The 313 Second Movie Review: "Ratatouille"

Note to self: Renting is cheaper. Oh, hey! What's up, gang? Welcome back to the 313 Second Movie Review. This certainly isn't getting old for me. Good movies, good times, good memories. What's not to like? Anyways, I'm ready for the second review for this week. Today, I will be looking at "Ratatouille." The film stars Patton Oswalt as Remy, Lou Romano as Linguini, Peter Sohn as Emile, Brad Garrett as Gusteau, Janeane Garofalo as Colette, Ian Holm as Skinner, and Brian Dennehy as Django. So in case you've been living under a rock, this is the story of Remy, a rat who strives for elegance and creativity with his food choices. Of course, being a rat, that creates issues. His brother, Emile, thinks he's weird, and his father, Django, looks way down on these awkard habits of his son. The colony of rats lives out in the French countryside, picking up whatever scraps of food they can get their claws on from the bottom of a garbage can. Well, Remy, wanting give the colony something new and tasty, tries a kitchen raid. It fails horribly, and an attack from the owner of the house brings the colony to the French sewage system (GAG!). Remy finds himself seperated from his family and friends, but the ghost of his idle, the human chef Gusteau, brings Remy into the heart of the City of Love itself, Paris. And on top of that, Remy finds himself at Gusteau's, the restaurant once owned and operated by France's most successful chef. Gusteau's once served as the premier spot of fine dining in the many fancy restaurants in Paris, France. However, when he died, his legacy went with it. What was once a five-star eatery as turned into a three-star dining room for upper-class tourists. And really doesn't help when the new head chef, Skinner, is so greedy he can't help use the name to brand frozen, canned, and fast foods. Worst yet, the rapid decline has been quickened by the pompous critic Anton Ego, who is to fine dining as Ebert & Roeper are to fine cinema: Very picky. When Remy comes into the kitchen, so does Linguini, an awkard, lanky, clumsy kid who only got in with a letter of recommendation that could spell disaster for Skinner. Poor Linguini gets the low job of garbage boy at the restaurant. Well, as Linguini is in charge of eyeing a soup stock, and the second-in-command, Collete (the lone female in the kitchen), has her attention diverted, Remy starts toying with the spices and making a new soup. The soup is served to its loyal customers, and they fall in love with it. Linguini gets the credit, but when he discovers it was Remy who concocted the soup, the boy who couldn't cook forms a partnership with the rat who could cook. Linguini's success grows, and he and Collete find themselves falling for one another. Ahh, so many plotlines you can look at in this movie. Remy vs. Django. Remy vs. the hatred of rats. Skinner vs. the entire restaurant. Remy and Gusteau. Linguini and Collete. Nothing like love, friendship, and conflict to help make a movie. Of course, since it is a Disney film made with Pixar, you know it's going to be good. "Ratatouille" is so full of immagination and ambition, it really helps in building an idea of hopes and dreams. Plus, the whole scene of the kitchen from a rat's-eye-view makes for one of the most original, freightening, and mesmerizing backdrops I have ever seen. Trust me guys, this one is not just for the kids. It may be rated G, but I think kids and adults alike will find "Ratatouille" to be one of the most original films of the year. Granted, I still only have "300" as something that deserves to be a Best Picture nominee at the next Oscars, but I think even though it falls just short of the Spartan movie's award status, this Disney and Pixar film deserves nothing more than to be passed down from generation to generation like so many Disney films before it.

My time's up, you've been great. For the road: Maroon 5 "Makes Me Wonder"