The Valet – Overcoming Expectations With Charm (Early Review)

A successful romantic comedy usually takes an absurd premise, typically with opposites that are attracting over time, and makes it believable to the extent where the viewer has long given up questioning whether or not this could actually happen and just accepts it for what it is; entertainment. The Valet, Hulu’s (or Disney+ Star in other countries) refreshed take on a 2006 French film sharing the same name and premise, accomplishes this with an excellent cast, but an even better secret weapon – charm.

The Valet centers around Antonio (Derbez) who works as a parking valet at a prestigious restaurant. Despite being separated from his wife, Antonio still provides for his family including his mother who lives with him in a modest L.A. apartment. As he makes his way home one day after work, he runs into billionaire Vincent Royce (Greenfield) and an actress named Olivia (Weaving) following a fight. Olivia is the “other woman” in that relationship as Vincent’s wife Kathryn (Betsy Brandt) grows increasingly suspicious of him. In an effort to thwart both the paparazzi and Kathryn, Olivia simply pretends that Antonio is her boyfriend.

The narrative that follows is fairly typical of rom-com story beats, however with The Valet, there is a sense of authentic confusion from Antonio who is thrust into a world that he never asked for but has allowed for him to be seen by others for the first time. While Olivia also experiences an awakening where her value is expressed genuinely by others in a way that is heartfelt and meaningful. The film’s immense charm enhances every interaction and plot point throughout. This all originates from Derbez’s interpretation of Antonio as begins to grow closer with Olivia and better understand her world. His life experience, complete with hopes, regrets, and simplistic happiness, helps navigate their faux-relationship to be something more than surface-level which in turn allows Olivia to realize her true worth in spite of a business and a relationship based on false perception.

Through their stories, a larger and more interesting narrative builds based on the established chemistry of Derbez and Weaving, which does sputter at first but ultimately succeeds once it finds its footing. This is partly because seeing Weaving’s Olivia as a character that audiences will not root for at first is slightly shocking. However, her journey slowly endears itself to viewers the more she finds herself in Antonio’s life. This was something that was unexpected but is capable of winning audiences over as her transformation feels authentic, considering the odd circumstances, and earned. However, the film’s heart is Derbez who does a great job as Antonio. His performance balances the perfect amount of kindness mixed with comedy that is great to watch in its own right and as other family members are added into the story his performance excels. The best example is through the film’s MVP, Carmen Salinas as Antonio’s mother. Second to Derbez is Weaving whose Olivia is not well-liked in the beginning but her redemption becomes just as interesting as Antonio’s self-empowerment.

On its surface, The Valet seems like a fairly mainstream romantic comedy, and more likely than not, that will be how viewers come to find and watch it. However, throughout its playful story and solid comedic beats is a message that if given the chance can be truly felt on a deeper level. When films such as these punch above their weight and say something more meaningful than first advertised, they become far more entertaining and this film accomplishes this through its blending of heart and charm all told from a marginalized worker’s perspective who is given an opportunity to prove he is something more than society has labeled him. Mixed with that is its ability to subvert typical rom-com expectations by providing a conclusion that is much more believable and satisfying.

still courtesy of Hulu

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