THE SHTICK DOESN'T SHIFT IN FRENCH 'THE VALET'.

Byline: Bob Strauss

Film Critic

For better and worse, Francis Veber has written and sometimes directed more successful French comedies than anyone who's still in the game. They tend to be a little sophisticated and rather obvious at the same time -- and somewhat naughty in an unthreatening way.

His best-known script, for "La Cage aux Folles," was essential Veber, combining broad caricature with moments of empathetic humanism and contrived slapstick with good farce construction -- and some naughty stuff. He's more or less been working this shtick for three decades since.

"The Valet," one of his directing efforts, is square-in-the-middle Veber. He's done sillier stuff, and things with more wicked edge, too ("The Dinner Game," from about 10 years ago, remains his leanest, meanest and arguably best work).

It's nothing special, but if you like continental sex comedy that doesn't really involve much sex or anything else that demands much from a viewer, it's efficiently entertaining enough.

We've heard a lot of this joke before, though. Unlikable rich guy Pierre (Daniel Auteuil) is photographed with the hot young model, Elena (Alice Taglioni), he's been secretly carrying on with for some time. Since most of his business interests are in his suspicious wife Christine's (Kristin Scott Thomas) name, Pierre has to come up with a good explanation or lose big. His enjoyably, if unoriginally conniving lawyer Maitre Foix (Richard Berry) notices some other guy in the incriminating picture and hatches a plan to pass the chump off as Elena's real boyfriend.

Trouble is, that fellow is a humble valet parking attendant at a Paris restaurant, which makes the whole supermodel affair thing a hard sell. He's named Francois Pignon, as are most of the patsies in Veber scripts, even though they're all different characters and have been played by numerous actors. Gad Elmaleh is "Valet's" Pignon.

Elmaleh has mimes in his family, from whom he's inherited a certain physical grace. But it's the actor's ability to look dejected most of the time that's most crucial here.

After money is promised and compelling lies are told, Christine moves into Pignon's crummy apartment, and they make like they're a couple. The beauty turns out to be vulnerable and sweet. While even in close quarters with this hottie, Pignon can't stop pining for the girl who recently dumped him (Virginie Ledoyen). Elmaleh and Taglioni work up a nice, believable chemistry that leaves a little room for mystery. But that's about where believability in this scenario ends.

Reassuringly, life lessons are learned, counter-schemes are hatched, and everyone pretty much gets what they have coming to them. Not really naughty at all, when you think about it. Veber exhibits pretty good comic timing and stages a nice car gag or two. Some characters are pure cartoons, but most of the actors sketch in a few nice shadings, at least. "The Valet" isn't anything to leave an extra-large tip for, and you're not going to dent your sides laughing. But it is French comedy at its easiest to handle, and for some, that's all that it needs to be.

Bob Strauss, [phone]

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THE VALET - Two and one half stars

(PG-13: language, sex)

Starring: Gad Elmaleh, Alice Taglioni, Daniel Auteuil, Kristin Scott Thomas, Virginie Ledoyen, Richard Berry.

Director: Francis Veber.

Running time: 1 hr. 25 min.

Playing: Laemmle Town Center 5, Encino; Laemmly Playhouse 7, Pasadena; Laemmle Royal, West Los Angeles; Edwards Westpark 8, Irvine.

In a nutshell: Some nice, humane touches help this standard sex farce about a billionaire who tries to convince his wife that his model mistress is actually seeing a parking attendant. In French with English subtitles.