Ratatouille (2007)
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Ratatouille Movie Review
Ratatouille is a 2007 animated film directed by Brad Bird. It is Pixar’s eight film and undoubtedly the pinnacle for the entire studio. It’s an animated masterpiece.
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“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“
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The film is about a rat who sets out to become a cook with the help of a human. This is naturally one of those types of a premise which are only suitable for the animation medium and surely the two fit like a glove. The film expands upon its simple premise and becomes something even profound in the process.
So it’s mostly a drama film with its comedic and adventurous moments and it is definitely very engaging to watch for anyone, but it is at its best when dealing with its themes and is thus most suited for adult audiences. The film portrays artists so well and the art world, in this case cooking. The highlight, however, is its exploration of criticism and its roles in art.
That’s why I found the film particularly effective, deep and relatable to me personally. The picture showcases how a critic’s work is invaluable to the work of an artist, even a bad one. It is entirely dependent on art whereas art itself is not. But it also makes a great statement about critics being the best and most valuable when complementing the hidden gems and otherwise less known or less respected works. Literally, every single line about critics and their work here is beyond truthful and relevant.
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Remy is a great protagonist who is not perfect as he has his flaws and makes very bad decisions which I admired. He is likable, relatable and so well developed overall. Linguini is even more likable, more realistic and such a stupendously developed character. Both of them question their worth, their ideals and their place in life and those scenes can be quite moving and deep. The relationship between the two is wonderful as they truly are such great friends. I also loved the choice to not have the two speak to each other.
Skinner is definitely a very cartoony villain, but that honestly worked for me as this type of villain is rare for Pixar. He is easy to hate, but also easy to make fun of as this amusing parody of chefs. And his ultimate goal definitely made him feel more real despite a goofy presence. Colette is definitely quite interesting and I liked how they showcased her struggles in a male dominated world of cooking, but never made too much fuss out of it. Linguini and her are a cute couple for sure.
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The rats are also very well developed and they make an impact. Emile as his fat brother is quite a lot of fun whereas his father is typical as is their conflict, but it was so well utilized that it ultimately worked really well. I also liked the choice to give the protagonist the ghost of Gusteau to act as his subconscious instead of a goofy sidekick and thus the film became quite a meditative, slow paced and serious drama.
Of course Anton Ego the restaurant critic is a wonderful character who steals the show here. The portrayal of critics’ snobbiness is very truthful unfortunately and I just loved the scene where he tasted the food and that brought him back to his childhood. It showed that critics are human after all with their own possible connections to the works they review. Everything about this character rang true and it was beautiful to witness.
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I cannot talk about Ratatouille without praising its animation. Ah, the beauty of it. I am not the biggest fan of computer animation, but sometimes I find exceptions. This is one such exception. Whereas previous Pixar films definitely made many improvements and ‘Cars’ looked the most advanced up until this point, this one did not age a single day so far in my opinion.
But not only is it so professional, advanced and polished, but also very detailed. The food in this film looks astonishing, absolutely gorgeous to behold. It honestly made me yearn for food and the fact that a film made me hungry just goes to show how realistic this animation is. I also liked the more realistic looks of the humans as well as rats of course. And just the fact that we got a movie about rats for once is admirable and they so well showcased our mostly ignorant and uncalled for bad view of these animals.
I liked the beginning quite a bit, buy my favorite scenes are all in the third act with the ending, Anton Ego’s flashback scene and Ego’s review being the standouts. I also loved all of the scenes with Linguini and Remy with the highlight being their first scene on the docks which is subtle and heartwarming.
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Not only is Ratatouille superbly directed by Brad Bird being his finest achievement, but it’s also so well paced and edited with not a single moment being wasted. The score is also beautiful and fittingly French. The entire movie is a great homage to Paris and France, especially their restaurants and the titular meal without ever being too complementary. The film is smart and emotional without being too sentimental while also containing Pixar’s most authentic plot and themes. The tone is also great and the humor is quite good.
With astonishing animation that is so real that it instantly made me hungry, Ratatouille truly is a feast for the eyes. But its achievements do not stop there as the film is also so well scored, edited and directed while featuring the studio’s most authentic plot that could only work in animation and they surely did wonders with it. The film features such well developed characters, many emotional sequences and it explores the role of a critic in art through many truthful and simply brilliant statements. Consequently, you can have your ‘Toy Story’, ‘Finding Nemo’ etc, but in my opinion the authentic, moving, deep and shamefully underappreciated Ratatouille is Pixar’s magnum opus.
