The Valet

The title character of "The Valet" is Francois Pignon, a parking attendant who's also a hopeless romantic. And this French import is hopelessly silly.

"The Valet" is a trifle with a few good ideas strewn about, but which feels rushed and too flimsy for its own good.

Francois, played by French comic actor Gad Elmaleh, is planning to propose to his childhood sweetheart, Emilie (Virginie Ledoyen). But she rejects his proposal, citing the dreaded "we're just friends" excuse.

Meanwhile, Pierre Levasseur (Daniel Auteuil), a wealthy, married CEO, has been photographed in public with his lover, supermodel Elena (Alice Taglioni). Pierre's wife, Christine (Kristin Scott Thomas), isn't convinced that their relationship is innocent, so to save his marriage, Pierre has to make it appear that Elena is actually dating someone else.

And who is the person Pierre chooses to help him pull off this ruse? You guessed it, Francois, who agrees to the scheme. But he's only taking enough money to help Emilie pay off some business debts.

Screenwriter/director Francis Veber ("The Dinner Game," "The Closet") was smart to choose Elmaleh to be his lead. The sad-faced actor resembles both Nicolas Cage and Adrien Brody, and is very likable.

And Veber's story is populated with funny supporting characters. The best may be Emilie's father (Michel Aumont), a frail doctor with a tendency to dispense bad advice and pass out during his examinations.

Surprisingly, the one real false note is the usually dependable Auteuil. His frantic and forced performance is one of the worst he's ever given. (It certainly doesn't help that the final scene features his character in fairly humiliating fashion.)

"The Valet" is rated PG-13 for some crude humor and sexually suggestive language, occasional use of profanity, some brief sexual contact, and a few drug references (mostly prescription medicines). Running time: 82 minutes.

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