RATATOUILLE 

When Rats In A Kitchen Mean Fine Dining!

Guest Review by Mike Flores

What is it about rats and kids? From Chuck E. Cheese to Ben, show a kid a rat and they are pleased as all hell. Frankly, I don't even go to restaurants named TOPO GIGIO after the rat puppet from 1960's variety TV. So a guy in a giant rat outfit walking around Chuck E. Cheese I am going nowhere near. I will admit a few scenes made me cringe in RATATOUILLE, but I would be a liar if I didn't say this was one of my favorite movies of the year. 

Pixar has created the best film I think they've ever made from rats, a ghost and fine dining. If that isn't psychotronic, what is? More importantly, they've made a film kids will love, but parents will be amazed by. Just as BEANY AND CECIL and BULLWINKLE offered different experiences depending on your age, so does RATATOUILLE. This aspect, if you have kids, makes this film a godsend. Although the film has loads of talking, at no time is the audience ever talked down to and I'll tell you what- any film that makes a rat hater like me root for the rat we are talking one hell of an accomplishment. 

The story is about Remy ( Patton Oswald) a rat who dreams of being a chef. He worships culinary deceased giant Auguste Gusteau and tries to wean his brother and father off garbage and towards fine dining. After being separated from his rat family and friends he finds himself at Gusteau's restaurant, which has fallen into the hands of head chef Skinner ( probably a slap at B.F. Skinner and his experiments with rats) who plays everything from politics to just being mean to his staff. Colette (Janene Garofalo) is the lone woman in the kitchen and Garofalo gives her a sense of coolness that is hard to resist. The humor is provided by Linguini the garbage boy who takes the credit for the taste of the soup after Remy fixes it. He is then called on to create more dished. There is a problem however, as Remy the Rat can only communicate his recipes to Linguini by sitting under his hat, grabbing his hair and guiding him through the cooking process. These scenes are laugh out loud funny and the kids in the theater I saw this at were screaming with laughter. The ghost of Gusteau guides Remy through the restaurant and food critic Anton Ego ( if Peter O'Toole doesn't get an Oscar nomination for his portrayal there is no justice) looms large throughout the film as the critic that can make or break a restaurant. 

Like I said, there are scenes that made me cringe. A rat invasion of the kitchen for example. Yet at its conclusion when Linguini confronts Remy, I was left moved and emotional in ways a rat hater shouldn't be. 

We have p-fav Janene Garofalo, a ghost, more rats than I could count, an evil critic and the best kid's film I've seen since BABE the talking pig. If this film doesn't get nominated for Oscars, it simply won't be fair. 

Talking animals; ghost; P-fave Garofalo.

[It's Only A Movie!] [Movie Madness] [Psychotronic Gift Shop] [Psychotronic Schedule] [E-Mail]

The Movie Madness section and its contents are ©2007 Brian Thomas