Doublure, La 2006

Critics score:
70 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: We can count on farce, and on Veber, to ensure that everyone ends up where they should, and The Valet resolves itself most satisfyingly, in its tidy 85 minutes. It's a formulaic comedy that feels fresh -- and that's a rare accomplishment. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: This smoothly acted contrivance offers a lesson or two in how to sell a certain kind of comedy -- meaning, how not to oversell it. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: Writer-director Francis Veber has been compared to everyone from Moliere to Blake Edwards, but this sublime French farce reminded me most of Billy Wilder. Read more

Hap Erstein, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Veber's script is masterfully constructed to increase the laughs as the scheme grows more and more convoluted. Read more

Scott Tobias, AV Club: The stitching of Veber's contrived entanglements falls apart at the tug of a thread, because nobody onscreen buys the ruse being perpetrated. Read more

Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: It's all empty calories, of course, but that's what French pastry -- not to mention popcorn -- is all about. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: 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. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: A complete master of cinematic farce, [director] Veber's latest venture, The Valet, makes creating deliciously funny comedy look a lot easier than it has any right to. Read more

Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle: It'll do nicely, thanks not only to sophisticated amusement but also to a gentlemanly hero who earns a place in our hearts. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: Starts with a nice premise, but ends up fractured. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Resistance to The Valet is futile: The tumblers of this well-oiled entertainment machine make satisfying clicks as the pieces lock merrily into place. Read more

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: Call it a sorbet, a souffle or an amuse bouche, The Valet is a satisfying antidote to the overload and bombast that run rampant in American movies at this time of the year. Read more

Bruce Newman, San Jose Mercury News: The story is farcical and falling-down funny, and yet the actors treat [director] Veber's material as if it were all serious. And entirely reasonable. Read more

Jan Stuart, Newsday: It hurtles toward its foregone denouement with such a whirligig gust of madcap spirits, you might need to readjust your hair as you head out of the theater. Read more

Anthony Lane, New Yorker: To be honest, The Valet does not show Veber at his best. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: There are a number of ways The Valet could be better. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Doors slam, confusions pile up and these high-toned actors look as if they're enjoying themselves immensely. They're not the only ones. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: The situation delivers less wackiness than it promises, and there aren't a lot of big laughs. Charm fills the void, though. Read more

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer: Francis Veber's The Valet, from his own screenplay, turns out to be a surprisingly satisfying Parisian screen farce. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: It's not as outrageous or as hilarious as his best work, but it's still charming, even when it isn't finding the funnybone. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: You have the slightest of romps, and one that ends so abruptly that you suspect the prolific Veber had already moved on to his next project. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: A sunny, cheerful, thoroughly artificial concoction, going nowhere with no particular speed. Still, better than your average airplane movie. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: At 80 minutes long, it's that rare case of a short film that should have been longer. And that's its problem: It really should have been longer. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times: Briskly directed, The Valet hits the brakes for an abrupt ending, but this short ride delivers few apercus on fidelity, glamor or the nice boy next door. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Just enjoy it now as the exceedingly pleasant farce that it is. Read more

Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine: A deft, daft, totally unbelievable yet somehow totally engaging comedy. Read more

Joshua Land, Time Out: Read more

Lisa Nesselson, Variety: Read more

Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice: This isn't to diminish The Valet's good times, only to admit that it'll inevitably wind up with an English-language makeover and an 8 p.m. slot on ABC. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: Everyone in The Valet is likable; the movie even manages to be somewhat subversive, as it posits the idea that supermodels are people, too. Not to mention smart, kind and down-to-earth people. Quelle surprise! Read more