REEL CRITICS:’Next’ is clever, but it has a few holes

“Next” is the latest story by Philip K. Dick to be made into a major Hollywood movie.

It offers his usual strange brew of crime thriller, suspense and psychotic science fiction.

Like “Blade Runner,” “Total Recall” and “Minority Report,” the new film features another mind-bending, time-twisting plot.

But with Nicolas Cage as the central figure, “Next” is a more light-hearted version of the heavyweight films that came before it.

Cage plays a small-time Las Vegas magician who has the ability to see two minutes into the future, but no further.

When the FBI becomes aware of his psychic power, the bureau seeks to enlist his character in thwarting a terrorist plot to detonate a nuclear weapon on American soil.

Following the surreal plot device, there are dozens of two-minute peeks into the future that include several alternate endings to each event.

This allows director Lee Tamahori to add some of the humor of “Groundhog Day” to the mandatory action adventure scenes.

There are some excellent ideas at work here, but there are large holes in a screenplay that is alternately clever and silly.

Still, there’s more than enough fun to fill up a big bag of popcorn.

For great laughs, lend your time to ‘Valet’

“The Valet” is a delightful comedy that’s like a soufflé — it may not seem like much, but considerable skill has gone into making it.

The Paris tabloids snap a photo of a tycoon (Daniel Auteuil) with his mistress (Alice Taglioni). When confronted by his wife (Kristin Scott Thomas), he denies knowing the woman and insists she was with the other man (Gad Elmaleh) in the photo. That hapless other man, Francois, is located at the posh restaurant where he works as a parking valet. He’s asked to pretend he’s the mistress’ boyfriend.

“How much do I have to pay?” he gulps. Francois can’t believe it — someone is actually going to pay him to have a gorgeous roommate for a week!

Director Francis Veber keeps the pace brisk and the laughs coming. The Farrelly Brothers — screenwriters who made “Dumb and Dumber” and “There’s Something About Mary” — are interested in a remake. Let’s hope they can re-create the blend of comedy and sweetness.

Everyone is perfect in their roles, especially Auteuil (one of France’s most skillful actors) as a clever man who learns the hard way never to cross a woman.