54) Ratatouille
Director: Brad Bird
Year: 2007
Plot Summary: A rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great French chef despite his family's wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. When fate places Remy in the sewers of Paris, he finds himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau. Despite the apparent dangers of being an unlikely - and certainly unwanted - visitor in the kitchen of a fine French restaurant, Remy's passion for cooking soon sets into motion a hilarious and exciting rat race that turns the culinary world of Paris upside down.
My film comparisons seem to evoke shock and confusion more regularly than they do enlightenment. Earlier in this blog I compared Singing In The Rain to Italian film Cinema Paradiso and, furthermore, my belief that Mary Poppins and The Exorcist are almost identical is usually met with horror. Well, here's another one for you: I feel that Stanley Kubrick's 18th century epic, Barry Lyndon, and Pixar kids film about a cooking rat, Ratatouille, are both birds of the same nest. No, that's not to say there are any talking rats in Stanley Kubrick's classic, nor is there any child abuse, attempted suicide or challenges to duel in this Oscar winning animated flick. However, both of them are movies that are best appreciated if you overlook the flaws of the narrative and focus on how the atmosphere, tone, colour, and the emotions they provoke.
Barry Lyndon has constantly received praise for its gorgeous tone which evokes the same kind of feeling one would get from standing in an old palace. Every frame is like an old, handcrafted painting and its flow is breezy and make it easy to immerse yourself in the drama despite the lack of a strong story. Ratatouille is much the same. Sure, there's enough comedy and action here to keep you amused and entertained throughout, but the real magic comes from the film's light, relaxing, elegant tone. It's the kind of movie you'd probably enjoy best with a glass of fine wine it's so joyously beautiful, graceful and exquisite.
This is a daring feat for a children's film and it's certainly not the only thing. Like Bird's former work with Pixar, The Incredibles, it tackles some very complex ideas that I'm sure many of the younger viewers wouldn't quite understand such as the dilemma between the pursuit of excellence and family ties. Moreover, these characters are far more complex than we usually see in this kind of movie; while Skinner and Ego are the villains of the piece, they are both also given moments of breathtaking pathos. Especially Ego, who has one of the greatest scenes in any Pixar movie; a wonderful flashback followed by an intelligent discussion of what being a critic means. Well, it's not quite as good as that opening scene from Up, but what is?
This kind of thing might leave young viewers a little bored, so it's a good thing Bird continually dazzles the eyes with vibrant imagery and heart-stopping action. Also, kids won't miss the film's main point that we can't change nature, that change is nature, and that it's up to us to choose to move forward. But then, that's an important message for all of us.
When I turned it off, I decided that Ratatouille deserved a 4/5 review. But already I can feel myself wanting to watch this film again and, over time, I can Pixar's 2007 Oscar winner becoming one of my favourites in their illustrious catalogue of work.
4/5
3 comments:
One of their more forgettable films but certainly not bad.
At first I'd have agreed with you, but now that I've let it sink in I reeeaally liked it. :)
Sorry this isn't quite on topic but 500 films in 365 days...wow! How are you doing???
I loved Ratatouille but cannot relate to Barry Lyndon as I've never even heard of it. (There's another one for my list!)
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