Year of release: 2007
Run time: 1 hr. 51 mins. | Rated: G | Genre: Family / Comedy / Animation | Language: English
Ratatouille: A rat who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous Paris restaurant.
Table of Contents
Synopsis
Remy dreams of becoming a great chef, despite being a rat in a definitely rodent-phobic profession. He moves to Paris to follow his dream, and with the help of hapless garbage boy Linguini he puts his culinary skills to the test in the kitchen but he has to stay in hiding at the same time, with hilarious consequences. Remy eventually gets the chance to prove his culinary abilities to a great food critic but is the food good? A Pixar animation.
Introduction
You read the premise of Ratatouille and it says “A rat who can cook…” and you think “those two words should never be married like that” Pixar does it again with this instant classic, breaking the number one sanitation law in the kitchen “Having a rat” comes this beautiful animation about, well, a rat who can cook. Directed by Brad Bird who has a hand in making other great Pixar and Disney titles we all know and love, such as Finding Dory (2016), Coco (2017), The Iron Giant (1999), and Up (2009).
Ratatouille sounds silly at first, even when you see how Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt) could manipulate Linguini (Lou Romano). Its like those medical scenes I’ve seen on television wherein the doctor pulls a nerve or a tendon on the forearm which corresponds to a particular finger. The concept is just like that, except Remy is pulling strands of hair and essentially controls the whole body.
Great Voice Actors
Voice actors were great:
- Lou Romano’s voice fits perfectly with Linguini’s character, it translates well with his skinny and incompetent appearance.
- Patton Oswalt’s voice acting is great, the little intonations that he does did not go unnoticed.
- The rest of the cast were phenomenal as well.
- The character of Chef Gusteau was inspired by real life French chef, Bernard Loiseau.
Best line was “I hate to be rude, but we’re French.” I cracked up when I heard that because its true.
All about the details
The level of detail they put in this film is beyond what the normal viewer could see and appreciate. They even called in world renowned chef Thomas Keller, currently holding seven Michelin stars across all of his restaurants, as a consultant and to go over how to make each of the dishes featured in Ratatouille. Specifically the Ratatouille itself, which Thomas Keller designed himself.
According to one interview:
“When Colette teaches the young cook how you cut onions, how you cook vegetables in a pan, how you season everything — that’s it, that’s how we do it!†according to television celebrity chef Cyril Lignac, owner of the trendy bistro Le Quinzième.
Phenomenal music
The music in Ratatouille was phenomenal, composed by Michael Giacchino, it gives you that Parisian vibe and makes you feel like you’re living it. “Le Festin” by Camille, up to this day, I still haven’t figured out what the translated lyrics really are, and I don’t care, listening to it while holding a glass of wine, on a dimly lit room, its a perfect way to unwind.
Well paced storytelling
The story telling was fluid, they made perfect use of the screen time. From start to finish, they were able to show us the life of Remy, the little chef, how he rose from eating garbage, to cooking gourmet food for everyone.
The ending of Ratatouille was well thought out and that monologue from Anton Ego was well written.
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. Last night, I experienced something new: an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau’s famous motto, “Anyone can cook.” But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist *can* come from *anywhere*. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau’s, who is, in this critic’s opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau’s soon, hungry for more.
Conclusion
Ratatouille is an instant classic and deserved all the praise it got when it came out. From the time of this writing, Ratatouille scored 8.1/10 on IMDB, and 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. High praise coming from two known film source.
Ratatouille is highly recommended for families, and a fun watch for the chefs out there, professional or home cook. Regardless of your level of knowledge, always remember, Anyone Can Cook.
Cast:
Patton Oswalt as Remy
Ian Holm as Skinner
Lou Romano as Linguini
Brian Dennehy as Django
Peter Sohn as Emile
Peter O’Toole as Anton Ego
Brad Garrett as Gusteau
Janeane Garofalo as Colette
Will Arnett as Horst
Director: Brad Bird
Written by: Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco & Brad Bird
Music by: Michael Giacchino
Produced by:Â John Lasseter, Bradford Lewis, Andrew Stanton & Galyn Susman
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