Reviews on movie The Valet (4)

Neither the film’s original title, The Valet, nor its Russian adaptation, Dubler, gives us a complete picture of the new film, released on the Hulu streaming platform (yes, popcorn cinemas at the price of a ticket are no longer in vogue). Under the flair of light melodrama / comedy hides a real social drama about abusive relationships, loneliness, social inequality, the search for a better life and the American dream.
The plot of the film revolves around a parking lotkeeper, a Latin American, who was hired to portray the lover of a young movie star and deflect suspicions from her affair with a married businessman. It would seem that this is the perfect script for a sparkling comedy in the spirit of the new Cinderella, but no! Underneath a thin layer of jokes and sketches lurks human drama. And the film diva, who saves abusive relationships, is boundlessly alone in the rays of glory, and the parker, who came to the United States for a better life, lived it, caring for others. In some ways they are happy and unhappy at the same time. They live in different worlds – in different parts of Los Angeles, but it is the contact of these worlds that helps them find harmony.

The film's duo surprised, but did not disappoint. The main male role is played by Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez, who has proven himself well in playing family melodramas and comedies. The female role was given to Samara Weaving, familiar to us by the characteristic roles in thrillers and action films. It is worth noting that in this film she showed herself from a completely unexpected side.

For finding meaning for Latin American motives:

7 out of 10

Epilogue. Dubbler is an American romantic comedy film of 2022. The director is Richard Wong. Before that, he directed only Men with Weaknesses. Basically, Richard is a cameraman, but in the role of the director he debuted recently. Wong's lack of experience did not affect this picture. The film was beautiful and it was impossible to watch it. This film is a remake of the 2006 French film of the same name. The PR of the film was bad, because I watched it only because of the participation of Samara Weaving, who just brilliantly performed her role. The film premiered on Hulu on May 20. The translation of the film's title is terrible. After all, The Vallet is translated quite differently (Luckey, Kamerdiner or Parker).
The plot. Antonio Flores is the main character of the film. He is a humble footman who shares custody with his ex over his teenage son. Antonio lives with his mother Cecilia. Meanwhile, actress Olivia Allan has an affair with city developer Vincent Royce. One evening, they are photographed by paparatists. In the same photo is Antonio. The next day there are rumors about the affair of the actress with a rich developer. Vincent comes up with a plan for Olivia and Antonio to pretend to be a couple. Olivia agrees because she wants to avoid bad publicity. Throughout the film, we will watch the fake relationship of the main characters that will change them both.
Actors. There are not many famous actors in this film. I only got to know a few people, but I was impressed by the people I saw for the first time. I would like to highlight the following actors: 1. Eugenio Derbez played the role of Antonio Flores. He has starred in films such as CODA: Child of Deaf Parents, Overboard and Instructions are not included. Derbes is also engaged in the voiceover of characters in cartoons. In this project, he proved himself just wonderful. His hero from the first minutes predisposes the viewer to himself. As the film progresses, the viewer begins to empathize with the relationship of the main character. In my opinion, Eugenio is the main decoration of the painting. 2. Samara Weaving plays Olivia Allan. In many ways, I saw this picture because of her. She starred in such projects as: I'm going to look, Nanny and Guns Akimbo. Samara got into the role perfectly. I think she even fulfilled herself a little bit. I think she has something in common with her character. I want to note the chemistry of her heroine with the hero of Derbes. They interact very well with each other. 3. Carmen Salinas played the role of Cecilia. She played the role of the mother of the main character. Almost all the humor of the picture rested on her heroine. I thought I saw Carmen for the first time, but it turned out she was in the movie Anger. Which, of course, I don't remember. Carmen at 82 continues his acting career and does it at a high level. However, it is not removed so often. Also in this film starred Betsy Brandt, the same one who starred in the series Breaking Bad. In this picture, she was given little screen time, so I can not say much.
I want to draw a parallel with the film Overboard. It also starred Derbes and also played the main role. Only there he played the role of a rich man, who for strange reasons began to live as poor. And in the movie Dubler, it is exactly the opposite. The main point of the film is humor. He's just great and always on the subject. I also want to celebrate the wonderful acting of almost all the characters. The film is very simple and looks in one breath. I really liked the way the writers portrayed the movie star. Many famous actors probably feel the same way. On the one hand, they have everything, but lack family care and home furnishings or even friends. The heroine of Olivia changed very much going to the film for the better. Her character perfectly revealed the campaign of the entire film. The ending was also good, which is also worth thanking the writers. The speech of the main character towards the end of the film was very touching and certainly impressed many viewers. The plot seems to be worn out, but everything was removed so that it is impossible to break away from the film.

Conclusion. I think if after reading the review you have a desire to see this film, then do not postpone it in a long box and watch.

7 out of 10