5 Question Movie Review: Ratatouille

In case you didn't see it on the old site, the 5Q Movie Review is an attempt to provide a review of sorts of a film not by giving a rating or an essay, but rather by asking and answering the key questions someone might have about it. Today it's Pixar's latest, Ratatouille.

Q: Why should we care about a movie starring a rat?

A: Because it's an excellent movie starring a rat. I was skeptical myself. I got no instant buzz when I learned Pixar's next feature would be about a rat who wants to be a chef. I didn't even think the trailers looked all that exciting. Ah, what a fool am I to doubt Pixar. Ratatouille is another outstanding effort from the studio.

Besides, the key animal here is not Remy the Rat, but director/writer Brad Bird, who is on a heckuva winning streak with this, The Incredibles, and The Iron Giant--arguably 3 of the best animated features of the last several decades. If any live-action director had this kind of string, there would be a real Bird Cult right now, with people dressing up in animal costumes and worshipping humongous idols in his image. I mean, that's what they do with Brett Ratner, right?


Q: After seeing underwater worlds and slick cars in recent years, can a French restaurant really provide a dazzling visual environment?

A: It's no ordinary French restaurant, though, but a restaurant in France! And Paris, France, too! The artists make Paris look gorgeous here, and combined with a singer named Camille singing a beautiful song called "Le Fentin" on the soundtrack, this visual environment will make even someone who used the term "freedom fries" WITHOUT irony want to book a week's vacation over there.

In addition, the rats are realistic without being off-putting, the action is clear and striking, and there is something else going on here, too: the use of human slapstick. Oh, people trip and fall all over the place in cartoons, sure, as well as in live-action comedies. But as initially hapless chef trainee Linguini tries to cook while concealing Remy under his hat, we get all sorts of great, broad slapstick comedy. And it wouldn't be all that unique if it were Jim Carrey in "Ace Ventura 3." But I think the fact that this is being done in animation, and being done so fluidly and convincingly, IS unique, and it gives Ratatouille a niche of its own in the Pixar Hall of Animated Innovation.


Q: Pixar has an amazing track record, and you've raved about just about all their movies. How does this one compare with the others?

A: My initial reaction is that it belongs in the Upper Tier. It's not as ha-ha funny as one might expect, but it's every bit as good storywise. I was pleasantly surprised at the thematic richness Ratatouille is, and be thankful I'm not gonna go for food metaphors here. You have what appears to be Bird's favorite message, the need to allow individual excellence to flourish. But you also get some effectively delivered, non-preachy meditations on commercialism, loyalty, criticism (and not in a self-serving way as in Shamalyan's "Lady in the Water") and family. The deceptively simple plot hooks you in while offering many things to chew on if you so desire.

"Chew on" was a legit phrase and not a food metaphor! Give me a break.

Q: Isn't the cast kind of small-time?

A: Why must an animated blockbuster feature a cast of megastars? There are recognizable names here, like Brad Garrett and Ian Holm, for example, but no true superstars, and it works just fine. I never would have pictured Patton Oswalt carrying a movie like this, but he voices Remy with great heart and charm. All the voice actors work, but my personal favorite is Peter O'Toole as aptly named merciless food critic Anton Ego. O'Toole really cuts loose in his pivotal role, combining the evil of vintage Boris Karloff with the haughtiness of Ian McKellen as Magneto.

Q: Can a cartoon really make you hungry?

A: Absolutely, but I might be the wrong one to trust on this. I used to get ferocious nachos cravings while watching "Beavis and Butt-head."

I have never been a connoisseur of french cuisine, and much of the fare in this movie consists of soups and other types of meals I don't really dig. But watching even animated food for two hours does indeed make me hungry. After all, it's so lovingly rendered. More importantly, the characters spend so much time praising food, smelling food, tasting food...how could you not want some food?

So I celebrated this tribute to elegant dining by bursting out of the theater and heading straight to...uh, On the Border. Hey, I was hungry, and it was convenient. And I had nachos, which brings us full circle!