Posted: 07/01/2007

Ratatouille

(2007)

by Lauren Sepanski

The turnout at the Friday, 12:01 a.m. showing of Ratatouille in a little AMC tucked away in Burbank was much higher than I expected. People came in groups of three or more, totally sober, to sit back and enjoy Pixar’s latest creation. For you animation buffs (if you actually exist; you may just be throngs of nerds in my mind), I will add, also, that Pixar’s 2007 short “Lifted,” as well as a teaser trailer for next year’s film Wall-E, will also be shown with Ratatouille. I’d get into it, but then again, I’m only here to review the actual movie that I saw, nothing else. (Though “Lifted” looked rubbery and the plot, though short, was predictable and clearly only got laughs because one character kept getting clocked in the head. Characters were cute, so it’s okay.) Alright, moving on!

Remy (voiced by famed comedian Patton Oswalt, who I can’t believe doesn’t have an IMDb reference picture!) is a rat who is fed up with stealing, even if it is only garbage. Remy has a more acquired taste. When he is accidentally separated from his friends and family and suddenly finds himself in Paris, Remy discovers he is a natural cook. Though his father always told him to stay away from humans (very Little Mermaid-esque) Remy finds himself in a position to do what he loves because he pairs up with the young cook, Linguini (voiced by Lou Romano, your stereotypical voice actor). The two start a food revolution, attracting more customers than ever and a few very harsh critics.

There are some jobs out there that, when you think about it, would really suck; working in food service is really something you have to love. Most of the film takes place in the kitchen of a restaurant, which would probably make (statistically speaking) the one-third of the population who have worked in such conditions cringe. And no one in this Pixar kitchen was wearing hair nets! Aside from the cheesy dialogue (pun?), only about half the characters had a French accent, but the love interest Colette, voiced by Janeane Garofalo, had the accent at the beginning of her sentences and slurred out at the end into something that sounded vaguely Asian. The idea that Remy has to play puppeteer to a human to achieve his dream is a pretty lame idea, but it seems to work. Remy and Linguini seem to be very much alike as written characters go, but the rat could have been a little less, oh I don’t know, emo.

On the lighter side, the story was adorable, and a rat could have never looked cuter. Though I found myself saying “Aaaawww,” more than laughing, it works. Ratatouille is still very enjoyable; out of all the Pixar films, I personally seem to like Brad Bird’s the best, aside from Toy Story.

In a nutshell, I don’t hate this movie, it’s just overrated. Out of all the adds on busses, the side of the expressway, the internet, and television, you’d think Ratatouille is something amazing; but it’s just another cookie-cutter Pixar “masterpiece.” It’s a movie made for the middle America demographic. Those families with three kids and a dog getting dropped off to soccer practice in a minivan with four TVs in the back to shut the kids up. Pixar movies can be compared to designer clothing. Odds are you could find way better for way less, but you’re just buying it for the name on the tag.

Lauren Sepanski is a filmmaker and film reviewer in Los Angeles.

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