"The Valet" starts with a "fake lovers" premise routine in rom-coms, but this Hulu original film doesn't park in the wide-open spot. The funny, grounded remake of a 2006 French comedy arrives in a Pinto and leaves in, if not a Porsche, at least a Prius.
Unambitious but hardworking valet Antonio (Eugenio Derbez) finds himself caught in the middle of an affair between superstar actress Olivia (Samara Weaving) and married billionaire Vincent (Max Greenfield) when paparazzi happen to capture the three in the same photo. To keep the affair secret, Vincent pays Antonio to pretend to be the one in a relationship with Olivia. Familiar, right? Sure, there's convenience to the gag and its resolution. But "The Valet" has more going for it than that farce setup, thanks largely to its sparkling leads.
Bob Fisher and Rob Greenberg's screenplay updates Francis Veber's French film "La Doublure" with texture and warmth. (Veber has made such comedy classics as "Les Comperes" and "Le Diner de Cons," among others receiving American remakes.) The earned sweetness is particularly evident in its fond familial eye and taste for flavors of L.A. only longtime Angelenos would recognize. "The Valet" embraces the ongoing cultural collisions at the heart of the city.
