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Ratatouille
Directed by: Brad Bird
Starring: Patton Oswalt (voice)
Genre:
Comedy/Animated
Run Time: 110
min.
Release Date:
June 2007
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
Maintaining the status quo
can be damaging to films, especially thanks to the highly popular
animations that have graced the silver screen (SHREK, THE INCREDIBLES,
HOODWINKED!) Audiences get bored if all you show us is the same ol’ same ol’. And
this is where RATATOUILLE runs into trouble.
Written and directed by Brad Bird (who also did The Incredibles and
THE
IRON GIANT), Mr. Bird has fallen into a small rut; one that I hope he
doesn’t remain in. Yes, the animation was great. Yes, the voices were
wonderful. Yes, the story was cute and funny. But there was nothing new.
We’ve seen these themes over and over and over again, and it’s becoming
a bit tiresome.
Instead of a superhero family or a misunderstood ogre, this time we’ve
got an English speaking French rat (don’t ask) who’s taste for expensive
foods — and not garbage — gets him into trouble. Living the life of the
dull and mundane with the rest of his extended family, Remy (Patton
Oswalt, RENO 911!: MIAMI) soon has buckshot whizzing by all of his furry
brethren. Removed from his familial upbringing, Remy turns quickly
toward his love for rich foods. His astutely attuned nose leads him to
Paris (as does a ghostly visitation from a world famous chef known as
Gusteau voiced by Brad Garrett,
MUSIC AND LYRICS), where he finds a now
corrupted and dying restaurant named after its formerly famous cook (the
aforementioned Gusteau). He also runs into the newly hired garbage boy
named (not funnily) Linguini (Lou Romano,
CARS). After being captured in
the kitchen, Remy is caged and taken to the river by Linguini where he’s
told to dispose of the rodent in the nearby river. But Remy and Linguini
soon realize they can understand one another, and Linguini can’t bring
himself to the kill the little fella. What does happen, though, is that
a bizarre relationship builds and Linguini quickly becomes the soup chef
thanks to Remy’s ability to identify delectable food. Hidden under
Linguini’s hat (literally), rat and human become the master-blaster
(ROAD WARRIOR reference) of Gusteau’s restaurant.
Swirling around this story is also a love interest between another chef
named Collette (Janeane Garofalo) and Linguini, the battle between
thievery and survival that Remy must address when his extended rat
family pops in, and, of course, the battle that Linguini must do with a
very Tim Burtonesque looking food critic named Anton Ego (the estimable
Peter O’Toole, CASANOVA).
Not surprisingly, everything works out in the end thanks to human
ingenuity and rodent accompaniment.
But, again, this isn’t something we haven’t seen before. It’s old
terrain covered many times, which is why I’m only giving it 3 stars. Had
it not been for the awesome voice of Mr. O’Toole as the food critic, it
may not have gotten even that.
Kids will enjoy the action. Parents will like the familiar territory.
And let’s hope that the two can talk about the necessity for rats to
not
be in restaurants.
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Image from Ratatouille
DVD cost: $28.98
Purchase:
Tower.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
During a street scene,
there is a mime in the background, who is the character "Bomb Voyage"
from THE INCREDIBLES (2004) also directed by Brad Bird.
Movie Quote: "Do
you know what would happen if anyone knew we had a rat in our kitchen?"
Other Actors/Actresses
from Ratatouille
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