Ratatouille 3/5 reviewed by Mike
Ratatouille (stupid French words) is the latest offering from the Pixar gang, and of special note, is the latest offering from director Brad Bird, who is responsible for one of my all time favorite films, "The Incredibles," as well as tons and tons of awesome TV animation, but never has he done anything as so super-cute as this.
This film follows the story of a rat, who likes to cook, and is encouraged by the ghost of a dead famous cook. So thats weird. Then, this rat finds a kid with almost no cooking skill, and helps him by living on his head and controlling the kid as if he were a marionette by pulling his hair... There's also like this evil food critic, and, yeah, it's weird.
It's weird, man. It's a strange story. I just could not get into this story. Every 10 minutes or so, I just kindof backed up and said to myself, "really? This is what the movie is about?" Keep in mind, I'm not really in the demographic for this film. A lot readers of this website probably aren't either, but if you're a lot younger than me, you'll probably enjoy it a lot more than I did. That said, I think this movie is simultaneously more and less kid-friendly than previous Pixar entries.
I say more kid friendly because the humor isn't as layered as some of the other Pixar movies. Most of their films have this dual-layered humor that works on a kid level, and an adult level. Thats smart and awesome, but I felt that charm was lacking in this film. It's humor isn't juvenile in the sense of being stupid or dirty, but it's definitely aimed at a younger audience that doesn't need the complex irony and subtle nuance that you and I take for granted. Of course there are some feel-good lessons to be learned, but they seemed way more overstated than usual here, and it was almost distracting how nothing was left to subtext. Sometimes, characters just start spewing Sesame Street feel-good messages. The whole subplot with the critic... was it there as an add-on to bolster the "follow your heart" theme, or are they taking potshots at us movie critics? But doesn't every critic gush over everything Brad and Pixar have ever done? Just a few paragraphs away, my pants'll get all kinds of excited about how brilliant Brad's directing is. In any case, the lack of subtlety and complexity make it seem more kiddish by far than I'm used to seeing from this creative team.
However, I also think it's less kid friendly in that that story seems a little inaccessible to a younger audience. Do kids really want to see a movie about a rat who cooks? Maybe they do. After all, I was captivated by "An American Tail" as a kid, so maybe this works. Just remember, I really felt this movie, although super cute, wasn't meant for me. I'm not the target audience here. You might be, though.
Regardless of whatever story and writing problems it may or may not have, one thing is true for sure: this is by far the best looking film Pixar has ever made. Of course the animation is top notch. The texturing was, quite literally for me, breathtaking. Pay attention to the water and hair effects and your brain will be blown away by how good it looks. On top of that, Brad Bird is simply a master animation director. His timing is perfect, and the camerawork (if you can call it that) is simply astounding. Brad's frame composition should be studied in schools. Actually, it is. I've seen more than a few animation students who study Brad's work, as well they should. This guy knows his stuff. If you're an animation buff, you have to see this. Plus, everything is so super cute.
The acting is pretty great also. Patton Oswalt (did you know he voiced the Frat Aliens on Aqua Teen?) does a great job in the lead role, and the rest of the star-studded cast does a wonderful job with their respective characters. It's fun to not know who the voices are ahead of time and see if you can guess whos who. You'll recognize almost every voice in this film. I will say that the score kindof got in the way for me, but for a kid-friendly movie like this, I think you need an overstated score.
So, I thought that in terms of story, Ratatouille was pretty lacking, but it's far and away one of the best looking computer-animated films I've ever seen. Like I said, I'm probably not in this movie's target audience, but that doesn't mean you might not love it. It's definitely worth a shot, and it's a great was to spend and afternoon relaxing.
See This Movie If:
-You're an animation buff or animation student.
-You're younger than me by quite a bit.
-The premise of the plot is interesting to you.
-You like lots and lots of cuteness.
Don't See This Movie If:
-You're not really an animation fan.
-You're expecting a brilliant follow-up to The Incredibles. This is like a whole different genre.
-Your favorite cartoon is "12 oz. Mouse."
-You think you're too cool for school.
This film follows the story of a rat, who likes to cook, and is encouraged by the ghost of a dead famous cook. So thats weird. Then, this rat finds a kid with almost no cooking skill, and helps him by living on his head and controlling the kid as if he were a marionette by pulling his hair... There's also like this evil food critic, and, yeah, it's weird.
It's weird, man. It's a strange story. I just could not get into this story. Every 10 minutes or so, I just kindof backed up and said to myself, "really? This is what the movie is about?" Keep in mind, I'm not really in the demographic for this film. A lot readers of this website probably aren't either, but if you're a lot younger than me, you'll probably enjoy it a lot more than I did. That said, I think this movie is simultaneously more and less kid-friendly than previous Pixar entries.
I say more kid friendly because the humor isn't as layered as some of the other Pixar movies. Most of their films have this dual-layered humor that works on a kid level, and an adult level. Thats smart and awesome, but I felt that charm was lacking in this film. It's humor isn't juvenile in the sense of being stupid or dirty, but it's definitely aimed at a younger audience that doesn't need the complex irony and subtle nuance that you and I take for granted. Of course there are some feel-good lessons to be learned, but they seemed way more overstated than usual here, and it was almost distracting how nothing was left to subtext. Sometimes, characters just start spewing Sesame Street feel-good messages. The whole subplot with the critic... was it there as an add-on to bolster the "follow your heart" theme, or are they taking potshots at us movie critics? But doesn't every critic gush over everything Brad and Pixar have ever done? Just a few paragraphs away, my pants'll get all kinds of excited about how brilliant Brad's directing is. In any case, the lack of subtlety and complexity make it seem more kiddish by far than I'm used to seeing from this creative team.
However, I also think it's less kid friendly in that that story seems a little inaccessible to a younger audience. Do kids really want to see a movie about a rat who cooks? Maybe they do. After all, I was captivated by "An American Tail" as a kid, so maybe this works. Just remember, I really felt this movie, although super cute, wasn't meant for me. I'm not the target audience here. You might be, though.
Regardless of whatever story and writing problems it may or may not have, one thing is true for sure: this is by far the best looking film Pixar has ever made. Of course the animation is top notch. The texturing was, quite literally for me, breathtaking. Pay attention to the water and hair effects and your brain will be blown away by how good it looks. On top of that, Brad Bird is simply a master animation director. His timing is perfect, and the camerawork (if you can call it that) is simply astounding. Brad's frame composition should be studied in schools. Actually, it is. I've seen more than a few animation students who study Brad's work, as well they should. This guy knows his stuff. If you're an animation buff, you have to see this. Plus, everything is so super cute.
The acting is pretty great also. Patton Oswalt (did you know he voiced the Frat Aliens on Aqua Teen?) does a great job in the lead role, and the rest of the star-studded cast does a wonderful job with their respective characters. It's fun to not know who the voices are ahead of time and see if you can guess whos who. You'll recognize almost every voice in this film. I will say that the score kindof got in the way for me, but for a kid-friendly movie like this, I think you need an overstated score.
So, I thought that in terms of story, Ratatouille was pretty lacking, but it's far and away one of the best looking computer-animated films I've ever seen. Like I said, I'm probably not in this movie's target audience, but that doesn't mean you might not love it. It's definitely worth a shot, and it's a great was to spend and afternoon relaxing.
See This Movie If:
-You're an animation buff or animation student.
-You're younger than me by quite a bit.
-The premise of the plot is interesting to you.
-You like lots and lots of cuteness.
Don't See This Movie If:
-You're not really an animation fan.
-You're expecting a brilliant follow-up to The Incredibles. This is like a whole different genre.
-Your favorite cartoon is "12 oz. Mouse."
-You think you're too cool for school.
posted by Hankinstien at 9:50 PM
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