| The Valet | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Release poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Wong |
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | The Valet byFrancis Veber |
| Produced by | |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Mateo Londono |
| Edited by | Sandra Montiel |
| Music by | Heitor Pereira |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Hulu |
Release date |
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Running time | 123 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Valet is a 2022 Americanromantic comedy film directed by Richard Wong and written byBob Fisher andRob Greenberg. It is a remake of the French filmThe Valet (2006) byFrancis Veber. It starsEugenio Derbez andSamara Weaving, withMax Greenfield,Betsy Brandt,Marisol Nichols,Amaury Nolasco,Carmen Salinas,Noemi Gonzalez,Armando Hernández,Carlos Santos,Ravi Patel, and John Pirruccello in supporting roles. The film is dedicated to Salinas, who died in 2021. The plot follows aparking valet (Derbez) who is hired to date an actress (Weaving) trying to cover up an affair. The film was released onHulu on May 20, 2022. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
Antonio Flores is a humblevalet living with his mother Cecilia. He is separated from his wife Isabel, and shares custody of their teenage son. His neighborhood is under threat of upcoming gentrification plans, which local bike shop owner Natalie is trying to fight.
Meanwhile, actress Olivia Allan is having an affair with city developer and married billionaire Vincent Royce. One night, when she is getting into her Uber with Vincent standing next to her, Antonio crashes his bike into the car. The three are photographed together, sparking rumors of Olivia and Vincent's affair.
Fearing he will lose his company if his wife Kathryn divorces him, Vincent comes up with a plan to have Olivia and Antonio pretend to be a couple. She accepts to avoid any bad press before the upcoming premiere of her new film,Earhart, in which she stars asAmelia Earhart. Antonio requests $12,850 to pay for Isabel's debts.
Antonio and Olivia go out for lunch surrounded bypaparazzi, where Olivia is rude and calculating, and Antonio feels out of place. Everybody falls for the ploy, except for Kathryn, who hires a private investigator to tail them. At the premiere ofEarhart, she questions Antonio, who stands up for himself when she criticizes his occupation.
As he leaves the event, Antonio realizes that he has become famous, especially within the Latin American community. He and his friends drive a drunk Olivia home to avoid any unflattering paparazzi photos.
The next day, Olivia is given a proper breakfast by Antonio's family. She admires their closeness and love for each other. Vincent is incorrectly led to believe that Antonio and Olivia slept together, making him jealous.
Earhart receives positive reviews after the premiere but Olivia is lonely and unsure of Vincent's promise to leave his wife. She attends Antonio's son's play at school. Out of jealousy, Isabel kisses Antonio, who tells her the truth about Olivia.
Antonio and Olivia bond, and she enjoys her anonymity in the Latin-American neighborhood. Back home, they pretend to have sex to mess with private investigators observing them from across the street. Cecilia tells Antonio she is glad he has found love again, like she has with their Korean landlord Mr. Kim, even though neither can speak the same language. Olivia acknowledges that she has not been living a healthy lifestyle.
The following day, Isabel tells Antonio that she wants to file for divorce, because she does not want to be with someone who thinks so little of himself. Olivia and Antonio fight over each of their self-destructive tendencies—her aloofness and his self-deprecation—and they publicly "break up".
Vincent's lawyer later approaches Antonio to pay him $25,000, explaining that he grew up like Antonio and he is happy whenever he can do the right thing. Antonio hesitates, but takes the money.
Cecilia suffers a stroke and dies in the kitchen with Mr. Kim at her side. At the funeral, Antonio delivers a heartfelt eulogy about the hardships his mother endured to give him and his siblings a better life in theUnited States, and thanks Mr. Kim for giving her happiness. He speaks in English so Mr. Kim's family can translate.
Antonio makes up with Olivia, who decides to break up with Vincent. Kathryn learns the truth about Vincent, files for divorce, and takes over the company. To thank Antonio, she cancels the gentrification plans.
Antonio builds up the courage to ask out Natalie. The film closes with Antonio and Olivia discussing Antonio's love life while the paparazzi take photos from the street.
In September 2014, it was announcedEugenio Derbez would produce and star in a remake of the 2006 French filmThe Valet byFrancis Veber, withLionsgate set to distribute.[1] In March 2021, it was announcedSamara Weaving had joined the cast of the film, with Richard Wong set to direct from a screenplay byBob Fisher andRob Greenberg.[2] The rest of the cast was revealed in April and May.[3][4][5] Filming took place inAtlanta, Georgia.[6] During post-production,Heitor Pereira composed the musical score.[7]The Valet is the last film to starCarmen Salinas, who died in December 2021; the film is dedicated to her memory.[8]
In July 2021,Hulu acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, withDisney+ set to distribute internationally andStar+ inLatin America.[9] It was released on May 20, 2022.[10]
According toWhip Media'sTV Time,The Valet was the tenth-most-watched film across all platforms in the United States during the week of May 20, 2022.[11]
On the review aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 75% of 65 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "With a pair of likable leads and a story that subverts rom-com expectations,The Valet is a rare remake worth celebrating."[12]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 62 out of 100 based on nine critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13]
John Serba ofDecider calledThe Valet a funny and heartwarming film and compared it toNotting Hill, stating it avoids to be a formulaic romantic comedy film, praised the interactions between the characters and their development, and complimented the performances of the cast members.[14] Sheila O'Malley ofRogerEbert.com rated the film three out of four stars, complimented the humor of the film and the performances of the cast, and praised its take on the treatment of workers by the upper-class across gentrification.[15] Jennifer Green ofCommon Sense Media rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, praised the depiction of positive messages, citing friendship and self-respect, complimented the presence of positive role models, stating the movie promotes integrity and humility across some of the characters, and found agreeable the diversity of the cast members.[16]
Jacob Oller ofPaste rated the film 7.9/10, applauded the screenplay for its approach on feminism and multiculturalism across Derbez and Weaving's characters, complimentedThe Valet for its modern humor across its gags, stating it manages to be entertaining without relying on pop culture, and praised the actors for their performances.[17] Rachel Labonte ofScreen Rant gave the movie a three out of five stars review and found it to be a refreshing romantic comedy film, stating the lead characters manage to both be interestingly developed across their relationships while the movie approaches the harsh treatment of immigrants by the upper class, praised the performances of the actors, and declared it manages to be entertaining across its genuine humor despite saying some subplots are not developed sufficiently.[18]
At theImagen Awards, the film received nominations for "Best Primetime Program – Special or Movie" and "Best Actor – Comedy (Television)" (for Eugenio Derbez).[19]
