The Valet (La Doublure)
This film might have slipped entirely under my radar had not the local art-house mailing list told me it was directed by the guy that did The Closet (http://www.cinerina.com/reviews/the-closet/). That was all I needed. The French title, La Doublure means roughly The Stand-In, but I think naming it The Valet suits the tone of the film better. The Valet begins as a simple farce of a rich, older man (Daniel Auteuil) covering up his illicit affair (with insanely beautiful supermodel Alice Taglioni) by roping in an average joe valet (Gad Elmaleh) to a cover-up scheme. Neatly and hilariously, this of course spirals out of control, pulling additional characters (the wife! The intended beloved! The roommate’s mother! The goon!) and motives into the orbit of this leggy goddess, with new cross-purpose deceptions and wicked silliness. I’ll just say this: curtains haven’t changed a room so much since The Sound of Music.
Just about everyone in this movie demands a measure of your sympathy – Auteuil is the douchiest of the lot, but we can still appreciate his histrionics and on some level, even root for him. The titular valet Elmaleh, the real hero of the tale, is a sweet, clumsy sort-of loser, but his honesty and naturalness make his character’s good qualities feel real. The object of his affection (Virginie Ledoyen) is undeserving of him but totally human and adorable. Her pursuer Pascal! (his name must be said with an exclamation point), played by Patrick Mille is hilariously over the top and yet you have met this guy before. The love object supermodel played by Taglioni who anchors the film’s stories reminds me of Elle MacPherson – gorgeous but human, an approachable goddess but not a gold-digging, vain cat like her friend Karine! Had this movie been created by an American team, this leggy sweetie would have been rendered completely inhuman; her feelings for Auteuil inform the whole story here.
I’m no native speaker, but my companion and I both noticed that we were definitely getting the short end of the stick in the subtitles. “Subtitles?! Oh man, I have to read?” Hey, it’s totally worth it, believe me. I wouldn’t trade Kristin Scott Thomas’ fluid French barbs for an overdub any day (though I guess she could do it herself). She is a delicious confection as the complications rise. Dany Boon as Elmaleh’s schlubby roommate is hilarious, a weird hybrid of Danny Kaye and Seth Rogan, so chew on that. Richard Berry as Foix, Auteuil’s counsel and the arbiter of all this madness, has an officiousness and flappability (not unflappability) I thought native to only British farce.
It’s a delightful story that could have been written in any century, but takes full advantage of modern tabloid culture and the omnipresence of paparazzi in the high-rolling world of Auteuil and Taglioni. The whole movie is a huge grin, a delicately balanced adventure and love story, and great fun. Do yourself a favor and check this one out.
MPAA Rating PG-13
Release date 4/20/07
Time in minutes 85
Director Francis Veber
Studio Sony Pictures Classics
