The film is a laugh-fest with some of the funniest moments in cinema history, it features two amazing actors who have great on-screen chemistry. A French movie hit from 2006, The Valet has been reimagined for America. It tells the story of a glamorous Hollywood actress who conceals her affair with a married billionaire by pretending to be involved with a Mexican car park attendant. Together they undertake hilarious adventures across social class, race and ethnicity. There are many wonderful incidental character performances from both domains that gobble up their mismatched hijinks. Most importantly though, there’s one person whose role comes close to stealing the show as they become embroiled in an absolutely priceless subplot. The Valet goes on, taking us into the realm of emotions.
The filmmakers should have gone soft-hearted for rom-com greatness instead of turning out The Valet’s overlong climax like this.
Antonio Flores (Derbez) resides in a small Los Angeles pad together with his spicy mother (Carmen Salinas) and teenage son (Joshua Vasquez). During his work Antonio bikes to Kobra restaurant where he works as parking valet. Recently Antonio was abandoned by Isabel (Marisol Nichols), his wife for an unbearable realtor guy. Antonio is just too good – he lets others trample all over him.
Olivia Allan (Weaving) is a megastar on the verge of releasing her next big movie blockbuster flick and she has been having an affair with Vincent Royce, the billionaire character played by Max Greenfield. He married into money through his heiress wife named Kathryn (Betsy Brandt). Olivia and Vincent have had to go to great lengths so as not to get caught by photographers stalking them everywhere they go at night time or even during the day while they are trying to hide their escapades from prying eyes. When Vincent hesitates before leaving Kathryn’s room Olivia makes a dash for it. An argument in front of her parked vehicle, with Antonio subsequently crashing his bicycle into it. The paparazzi catch the whole thing as Vincent helps him up. Images of this sort make Kathryn mad. Vincent would rather stay married to her than get divorced. Olivia fears that her movie will flop. They hope to convince everyone else that the biker is really her secret lover. The idea was shocking to Antonio when he was approached by Vincent’s lawyer (Alex Fernandez) about acting the part.
And so fish out of water works on both sides too. Olivia plays acts like a diva who can’t do without bootlicking sycophants in almost every scene and so she surrounds herself with them as well. She is thrown into his Mexican world of nosy friends, relatives and large quantities of tamale dishes. That means a lot to an actress who survives on pills and champagne alone throughout the day. His head spins from all that wealth and fame which he finds himself witnessing first hand throughout their lunch together which becomes more hilarious each minute.
It is impossible to imagine this film without those other characters being there, they give it its humor perspective better than anything else could have done anywhere else or at any time for that matter! Carmen Salinas is outstanding as Antonio’s mother – this role will have you rolling on the floor laughing until your insides feel sore! Also, we learn about his mother’s affair with an old Korean handyman who also lives in their building quite early in the story line: something about their hot love affair comes across even stronger due to language barrier between them; she speaks only Spanish while he speaks strictly Korean leaving horrified Antonio to interpret his mother’s physical wants and needs for him, which scenes are simply hilarious! But then those parts become absolutely necessary for bringing everything together at climax moments.
One may not realize but The Valet has class division themes running through it. They render the hardest labor while being invisible to those they work for, Antonio and other Mexican immigrants have been reduced to nothing but maids. An ongoing gag also has Antonio mistaken as a servant all the time. He feels like a phony “hero.” On the other hand, Olivia knows that her life is not what it seems to others around her as she pays them. Her circle of close friends in Antonio’s group provides her with much desired warmth. They came away realizing what each of them lacks from his or her life.
The Valet is not predictable at all. In the third act, the film takes a serious turn. It fits in with the context of the story but it seems like a buzzkill. I would have preferred to laugh silly until the end. Eugenio Derbez and Samara Weaving are on top of their game here.
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