Ratatouille

Ratatouille was fabulous. I don't usually give that much away this quickly in my reviews, but I can't help it. Ok, I'll admit I'm probably a little biased. I love the French language and culture, not to mention Paris, and I also think rats are adorable. And I quite enjoy cooking. So for me, this movie experience was ideal.

But though very few may share my interests in France, food, and rodents, Ratatouille is having no problem wriggling its way into the hearts of all audiences. Ratatouille features great characters and a surprisingly engaging plot about a chef rat in Paris. Sounds ridiculous, I know. I thought it was a bit of a stretch myself, but as usual, Pixar has risen to the challenge. Not only that, but it has raised the bar for the animated film. The main character, Remy, is a rat who has a refined palate. An unlucky situation, you can imagine. He's stuck in his rat life with his rat family (who doesn't understand him) and their rat food that admittedly is not going to satisfy the gourmet in many creatures. Remy is frustrated, but doesn't see a way out.

And then, life gives him a little push. Remy's clan encounters an emergency, and partly because of his devotion to cooking, he is separated from them. A sad moment, but an opportunity for his life to change. He winds up in the kitchen of a Parisian five-star restaurant, wanting so badly to watch and take part in the goings-on, but he knows that humans aren't about to welcome a rat in their kitchen (much less hire one) and he values his life too much to linger. As he tries to make his way to the nearest exit, the beckoning aromas are too much. A soup is just sitting there in a pot, with ingredients everywhere! A dash of this, and handful of that, and he's creating a tasty dish that Julia Child herself would approve of. The thing is, he gets seen working his magic by the new trash boy, Linguini, who then gets blamed for messing with the soup. This would mean his job if it weren't for the fact that the soup is excellent! The customers love it, and the head chef (who didn't want Linguini there in the first place) is forced to refrain from firing him. Linguini isn't let off easy, though. He is told that he must duplicate the soup (which he didn't make) in order to keep his job.

Well, you can imagine what happens next. Linguini needs to learn how to make a good soup, and only a rat knows how. Remy wants to cook, but he can only do it with a human's help. They team up so they can both succeed, and though there are a number of humorous kitchen blunders and close calls, they do pretty well.

I won't spoil the rest. Obviously something happens to jeopardize the relationship and everything that Remy and Linguini have worked for. But it's worth watching on your own.

Though I loved the movie, there were a few things about it that I thought could have been better. For example, It was a little slow for me to get into at first. I'm not too sure why, but it only took up until Remy gets separated from his family (which is pretty close to the beginning) for me to get absorbed.

I also thought there were a few questionable plot devices: Why can Remy control Linguini like a puppeteer? Why does chef Gusteau (a figment of his imagination) keep popping up and helping Remy? Can a figment of one's imagination ever be helpful? Ok, you might say, but we're watching a film about a chef rat for crying out loud! Granted. But a film can ask you to adopt a certain premise (which is ridiculous) and as long as you're interested, it doesn't necessarily ruin the movie. To add something else silly which is wholly unconnected with the other crazy premise is in danger of pushing the envelope. I thought that these things came a bit close, but somehow, Pixar makes it work. The relationship between Remy and Linguini as well as the comedy of Linguini being pulled around like a puppet in a kitchen surprisingly ended up working ok.

Rating: 16

Anyway, the point is, Ratatouille is excellent. Had some great laughs, great lessons, and great animation. It might be a little boring for young kids (there's quite a bit of dialogue and cooking), and the themes, including making a difference and doing what you love, might be a bit over their heads. But it's so well done, so sweet, and so funny! I can't wait until it comes out on DVD, or until a friend asks me out to the movies to see it again!

Iconic lines:

"Rat-a-tou-ille. It's like a stew, right? Why do they call it that? If you're gonna name a food, you should give it a name that sounds delicious. Ratatouille doesn't sound delicious. It sounds like 'rat' and 'patootie'. 'Rat-patootie', which does not sound delicious."

"...the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so."