Ratatouille (2007) Review

 Ratatouille (2007) 8/10

"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends.”                                               -Anton Ego.

Hello everyone and welcome to another movie review. As I’m continuing to revisit old movies I’ve seen before, I have finally reached another movie near and dear to me. Ratatouille first premiered at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California on June 22, 2007, with the movie being written and directed by Brad Bird, and produced by Pixar. The movie was a massive hit and is considered to be another classic by the animation studio.

Ratatouille is a movie that I thoroughly enjoyed when I was younger. I loved the French vibe and cooking aspect of the film, and how Pixar animated the whole thing really drew me into it. In the past, I would even consider Ratatouille to be one of my favorite movies. Rewatching it now, Idk if I would call it a personal favorite anymore. It’s still a great movie. There’s no doubt about that, but I just feel it’s missing something that other Pixar movies had. Let’s begin.

This is the story of a rat named Remy. From the get-go he has always been a little different compared to his family. With a heightened sense of taste and smell, he yearns for better cuisine than someone else’s trash. After their nest gets discovered, Remy’s family escape to the city to start anew. Remy gets separated from his nest and ends up in the sewers of Paris. As he’s scrounging around for food, he has an encounter with a klutzy human named Linguini, who has just started working for the former five-star restaurant Gusteau’s. The duo decide to team up. Remy wishes to cook and Linguini needs to keep his job. With a newly discovered way of making this work, Linguini climbs to the top of the food world with his extravagant new dishes that’s blowing everyone away, including his new coworkers. But with new fame comes new problems. If the world found out that a rat has been in the kitchen this whole time, everything will go up in smoke. As both Remy and Linguini struggle to keep their new lives afloat, many obstacles will arise, including family problems from Remy’s side, and work stress from Linguini’s side, and of course the elephant in the room of a rat cooking food.

The general premise of this story is really cool. A dirty rodent cooking in a high class kitchen is a very entertaining concept. Although the movie has some excellent moments and excellent scenes, as a whole, the film could have been better. From the very beginning all the way up to Linguini and Colette hooking up was awesome. Excellent pacing, excellent characters, and an excellent foundation for these characters and for the plot to continue. But it’s when Remy starts getting a bloated head is when the movie loses its steam. It’s like at this point, the film lost its smoothness. Everything was rolling incredibly well up until this point. And it’s not even the fact that there is tension building between the two and their lives. I just don’t think it was handled as well as before. After the two hook up, there are a few good scenes, but Linguini’s lack of confidence doesn’t help either. I do think the movie would have benefited had Linguini actually learned how to cook alongside Remy learning how to control him. That scene of Remy doing the home cooking with Linguini blindfolded was a great scene, but for what comes later, it could have been better.

But I do want to bring up that as soon as Anton Ego appears before Linguini at the press conference is when the movie immediately jumps back on track. Or somewhat on track I should say. Anton Ego is an excellent opposing force for Remy. I have no issues with him. But again, the pacing just doesn’t feel right for the rest of the movie. I love certain parts (like the film’s climax with the kitchen trying to figure out how to deal with Ego), but again it just doesn’t roll as smoothly as it should. Also, how did Remy know that ratatouille was the dish to go for? Had this dish been (properly) teased prior, then it would have hit even harder when Anton has his heart warmed.

Idk I feel like I’m rambling, so here’s this: Ratatouille from a writing perspective is a good movie. It just suffers from inconsistencies. The film has glowing moments that I absolutely love, but then other moments just don’t feel as tight as they should. 

I will say, I absolutely love the film’s production. From animation, character designs, and even how the rats move are all awesome. Pixar is a masterclass at 3D animation and there’s no denying that. Remy and his family, Linguini, Colette, Skinner, Anton Ego, and everyone else just look so damn good. I also love how Pixar captured Paris. The bright and shining Eiffel Tower, the busy streets, and outdoor cafes, and of course a bustling kitchen in the heart at the heart of this story. The movie looks great and I’d even say it still holds up to today’s standards of 3D animation.

The movie also has a great soundtrack. Courtesy of the great Michael Giacchino, he captures the film’s ups and downs all the while twisting it into a Parisian soundscape. Excellent work. And of course we can’t forget the voice actors. Shout out to Patton Oswalt (Remy) and Lou Romano (Linguini) for having the best performances here. Also shout out to Janeane Garofalo (Colette), Ian Holme (Skinner), Peter O’Toole (Anton Ego), Brian Dennehy (Django, Remy’s father), and Peter Sohn (Emile, Remy’s brother). 

Ratatouille is a great movie that I’ll continue to remember fondly. But I just can’t name it as one of my favorites anymore, and that’s okay. As you get older, your tastes change. If you haven’t seen this, I highly recommend it and I’ll see you guys in the next review.

Thanks for reading.

This is Zorgak, signing off.