Syl
Most Comedies even French comedies can be slapstick but not this one. It's truly believable as Francois Pignon, a valet at an upscale restaurant near the Eiffel Tower, is caught in a picture on Parisian streets with Daniel Auteil's character and the character's mistress, Elena. The casting is first rate as Daniel Auteil plays the businessman and adulterer. He is married to Kristin Scott Thomas's character. She's delightfully charming, shrewish, and quite clever to outsmart him or anybody else. She wants to catch his affair in order to win in the divorce. Auteil and Scott-Thomas are truly believable in their roles. Kristin Scott Thomas, a British actress, is truly perfect as a French socialite wife. The cast who plays Francois, Elena, and the supporting players are all first rate, believable, and definitely casted to perfection. The writing is also done well as if not to be outlandish or over the top. The story is pretty hard to believe but you believe it. It's a fun film to watch and entertaining for every minute of it.
Rindiana
Not quite as hilarious as earlier Veber concoctions, but as funny as modern-day bedroom farces may get nowadays. The French are masters at that type of comedy.The actors do their best with their paper-thin, but likable characters, some scenes work wonderfully, others feel too forced, but the good-natured proceedings ensure pleasurable viewing.A certain snappiness would've given the material's fluffiness the necessary edge.Still watchable, though the final joke's too silly.6 out of 10 unlikely playboys
gelman@attglobal.net
Known in English as "The Valet," this sparkling comedy written and directed by Francis Veber tells the story of Pierre, a wealthy businessman (Daniel Auteuil) who seeks to conceal his affair with supermodel Elena (Alice Taglioni) from his wife (Kristin Scott Thomas), who is the majority owner of his entire business, by convincing her that Elena is actually in love with Francis Pignon (Gad Elmaleh), a parking attendant. For 20 million Euros, Elena agrees to move into Francois' shabby apartment and pretend to be his lover. Their relationship is monitored from an empty building across the street by a detective Pierre's lawyer has hired for that purpose. Since Francois' apartment lacks curtains, Francois and Elena are forced to share a narrow bed in order to confirm their relationship. Since Pierre's wife knows what's going on, she intervenes to compound Pierre's jealousy and to force him into a corner. There are a number of clever plot twists that add to the hilarity. Auteuil and Thomas are established stars but Gad Elmaleh and Alice Taglioni are also excellent. I never heard of Ms. Taglioni but she is an outstanding beauty. Also acquitting herself well in this very funny movie is Virginie Ledyen as Emilie, a bookstore owner, whom Francois really does love. He's accepted the arrangement with Elena only because it will allow him to pay off Emilie's bank loan for the bookstore.
MooVBoy
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.
AD
