumbling and embarrassments. If Blake Edwards was still making films this would his perfect project as a remake in the US; sadly I expect it to be handled by some MTV hack who will turn it into gravy with a few punches. But, see it first as THE VALET. Laugh. What a delight to see Kristin Scott-Thomas too. What a sly role for her. Yum.

I really enjoyed The Valet. It's a sweet little film that had me grinning the whole way through. My smiles were only interrupted now and then by bursts of laughter.

Gad Elmaleh plays a valet who through pure chance is photographed with a billionaire (the always wonderful Daniel Auteuil) and his mistress, a famous supermodel. When the photo turns up in the tabloids the billionaire must convince his wife that the supermodel is really with the valet, so he gets them to live together while his wife has them shadowed by private investigators. The plan backfires on the billionaire when he finds himself consumed with jealousy at the thought of his mistress spending the night with another man, so he also sends private investigators to watch them. Meanwhile the Valet has romantic problems of his own that are complicated by the fact that all of a sudden he finds himself shacking up with the most beautiful woman in France. It's a cute and funny little romantic comedy.

Since the general plot, etc., is pretty well discussed here, I won't bore you with the details.

This movie needs to be viewed for the love of it...not to be dissected and intellectualized.

This movie is simply a playful romp. AS Daniel Autille, one of my favorite French actors, gets deeper and deeper into his rouse he gets more and more desperate. His comedic turn is a delight to watch and proves his versatility. His last movie was the incredible "Cache".

Some of the set-ups are wonderful...who cares if some have been done before...and some are fresh and all are done with glee and panache. In fact all of the actors seem to be having fun.

One great aspect of this movie is that there is character development ... several characters are forever changed, for the better, by the end of the movie.

I have no qualms about recommending this movie to friends and film buffs alike. Just go and enjoy.

I hope some Hollywood type doesn't make an American botch job of this one.

I'm 50/50 on foreign films as subtitles often give me tired-head. Having said that, this film is surprisingly witty, well-paced and in the spirit of La Cage Aux Folles or Victor/Victoria - without musical numbers.

If you've seen and enjoyed the original or foreign versions of The Monster, Night on Earth or the aforementioned La Cage Aux Folles or Victor/Victoria you shouldn't be disappointed. Like most recent releases it's long on closeups and two-shots yet lacks intimacy - which is OK for comedies of the ilk. And in the final analysis, the spirit of wacky comedy is clearly presented in a way that only the French conceive.

While not the pinnacle of Veber's cinematic achievements, it's certainly no bust. By comparison, the American master of this genre, Blake Edwards, has had his fair share of hits and misses and I could easily see him directing the American version.

In a nutshell, it's a nice little date rental - cute romance with a touch of culture and a lot of humor.