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Ratatouille (2007)
Director: Brad Bird
Synopsis
There's a rat in the kitchen in this Disney film.
Movie review
From Time Out New York
Yuck. To be more specific, barf. That reaction is, one suspects, just what the hundreds of genius animators over at Pixar have secretly feared regarding Ratatouille, their highly polished latest. In it, a pink-tailed gourmand (Oswalt, channeling Sideways’ Paul Giamatti) dreams of leaving the gutter behind and preparing meals in a fancy Paris restaurant. He gets his wish, bringing along swarms of furry friends who emerge from the steam washer ready to handle cheese, spices and vegetables. Pardon me if I don’t find that so appealing. New Yorkers probably remember the viral version of this movie, filmed outside a West Village KFC last February. Cute wasn’t the word that came to mind.Those of a more metaphorical bent will insist that Ratatouille is a discrimination tale—and it is, provided you forget that there are good reasons to discriminate against rats in the forum of food preparation. Director Brad Bird (one of the few in animation worth singling out) pursued a similar strain in The Incredibles, also about the persecution of excellence. But he’s done a much more muddled job this time, pitting admirably high-toned—even pro-French!—ideas about cooking and food criticism against the sheer ick factor. Ratatouille is a film made for snobs that may still repel them.
Author: Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out New York
User reviews of this film
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- Fish said...
- Posted on Jul 15 2007 20:11 First off, Joshua Rothkopf is an idiot. "Ick-factor"? "Yuck"? "Barf"? Grow up, ya dork. Ratatouille is yet another clever and funny Pixar production that deserves a real critique, instead of a juvenile analysis by someone who doesn't deserve to work at Time Out NY. You Editors should set your standards a little higher. Rothkopf obviously doesn't belong here in New York.
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- beta user said...
- Posted on Jul 13 2007 20:46 Joshua obviously has no imagination or wonder. Not to mention, what a crappy review he's written. I hope his editor sees all our reader backlash and fires the guy. The illogic of this movie is precisely what makes it work.
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- Miss Carnivorous said...
- Posted on Jul 10 2007 00:05 This movie was the most unfunny, disgusting and boring animated film I have seen in years. My skin was crawling. Are Americans so divorced from reality and nature that they think that a cartoon about rats that cook is wonderful? With rats come rat droppings, hanta virus, leptospirosis and bubonic plague!
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- Matt Myers said...
- Posted on Jul 07 2007 11:39 You would think as precise as Pixar's animation is in Ratatouille that the accurate and life-like depiction of rats in a kitchen would gross-out most people. Judging by the packed audience applause at the end of the movie and 96% of critics responding favorably, this isn't the case. Representing the majority here: seeing this movie is absolutely worth suspending your disbelief of rats cooking in a kitchen to experience the wit and wonderous animation that is Ratatouille.
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- Shaina said...
- Posted on Jul 05 2007 22:08 Bigot.
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- I smell a rat said...
- Posted on Jul 05 2007 11:09 You are the reason I am avoiding a career as a reviewer, and perhaps the reason the character "Ego," was inserted into the storyline of the movie you so ignorantly panned. You seem to share a distinct trait among critics who over-think movies to the point where they no longer become enjoyable. Perhaps something scarring happened to you in film school and you were forced to recreate a bitter and cynical persona to compensate for your ineptitude against all of the artists with whom you could not begin to compete. What's the saying? Those who can't do, critique? See this one again and listen to Ego's speech at the end. I think you could learn something.
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- Stingo said...
- Posted on Jul 04 2007 10:20 I thought the French helped us gain our Independence. And isn't the Statue in NY a gift from France. Why do so many Americans hate the French?
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- Stingo said...
- Posted on Jul 04 2007 10:17 This is highly unusual. Only 5% at rottentomatoes.com didn't like the movie. I wished the late Pauline Kael wrere alive to see this one, because she would most likely agree with the critic's speech at the end. Criticisim, to quote Zacharek of salon.com, is the pursuit of pleasure and delight and surprise, the seeking of both sensation and meaning, and sharing it with as many people as you can."
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- Eric said...
- Posted on Jul 03 2007 11:48 This was a great movie, and contrary to what the reviewer (and other negative reviewers) may think, my 2-year-old child adored it, my 15-year-old son loved it as well, and my wife (who hates mice and rats, frankly) and I both thought it was a great movie. There isn't any "ick" factor at all to this. Are you sure you didn't go into the wrong theatre and watch "Bug" instead? Because this movie was very sweet, well-plotted (although I do agree that the second half of the movie is a tad slower than the first half) and the visuals were stunning for an animated film. Was it as good a story as Finding Nemo? Of course not. Did it have a great musical score like The Little Mermaid? Definitely not. But was it about 1000 times better than Shrek 3? You bet it was. My entire family wants to go see it again, and I haven't said that about *any* movie in a long time. This reviewer takes himself way too seriously in thinking that anyone is condoning real rats in a real kitchen. They're an anthropomorphic cartoon-set of rates, pal... not real rats. Did you pan Little Mermaid because mermaids aren't real? Did you knock 101 Dalmations because having 101 dogs in your house would be a disgusting mess of poop and dog hair? Did you hate Elmer Fudd as a child because he senselessly shot poor rabbits and ducks? Relax a bit, my friend, and get over yourself and your phobias. It's an animated film, not a documentary.
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- Shamus said...
- Posted on Jul 03 2007 09:14 How odd that this fellow is paid to review movies and he can't see past the fact that it's about rats. Tedious review of a PHENOMENAL movie.
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- katsat said...
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Posted on Jul 02 2007 19:56
Did you actually SEE the film? You make no specific comments about, only your impressions about the subject matter. Maybe you didn't want to even give it a try?
But I personally LOVED it. It made me believe that anything can happen when hard work, talent, and some good luck is involved. And it can be hilarious, too! The best movie of the year! - Report as inappropriate
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- Dex said...
- Posted on Jul 02 2007 17:40 I see that I can report comments as inappropriate, how can I report the review as inappropriate?
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- James said...
- Posted on Jul 02 2007 13:09 "pro-French"? The idea that French make good food is somehow appaulling to you? This reviewer is nothing but your typical overweight, simple-minded, conservative idiot.
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- dan said...
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Posted on Jul 02 2007 00:51
Wonderful, wonderful film.
The critic is a bozo. - Report as inappropriate
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- Scott said...
- Posted on Jul 01 2007 20:59 You are stupid.
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Cast & crew
Director: Brad Bird
Producer: Brad Lewis
Genre(s): Children's, Comedy
Rated: G
Duration: 111 mins
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