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How to remake a French farce, with class

The Valet (M, 124 mins) Directed by Richard Wong Reviewed by James Croot ★★★★

It has taken 16 years, but this is a rare Hollywood remake of a ‘‘foreign’’ movie that’s much superior to the original. The kind of comedy that used to be a northern hemisphere summer staple and guarantee of a good night out, it’s almost a shame it has seemingly been buried in the Star section of Disney+.

Le grand fromage of French farce, writer-director Francis Veber’s 2005 original, was a simple souffle of a movie (riffing on Notting Hill and Mad Dog and Glory) that only succeeded thanks to speed, nice curves, excellent handling and an impressive cast that included Daniel Auteuil, Kristin Scott Thomas and Alice Taglioni.

This is more substantial and satisfying. It has been updated for modern mores, given a Latin twist and provides a terrific showcase for Australia’s Samara Weaving (Guns Akimbo, Bill & Ted Face the Music) and Mexican Eugenio Derbez (Coda’s scene-stealing music teacher Bernardo Villalobos).

She is movie star Olivia Allen. He is 47-year-old professional car parker Antonio Flores, who still lives with his mum and has just $330 in his bank account. Their world’s collide when his bike crashes into her Uber, just as she’s fleeing a hotel liaison with married millionaire developer Vincent Royce (Max Greenfield).

With the whole incident caught by a paparazzo, Vincent and Olivia go into damage control, desperate to dampen any implication they are an item. Their solution? Track down Antonio and hire him to be Olivia’s new boyfriend.

While willing to accompany her to fancy lunches and the premiere of her new Amelia Earhart biopic, Antonio has more pressing concerns of his own. His beloved mama has started dating their

Korean landlord, he still harbours hopes of reuniting with his estranged ex and his neighbourhood is threatened by gentrification plans. And, even as the press seem convinced by this unlikely pairing, Vincent’s wife Kathryn (Betsy Brandt) isn’t so sure, hiring a private detective to follow their every move.

Director Richard Wong, whose last effort (Come As You Are) was a fabulous remake of acclaimed Belgian dramedy Hasta La Vista, does a magnificent job of establishing a series of characters that are more than just onedimensional, slowly building the story towards a fitting and crowdpleasing finale.

Some may complain that the film is 20 minutes too long (and it is 40 minutes longer than the original), but none of it feels flabby or forced. Some brilliant set pieces (the premiere, breakfast with Antonio’s family) are interspersed with real-world dilemmas and hilarious self-deprecating humour from both leads.

In a way, this feels like a cross between In the Heights, Rose Matafeo’s Starstruck and a John Hughes movie. It has enough twists and subverting of expectations to keep you hooked, but also panache, chutzpah and uplift to spare, ensuring you’ll sport a broad smile by the time the credits roll.

The Valet is now available to stream on Disney+.

Entertainment

en-nz

2022-05-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281998971081710

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