The Valet (2006)

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.

Fmovies: Needing something lightly comic, Veber was my man.

His "The Closet" was trivial, but few trivial things are amusing and fondly recalled. Here, with a different actor, is the same character with much the same quality.

I won't bother you with the story. It doesn't matter. What matters is the way the humor is designed. Essentially all the humor is in the lines. There is no physical comedy here and almost no visual comedy. It is mostly in the dialog. Here is the trick: where other comedy is episodic and/or depends on a zany pace, this has pretty much a normal world, and normal pace. You cannot read the warning signs that a joke is coming. It could appear at any moment, and does from the very beginning.

So very early in the game we are trained to engage ourself very closely and pay attention. This is painless because the world we invest in is so light. We need erect no barriers. Because we open ourselves so, we anticipate what might be funny, investing in the possibility. The form of the thing enlists us in making funny.

This is easy to test. I believe it to be true, and honorably delicate in the way it helps us live.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

On the surface, "La Doublure" (literal French translation: "The Stand-In") may seem like a standard switcheroo rom-com, but it's so much more than that. It's a classic morality play, not unlike something from Shakespeare or Molière, meticulously written and executed to deliver laughs as well as deeper messages.

You can watch it on either level. If you're in it just for laughs and some funny twists, there's plenty of them. If you sink your teeth deeper, there's a lot of clever symbolism and some nice allegories. For example, take our hero's job: a parking valet. He gets to drive all the hottest cars in the city but they're not his to keep. Just like the hot supermodel he gets temporarily paired with.

Director/writer Francis Veber is known for this sort of comedy. I don't want to label it "intelligent comedy" because there's nothing snotty or pretentious about it. Instead it's good comedy for the masses but with a clever edge. A note about Francis Veber: his standard recipe is to create an "everyman" character (who is always named François Pignon in every movie) and place him in an absurd situation that is the result of the strangeness/hypocrisy of people around him. François is always an innocent patsy, and the nuttiness just follows him wherever he goes. In that respect, it's the opposite of the Shakespearean formula where the "fool" is wise to everyone's ways and in control of the drama despite appearances. The Vebersian formula is to make the "fool" literally a fool, and that makes us connect with him & hope things turn out for the best. Another excellent example of this strategy is in Veber's film "Le dîner de cons" ("The Dinner Game") which is the film that introduced me to the genius of Francis Veber.

If you watch the DVD extras, you'll see how meticulous Veber was in making this film. Every word was carefully scripted, and the delivery was hammered down to a science. You'd never guess it sitting in the audience's seat because it comes across so smooth and easygoing. But make no mistake, everything was carefully planned. There is nothing sloppy about this, or any other film of Francis Veber.

The result is 90 minutes of pinpoint comedic timing, great performances from every actor (including the minor roles), and a fun experience as if you've seen a well produced stage performance.

If you like classy comedies with picture-perfect accuracy, movies like Frank Oz's "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" and "Death at a Funeral" or Blake Edwards' "Breakfast at Tiffany's", I think you'll really like this. Another one, also starring the excellent Gad Elmaleh, is "Priceless" (the modern French version of "Breakfast at Tiffany's"). All of these comedies are in a class by themselves and well worth the price of admission.

The Valet fmovies. Nothing new under the sun:wives,lovers,girlfriends,mistaken identities...But why deny yourself a good thing,an entertaining unpretentious funny little comedy?You should be wrong.

An excellent cast,male and female,gives this trite story substance.Daniel Auteuil,as the villain,a smug mean bourgeois who thinks that money can buy everything,Kristin Scott-Thomas ,as his cheated wife who threatens to ask for a divorce (and it is her who owns the dough),Alice Taglioni as the gorgeous but sensitive top model (definitely not a bimbo),Gad Elmaleh as the clumsy shy prole,Virginie Ledoyen ,one of the most promising French actresses,as a sentimental bookseller and Richard Berry as Auteuil's lawyer.

A few nods to "rear window" .And a very funny (and moral) ending.

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.

This laugh out loud comedy also has a lot of heart. Fans of The Dinner Game, The Closet, and Veber's other classic comedies can expect more of the same--a fall guy named Pignon, a hilarious case of mistaken identity, some touching moments of friendship, and a lot of shameless farce a la Moliere. But La Doublure offers a few new twists on the familiar Veber formula, including some fine satire of the fashion scene and a powerful commentary on the power of appearance and reputation to shape our desires. Some may say it's "just" entertainment--but like his great predecessors in the tradition of French farce and popular theater, Veber packs a lot of punch. This movie not only pleases, it also proves instructive about friendship, love, and the perils of becoming really rich. It's the director's best film to date and features great performances by Auteuil, Scott Thomas, and the rest of the star-studded cast.