Ratatouille

So far...these so-called "summer blockbusters" have been just that...a bust. Spider-Man 3 was a bust, as well as Shrek 3 and Fantastic 4 (Part 2). Pirates had its moments, and so far I thought that was about as good as it was going to get. Enter, Ratatouille...

Ratatouille is...dare I say...the savior of this summer full of movie fiascos. Pixar, those little scoundrels, could make anything funny. A rat for example: dirty, nasty, flea-infested rodents, that I now look at in a new light. I want a cute little rat to cook me omelets and sleep in an oven mitt! Come on, after seeing this film, who wouldn't!

Remy is a fantastic rat who finds himself alone in the wonderful city of Paris, France. He has been blessed with the talent to be able to smell ingredients: rosemary, sage, flour...he can smell it all! He dreams of one day becoming a famous chef, like his mentor Chef Gusteau, the youngest chef to ever receive a 5 star rating. He finds his way to Gusteau's restaurant and is taken in by Linguini, a lowly garbage attendant, and together they become the hottest thing in Paris...since, well...French bread!

The great thing about a Pixar film, is it's ability to translate to kids as well as adults. Finding Nemo was another perfect example of this. They bring about themes that are relatable to more that one generations. And also incorporate morals that aren't (proverbially) shoved down our throats. One of this film's moral: If you put you're mind to it, you can achieve any goal. And Remy is the epitome of the underdog...or under-rat maybe I should say. He faces adversity not only from his family and friends, but also almost every other living human being, as well as the health department! This is a funny, heartwarming, completely adorable "tail" for the whole family. I've seen it twice!!

Not only do these Pixar boys know what they're doing with the plot line...the images here are breathtaking! Whodathunkit, there's a scene relatively early on in the film where Remy is about to bite into a piece of French bread. I mean you literally cannot tell that it is animated! Down to every single crumb and morsel, the food in this film is completely believable, so much so that I was craving a 5 star dish once the movie was finished (I settled on Zio's instead, but only because there isn't an adequate French restaurant in our vicinity). And Paris!! Oh my word, if that is not the most incredible sky line you have ever seen in a film, I don't know what is! Nearly better than the real thing!

If nothing else...maybe the rat doesn't strike your fancy or you're not a "foodie" then you should at least go see this movie for the Academy Award nominated short "Lifted" that plays as a prelude before Ratatouille. There may not be any dialogue in this short, but it is definitely laugh out loud funny. Enough said.



The JackScore: 4.5 out of 5 stars