The Valet Parent Guide

Olivia Allan is one of the most famous women in the world. An actress with an upcoming blockbuster film, she believes in being a role model for girls and bringing attention to women’s stories. So when a paparazzi photographer snaps a photo of her arguing with her married lover, Vincent (Max Greenfield), she’s distraught.

As Olivia spirals into panic mode, Vincent is on the verge of complete meltdown. If his wife sees the photo, his marriage will be over and he will lose control of the giant real estate empire her father created. Desperation leads to inspiration and Vincent and his lawyer decide on a strategy: instead of admitting the affair, they will pay the third person in the photo to pretend he is in a relationship with Olivia instead.

Antonio can’t believe what’s happening to him. The parking valet smashed his bike into a parked car and wound up in a photograph with two strangers. Now he’s being offered unheard of amounts of money to go out on dates with a dazzlingly beautiful actress. He’s terrified, tongue-tied, and very sweaty…but this is the kind of offer he just can’t turn down, even as it thrusts him into the rarefied world of celebrity.

The Valet aims for that most difficult movie niche – the screwball romantic comedy. Genre fans will appreciate that this rom-com manages to provide madcap fun and plenty of laughs. (Even I, jaded by countless bad movies, laughed out loud throughout this movie’s runtime.) The plot is silly and many of the characters verge on being completely irrational, but the storyline remains compelling, the comic timing holds, the action involves plenty of zany mayhem, and audiences will find themselves sharing Antonio’s bemusement at the strange new world he has entered.

It’s unfortunate that such a fun film comes with content that makes it unsuitable for family audiences. There’s some profanity, plenty of alcohol use (including scenes of intoxication), and some violence used for comic effect. The movie’s sexual content is the most troubling issue: there’s plenty of sexual innuendo, including a very weird (but brief) conversation between a mother and her son about vibrators. The biggest issue in the movie is a scene in which Olivia and Antonio pretend to have sex for the benefit of two private investigators watching them from a neighboring building. Knowing that they are being filmed, the couple kiss and remove their shirts, before Olivia pushes Antonio on to the bed, at which point he is no longer visible through the window. When he slips out of the room, Olivia continues to pretend she’s having a sexual encounter, complete with writhing, gyrating, and screaming. Her bra and underwear remain on, but the scene is a bit more detailed than most parents would choose for family viewing.

The negative content is particularly unfortunate because The Valet is not only funny and warm-hearted; it also has a lot to say. This movie illuminates the pain of being “invisible” and living with racial stereotyping and biases. It shows the strength and joy that can be found in extended families and “found families” and in supportive communities. Viewers will also appreciate that this is a movie where the kind, decent guy is celebrated. Points go to Eugenio Derbez for so perfectly embodying his character – those sad spaniel eyes of his are incredibly emotive and provide this frothy film with the weight it needs to keep from blowing away.