Ah, the fine aromas of gay Paris’ marvelous cuisine . prepared by a
rat?! If Paris is the Mecca of art and culture, it makes perfect sense for
“Ratatouille,” arguably Pixar’s finest movie, to use the city as its backdrop.
The director of Warner Animation’s “Iron Giant” and Pixar’s “The
Incredibles” shows the audience why he has been gaining such popularity
recently.
The story centers around a rat named Remy, voiced by Patton Oswalt,
who is gifted with an incomparable sense of smell. Early on, his talents
are exploited for the good of his nest when he is placed on poison patrol
and is forced to inspect every foraged fleck of food his comrades bring
to him.
Eager to get
away from a life
of eating garbage,
Remy pines for
the finer flavors
that aren’t readily
available to
him. He longs to
meet his idol, the
great Parisian chef
Gusteau (voiced by
TV’s Brad Garrett of
” ‘Til Death” and
“Everybody Loves
Raymond”), whose
ghost has been
appearing to him,
telling the rat to
realize his potential
and that “anyone
can cook.”
During a brash
attempt to snag
some fine spices
to accompany a
freshly procured
mushroom, Remy
blows the cover of
the entire nest, and
they are all forced to flee down a storm drain where they are separated.
Awakening in Paris, Remy discovers his idol is dead but realizes how
lucky he is to be in the heart of the culinary world. But he does something
un-Disney-like – he doesn’t break into song, for which I was thankful.
Instead, he is guided to Gusteau’s restaurant by the chef himself,
probably a figment of his imagination, and then sneaks into the kitchen.
Immediately, he starts whipping up flavors with the quality ingredients
he has been denied for so long.
In the wrong place at the wrong time is Linguini (Lou Romano), a
young janitor who, unbeknownst to him, is actually Gusteau’s biological
son and rightful heir to the business. Eager for any restaurant position
under current despot and head chef Skinner, Linguini starts a concoction
of his own, only to have Remy fix it while he’s not looking. As the dish
gets sent out, Skinner catches the lad in the act and is on the verge of
firing him when a food critic demands to see the chef who made the
soup. Remy and Linguini start up an unlikely friendship through which
the human is merely the vessel for the uncanny cooking abilities of the
rat.
The plot thickens like pancake batter throughout, introducing ethical
conflicts and even a spicy bit of romance. Remy realizes the problem
with rats: Knowing where you work, they’re always looking for a handout.
Linguini tries to seduce one of the chefs without his cooking skills
and realizes he’s in no position to tell the truth.
The film sizzles like a steakhouse sirloin in a flash fryer with breathtaking
ground shots, aerial views and attention to detail. There’s even a
spectacularly executed chase scene that is as delightful as those in any
“Bourne” movie.
The only frequent irritation is that not one French accent comes off
as convincing. The entire kitchen staff reminds me of a friend’s redneck
uncle trying to pull off an Irish accent after knocking back a few Budweisers.
Overall, though, the heartwarming antics and clever puns leave that
concern in the garbage disposal. “Ratatouille” is a perfect movie for any
occasion and deserves an unpresumptuous viewing by anyone who likes
to laugh, ponder and think about food.
Grade: A