Ratatouille is one of those movies I always enjoy when it pops up, even if I never go looking for it. The pitch sells itself: Remy is a rat who dreams of cooking in Paris. He teams up with Linguini, a clumsy garbage boy, and steers him around the kitchen by yanking his hair from under a chef’s hat. It sounds silly. It is silly. It also works.
The food is the real star. Brad Bird shoots cooking like action, with sizzling pans, rising steam and close-ups that make every dish look unreal. Don’t watch this hungry. Paris glows too, all warm lights and cozy rooftops.
The voice cast is strong top to bottom. Patton Oswalt gives Remy mischief and real passion. Lou Romano makes Linguini awkward, lovable and painfully unsure of himself. Ian Holm is clearly having a blast as Skinner, the sneaky little head chef. Then Peter O’Toole arrives as a food critic and nearly steals the movie in a handful of scenes. His big speech near the end stuck with me more than anything else.
The second half is where it slips. The rat-and-boy team-up is the best thing here, and it gets shoved aside for a standard underdog story. You can see the villain plot coming a mile away. The romance between Linguini and Colette feels like a box the movie had to check. For such a wild premise, it plays it surprisingly safe. Next to The Incredibles, it doesn’t hit nearly as hard.
Still, it’s warm, funny and never mean, with a sweet message about chasing what you love. It’s an easy pick for family movie night. Just don’t expect it near the top of my Pixar list.
