A caveat at the outset: no guarantees that I won’t use food and cooking analogies while reviewing the following movie. Already I’ve seen the headlines: “A Tasty Treat” or “Delicious” to describe Pixar and Disney’s latest concoction ‘Ratatouille.’ I just know I’m going to fall prey to the same clever and cloying tactics. The pull is irresistible.
The rat in ‘Ratatouille’ is Remy (voiced by Patton Oswald) who doesn’t see his being a rat as an impediment to pursing his love for food and cooking. Disaster strikes and Remy is separated from his father Django (Brian Dennehy) and his brother Emile. Remy finds himself in Paris and as fate would have it in front of the restaurant owned by the late Auguste Gusteau (Brad Garrett), Remy’s inspiration.
Hard times have befallen Gusteau’s since his death and his sous-chef, now Head Chef Skinner (Ian Holm) has to take on a mysterious and gangly young man named Linguini as a favor to Linguini’s deceased mother and friend of Gusteau’s. Linguini is having the worst first day on the job which would have culminated in the destruction of the soup, but Remy scurries in and saves the day.
Linguini is seen as a culinary genius and in order to preserve the illusion, strikes a deal with Remy: Remy directs and Linguini cooks. The combination sets Paris á flambé and brings the dreaded food critic Anton Ego (Peter O’Toole) back to the restaurant after his devastating last visit that cost the restaurant a precious star.
What is the right recipe for a happy life? Remy finds himself in a precarious position: does he return to his life as a rat or continue to pursue his dream of being a chef? With the help of his new friend and his family, Remy realizes that being true to yourself is the only way to true happiness.
Patton Oswald brings his brand of wry humor to Remy’s voice. Though for most of the film Remy is among humans and doesn’t speak (of course! He’s a rat after all.)
Janeane Garofalo gets her French (accent) on as the appropriately named Colette, a chef at Gusteau’s who’s ordered to train the befuddled Linguini.
Ian Holm is the perfect voice for the vertically challenged Skinner. Having played Napoleon in Time Bandits (1981) he is well suited to play megalomaniac bent on getting Gusteau’s name on just about every variety frozen food you can think of. My personal favorite was the austere food critic Anton Ego.
O’Toole’s voice befits the gaunt gourmand. When asked how he can be so thin if he purports to love food, Ego answers: “If I don’t like what I taste, I simply don’t swallow.” How long has it been since he’s consumed an entire meal, I ask?
You gotta figure when you go to see a Pixar picture you’re in for a real treat. Visually the film is a stunner. Each environment is so painstakingly detailed: the shine on the copper pots in the kitchen, the twinkling lights of Paris at night, and the food….mon dieu! It’s as if you could reach up and take it right off the screen.
Where Ratatouille falls short is in story. What you have is a fairly predictable tale of a guy (well in this case a rat) who’s been told all his life he shouldn’t reach too high who does so and proves them all wrong.
Ratatouille is a sweet movie, vividly presented with adorable if forgettable characters.
Opens wide USA June 29, 2007.MPAA: Rated G
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