Ratatouille: Anyone Can Cook!
by befus - Written: Aug 03 '07
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Excellent animation and storytelling; warmhearted and funny tone; terrific voice talent (especially O'Toole)
Cons: Only if you're squeamish about rodents making soup
The Bottom Line: In Paris, anyone can cook...even a rat!
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| befus's Full Review: Ratatouille |
It would seem that anyone named Alfredo Linguini might just be destined to become a great chef. But alas, the skinny, red-haired character of Pixar's latest animation hit Ratatouille has a hard time living up to his name. Although his mother was once quite close to the late great French chef Gusteau, that closeness works only to get Linguini a job as garbage boy in the late chef's restaurant, now managed by a weasely chef named Skinner who is more interested in making money than in making great food.
You might notice that I called Linguini a character in this film, and he's an important one. But I didn't call him the main character or the hero of the story. That designation is reserved for Remy, a small gray rat who also finds himself in the late chef's kitchen. If anyone has a lower status in the kitchen of a three-star (once five-star) restaurant in Paris than the lowly garbage boy, it's a rat who by rights shouldn't be there at all -- and who will hasten a frantic call to the health inspector if found.
A Small Gray Rat Becomes a Tiny Chef
But Remy is no ordinary rat. His showing up in this particular kitchen isn't mere happenstance either. Remy, unlike all the other rats in the colony where he grew up, has a distinct taste for fine foods. Other rats may enjoy feasting on garbage and not mind if their food is moldy, stale or rotten. Remy was born with a passion for delicious tastes, smells and textures, and a knack for putting them together in new and interesting ways. He first finds adventure in the kitchen of a house near the rat colony on the river. There he not only discovers a whole new world of utensils and spices, but re-runs of Chef Gusteau's television show. On the day the woman of the house discovers him on her counter, and takes to shooting at him, Remy wants to escape not only with his life but with a copy of Gusteau's best-selling cookbook "Anyone Can Cook."
He manages to escape with the book, but the woman's knowledge of their presence means that the rats have to abandon their colony. In the ensuing panicked chase, Remy is separated from his kin. Eventually he finds himself on the streets of Paris, his only guide the "ghost" of Chef Gusteau (voiced by Brad Garrett). The chef keeps reminding him, in flowery French tones, that he's really just a figment of the rat's imagination.
Figment or not, Gusteau is a pretty good guide. He leads Remy straight to his own restaurant. Pixar's amazing computer animation truly shines here as they give us their beautiful animated version of Paris, sparkling like a golden jewel. When Remy gets his first glance at the landscape and realizes what city he lives in (living in a hole in the ground for his whole life, he's never really known) his whiskers practically quiver with joy.
Pixar, the company that has brought us wonderful animated films like Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and Cars, has become somewhat legendary for their computer animation techniques. Like all Pixar films, this one is a visual feast. The landscape and skyscape of Paris, the underground rat colony, the bright shiny kitchen, all are perfectly detailed and help you escape into a fictional world where you don't mind at all suspending your disbelief (and your gross out factor) regarding rats in a restaurant. You could almost forgive Pixar if they slipped up once in a while and relied so heavily on their gorgeous animation that they forgot to tell a good story. But the never seem to forget! Brad Bird (who directed The Incredibles) both wrote and directed Ratotouille, and he proves his storytelling mettle again. As always, the story carries you along, giving the audience plenty of opportunity to get to know unusual characters and to care about their lives.
The story is at its best when the lives and fortunes of Remy and Linguini become intertwined. Remy longs to cook and is good at it, but can't get near the kitchen without starting a riot. Linguini has no talent for cooking whatsoever, though he's in a kitchen every day. When Remy sneaks in one evening and creates a delicious soup, Linguini gets the credit. The problem is, patrons love the soup so much that they keep asking for it -- and for new creations from the aspiring new chef. Gusteau's restaurant is perhaps on its way back to a five-star rating! The unlikely pair: skinny, clumsy, insecure Linguini and talented, tiny and oh-so-out-of-place rodent Remy must team up if they don't want to give away the secret of who's really doing the cooking.
Along the way there are interactions and tensions with other delightful characters. Colette (Janeane Garafalo) is the only woman chef at the restaurant. She likes Linguini in spite of herself, but is a bit suspicious about his sudden dazzling competence. Shifty Skinner (Ian Holm) is more than suspicious, and comes close to revealing the rat's hiding place (beneath Linguin's chef's hat) more than once. Fortunately he's totally inept (reminding me in looks and manner of Inspector Clouseau). But by far my favorite character, perhaps one of my favorite Pixar characters of all time, is the sarcastic and cynical Anton Ego, whose scathing sophisticated prose snatched the first star from Gusteau's restaurant years ago. Ego (voiced by the wonderful Peter O'Toole (how I wish they could give Oscars to voice talent!) is not about to take the restaurant's return to good fortune lying down. His visit to the restaurant to taste the new chef's food and to write a new review is the best part of the movie, especially when the scene delivers such unexpected transformative twists to story and characters.
Ratatouille is wonderful family entertainment. The storyline this time around is a bit more sophisticated (relying on at least some knowledge of cooking and restaurants) which makes it a little less accessible for younger children than some of Pixar's earlier films. That said, my five year old, despite not getting a lot of the humor, still enjoyed it tremendously, and so did her Dad and I.
Nor was my five year old overly frightened by any of the visuals, and she's pretty sensitive that way. The only scene that very young children might find somewhat frightening is the early one when the lady finds Remy in her kitchen, puts on a gas mask and takes down her shotgun. The humor is very over-the-top (visually she's sort of a cross between Darth Vader and the gun-toting Granny who chases Silvester in old Looney Toons) and there's a good bit of confusion and noise as she stumbles across all of Remy's relatives. But again, nothing too scary. In fact, I'd almost say that young children have a better chance of enjoying this film than some grown-ups who have had more years to feel squeamish about rodents!
Remy the rat makes a fine chef and a wonderful hero. If you're in the mood for a lively and warmhearted tale that will make you believe that "anyone can cook," you'll enjoy Ratatouille.
~befus, 2007
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Family Movie
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