No, the parsley's fine. How 'bout removing the rat feet?

By Glen A. 

Going into this movie, I had high hopes. Pixar will do that to you. The fact that it’s relatively lackluster hit previous to this was A Bug’s Life was certainly a part of that expectation, and compared to other like fare, A Bug’s Life is the best of what’s out there. Compared in general to all kinds of recent movies, it is among the good ones.

We’ve had stories about toys, bugs, monsters, fish, superheroes and cars from Pixar, so why not a talking rat that’s a wannabe Parisian chef?

So, I dragged my wife and two teenage sons to watch Ratatouille.

After all, with Pixar movies, it hasn’t been whether or not there’s inherent sympathy with the general premise. Monsters, some bugs and some fish aren’t necessarily lovable characters. Part of what might have owed to the aforementioned A Bug’s Life smaller success was the fact that its characters, as bugs, were not so sympathetic. Young boys might have bugs as pets, but little girls are not as likely and parents usually look upon them as pests.

However, Monsters, Inc., and then Finding Nemo, made all kinds of good money at the box office, so who could blame Pixar for trying another homerun with yet another less than naturally sympathetic earth species?

In fact, Ratatouille doesn’t shy away from that at all, but infuses it as part of the story. Either out of realization that it was impossible to do otherwise (short of some setting this all on some completely alternate earth), or as a overarching conflict vehicle, Ratatouille does not run from the rat versus human battle at all. And really, in my opinion, doesn’t really try to make a case for rats, or any other outcasts.

At least not as a group.

The moral to adults and older children capable of grasping it might be “look at the merits of the individual.” Perhaps in that there is a desire to build sympathy for the central character, Remy the rat, but even he finds himself an outcast between two societies–the one he was born into and the one he naively tries to find acceptance in.

The fact that Pixar chooses a rat to do this with is a nod to their ongoing genius.

Okay, that’s all fine, but what about the entertainment value of the movie?

I’d read some reviews going in, so I wasn’t expecting it to be another The Incredibles. For me, on a lot of levels, that is the best Pixar movie. So, I wasn’t expecting Ratatouille to entertain or tug on me emotionally in the same way.

You do relate somewhat to Remy’s plight. You do wish Linguini, his human friend, good fortune. But the rooting is less towards them as it is against their common foe, Chef Skinner. Skinner is a competent but visionless chef with more practical business acumen than culinary imagination. He prefers to make money in whatever way he can rather than tantalizing the palate.

So, when Linguini, thanks to Remy, appears to have some zest and improvisation when it comes to cooking, Skinner feels threatened. He really feels threatened later when it appears Linguini might be the actual heir to the man who’s name is shared by the restaurant where they work, the once revered Gusteau’s.

Like in most Pixar movies, there is some comic relief, but not any real belly laughs. You can’t help but marvel at what they’re able to do with CGI, though. The characters, human and rat, are still cartoonish. There is little attempt here to make them look real. However, interiors and exteriors are stunningly and vividly detailed, though nothing quite as good as the Route 66 beauty of Cars.

Many times, for me, how a movie ends will determine if it’s good or not. If the people behind it rush it, run out of money or try to hedge their bets with the ending, you can tell, and a lot of work up to that point is ruined.

I’m happy to report that Ratatouille does end well, with, interestingly enough, a compromise. Since the movie does not allow rats to become accepted in human society merely because one of them is a super awesome cook, the ending goes in the only direction it could go. It’s appropriately in keeping with the conflict, while allowing the good guys in the story to have a happy ending.

This isn’t the type of movie I would rush back to see in theaters. I do have all of the rest of the Pixar movies (except for A Bug’s Life) on DVD, however. This will undoubtedly make it into that collection.