RATATOUILLE
Reviewed for CompuServe by Harvey S. Karten
Walt Disney Pictures
Grade: A-
Directed by: Brad Bird
Written By: Brad Bird, story by Brad Bird, Jim Capobiano, Jan Pinkava
Cast: Voices of Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, Peter O'Toole,
Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo, Will Arnett, Julius Callahan, James Remar, John Ratzenberger, Teddy
Newton, Tony Fucile, Jake Steinfeld, Brad Bird
Screened at: AMC Empire, NYC, 6/19/07
Opens: June 29, 2007
Once your kids see this remarkable Pixar animation film, "Ratatouille," they'll insist you take them to La
Grenouille, the Cote Basque, Jacqueline's, perhaps even Per Se. If you show them you don't have the
bread for the French cuisine, maybe Chinatown will do–New York Noodletown, The New Green Bo, the
New Malaysian perhaps? Anything to get them to stop whining that they want to go to Mickey D's,
Burger King, Wendy's, Kentucky Fried, and the like. It's my fervent hope that junk places like theirs find
themselves with no customers at the end of "Ratatouille"'s run and will close down. I can dream, can't I?
Ratatouille" is a foodie's dream, a picture that makes one want to jump into the screen and mangia, or,
one should say, manger. That's how good and real the food looks, although there's not a speck of
actual chow on display, only the most advanced computer animation technology.
While it's not difficult to believe that the movie-going public has broadly accepted George Miller's 1998
"Babe," though it's about a pig–since after all pigs are basically clean, intelligent animals who lose their
spirit and their hygienic habits because of our inhumane factory farming of them–putting over a story
about rats may be a more difficult proposition. But the public will come in droves for this one.
"Ratatouille" is the best of the eight movies that Pixar has offered to date. It has color, glorious music, a
fast pace, a clever and witty script, a credible villain or two, and the one thing everyone in the audience
loves: lots of delicious food from France, which many gourmets some consider among the three leaders
of world cuisines (the others being China and Italy).
If Remy (voice of comedian Patton Oswalt), the rat who is the principal focus of Brad Bird's comedy,
were running for a rat government, he would be a liberal. He favors making peace with human beings,
believing such is a possibility. What's more he'd be accused by his conservative opponents, such as his
father, Django (Brian Dennehy), of being an elite, Chardonnay sipping leftist, given that unlike his
brother Emile (Peter Sohn), he savors fine food and wine and is opposed to eating just any ol' garbage.
When the large rat family ruled by Django evacuate their nest, Remy becomes isolated from the group,
landing in Paris, just inside chef Augususte Gusteau's restaurant, where he regularly hallucinates visions
of the dead chef (Brad Garrett) who had written a book "Anyone Can Cook." With a passion and talent
for cooking, Remy discovers that he can put together gourmet dishes, and tutors the klutzy Linguini (Lou
Romano), who has been made "garbage boy" by villainous head chef Skinner (Ian Holm). Teaming up
with female chef Colette (Janeane Garofalo) and hiding Remy under his chef's hat, Linguini and Remy
form an odd couple, using a unique method of communication to enable Linguini to cook up a storm, the
big test about to come when Linguini must please the fearsome, snobbish critic Anton Ego (Peter
O'Toole).
For the kids in the audience who think that grows in cans or underneath wads of paper and inside cases
of styrofoam, or for those who have gone a step beyond and think that cooking involves flipping a round,
brown disk on a hot, black table and encasing the product under a mess of relish, pickles, ketchup and a
bun, "Ratatouille" is an education. But forget about education. The movie is a marvel of stunning
movements, a blue rat pulling on a human being's thick hair as though turning a horse first to the left and
then to the right in order to steer the dork to the right herbs and spices. Should Linguini use oregano in
the soup or thyme? Cinnamon or sage? Just give a yank on the left to steer him to the lemon pepper.
Need to chop the zucchini? Just pound on the guy's head as many times as it takes. Brilliant originality
is at work.
Lenser Sharon Calahan offers a spectacular scene of Paris–even the hovel that Linguini occupies
before he becomes famous has panoramic windows that look out to the Eiffel Tower. Only those views
give us a chance to catch our breath as knives chop, waiters walk, even roller skate in perpetual motion,
flames soar, objects fly, steams rise and sauces bubble. If a conflicting message is left for the small fry
in the audience, it is that if you dare to self-actualize, you may have to give up your family, to become an
outsider in the community that gave you sustenance.
Rated G. 110 minutes © 2007 by Harvey Karten Member: NY Film Critics Online
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