Summary
Derbez and Weaving elevate The Valet as a perfect addition to the romantic comedy genre.
This review of Hulu film The Valet (2022) does not contain spoilers.
The return of the rom-com continues as Hulu is releasing the film The Valet. The movie is a remake of the French film La doublure. I was excited to check this one out as I am a fan of Eugenio Derbez and Samara Weaving.
We meet Vincent Royce (Max Greenfield), a politician looking to change the city. At the same time, we meet Olivia (Samara Weaving), an actress on the movie set. Next, we see the pair meet up in a hotel room together. Olivia feels terrible and says it’s time to break up their love affair. However, as she leaves the hotel room, the paparazzi take a few snapshots of the pair and it lands on the paper’s front page. Vincent realizes he needs to fix this and his lawyer hatched a plan to say that Olivia was dating the valet driver (pictured in the photo with them) and not Vincent.
Antonio (the Valet driver) isn’t hard to convince to take part in the plan of being the guy. But, once Olivia comes into Antonio’s work and plants a big kiss on him, the rest is history. His friends, family, and everyone is confused about how Antonio landed the big star. Even Vincent’s wife Betsy isn’t buying it and hires a private detective to look into their relationship.
The Actress and the Valet
The depiction of the other woman has been played way too much in Hollywood. However, The Valet does a great job of bringing a slightly fresh take to the room by introducing Antonio to the table. They didn’t make Antonio’s character dumbed down because he was a “valet driver.” Instead, the writing brought his family to life beautifully. It enriched the story to highlight some of what Olivia seems to be missing from her life. They let Antonio be Antonio and never shy away from who he was and I loved that.
Olivia and Antonio work because of Eugenio Derbez and Samara Weaving. Antonio and Olivia couldn’t be more opposite, but they have some of the same qualities within each other. Derbez plays the role to perfetcion. He is a quirky, older man that still lives at home with his mother. Derbez brings such a delightful comedic approach and, at times, doesn’t even have to try because he is just that funny. He also packs such an emotional layer to Antonio that elevates this film to a different level. Samara Weaving is an outstanding actress who thrives as the actress playing a role within a role. Weaving just doesn’t miss.
There is a moment you don’t see coming in the third act, and I was incredibly floored by it. I credit the writers for how well they laid out the story because it hit so much harder than it ever should. You really think the movie is playing to the beat that other films like this do until it doesn’t and this made the film even better for it.
Overall, The Valet does a great job structuring this story to make you laugh, feel things, and ultimately invest in each of the characters. Because of that, the film is a charming take on the rom-com that everyone can enjoy.
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