Veber, Francis

The Valet (La Doublure)

A light, zippy farce from Francis Veber (writer/director of The Closet and The Dinner Game), The Valet is another masterful comic escalation of lies and pretenses. When a billionaire (Daniel Auteuil, Cache, The Eighth Day) gets photographed next to his supermodel mistress (Alice Taglioni), he tries to persuade his wife (Kristin Scott Thomas, The English Patient) that the supermodel must be with the other man in the picture--a parking valet (Gad Elmaleh) who just happens to be walking by. Naturally, the billionaire has to follow through by setting the valet and the supermodel up as a couple, lest his wife's detective uncover the truth. The valet agrees, but not because he wants to cozy up to the beautiful girl; he hopes that the money he'll be paid will win the heart of the bookstore owner he's in love with (Virginie Ledoyen, The Beach, 8 Femmes). The sneaky machinations of the characters multiply and cascade with delicious results, particularly the hapless envy of the valet's best friend (Dany Boon, My Best Friend). The Valet isn't quite as brilliantly orchestrated as The Closet (some of the plot threads feel underbaked), but it's still sly and wonderfully engaging. Don't judge Veber by the hamfisted Hollywood remakes of his films Les Comperes and Le Jouet; Veber's films have a deft sweetness that American filmmakers just can't recreate. --Bret Fetzer

Francis Veber (The Dinner Game and The Closet), the living master of French farce, has combined his classic elements of hilarious slapstick with quick-witted dialogue in the new film The Valet. The tale begins when François Pignon, (Gad Elmaleh) a restaurant car service valet at a posh Paris hotel gets caught-up in a billionaire industrialist's sneaky infidelities. Veber's plot quickly turns on the fall guy, when François - an innocent passerby - is photographed by a paparazzo leaving the hotel along with Pierre Levasseur (Daniel Auteuil), the wealthy tycoon and his beautiful supermodel mistress Elena (Alice Taglioni.

In a desperate attempt to avoid an ugly divorce with his wife Christine, (Kristin Scott Thomas) Pierre's scheming lawyer Maitre Foix (Richard Berry) concocts an outrageous plan. By paying the valet a large sum of money to live with Pierre's mistress, the two men hope to mislead the tabloids and most importantly hide the affair from his wife. Meanwhile, the ruthless Pierre must convince the stunning Elena to live with François in his cruddy apartment until the dust settles. All the while, continuing to reassure his wife that the other man in the photo, François, is really Elena's boyfriend.

Francis Veber's intricate and lively plot, tick-tock timing and variety of unusual characters make The Valet a hilariously good time.

Three Fugitives

The Dinner Game

Laughter is on the menu when the creator of La Cage Aux Folles serves up a tasty comic feast with this hilarious farce.When Pierre decided to play a game to see who could bring the biggest idiot to a dinner party he never imagined he'd be the one playing the fool. But when Pierre's selfish ways come to light before the main course he gets his just dessert.System Requirements: Running Time 72 minFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG-13 UPC: 031398845720 Manufacturer No: VM8457D

The Closet

French humor, which isn't exactly subtle, is delivered via an especially broad premise in The Closet. A nebbish (Daniel Auteuil) who works at a condom manufacturer learns he's about to be fired; with the help of his neighbor, he pretends to be gay so his boss can't fire him without seeming prejudiced. Then a bigoted coworker (Gerard Depardieu) tries to worm his way into the nebbish's good graces because he's afraid of being fired. In the wrong hands, The Closet could be ham-fisted slapstick. What makes this movie truly delightful is the superb understatement with which every gag is handled; even the sight of Auteuil wearing a giant condom tip on his head has an impeccable deadpan grace. All the performances are excellent; Depardieu's smarm is particularly delicious. Each scene takes a new twist of social discomfort and befuddlement in this winning comedy. --Bret Fetzer

The always popular Gerard Depardieu (102 DALMATIANS, VATEL) stars in a warmly engaging comedy that shows how one little white lie can change everything! A dull and lonely accountant working at a condom factory, Francois (Daneil Auteuil) meekly endures office jokes and backroom whispers that he's about to be fired ... usually instigated by his loutish coworker Felix (Depardieu). But that all changes when a rumor about him spreads around the office! Much to his surprise, this funny falsehood becomes the catalyst that sends Francois' life on an unexpected and hilarious turn for the better! As this outrageous, critically acclaimed story unfolds, you'll laugh along with Francois as he keeps this improbable charade going in an inspired bid to save his job and transform his life!

Les Comperes

La Chevre

The Jaguar

Three impossibly different characters find themselves in the same elevator at a grand hotel in Paris: Wanu (Harrison Lowe) an Indian form the Amazon tropical rainforest who is in France on a humanitarian tour; Campana (Jean Reno) his interpreter; and Perrin (Patrick Bruel) a dashing funny gambler and borderline con artist. Wanu decides Perrin should be the chosen one and fixes his gaze upon him. From then on Perrin is compelled to accomplish a mission that takes him on a wild adventure with Campana through the forests of the Amazon!System Requirements:Runtime: 100 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE UPC: 873820000433 Manufacturer No: SKDDV200433

The Dinner Game

Ruby & Quentin [Region 2]

Les Fugitifs [Region 2]