Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Get 2 for 1 cinema tickets with Orange Click Here

Search cinema listings

Browse cinemas A-Z

Search 20,000 reviews

 

Ratatouille (2007)

Director: Brad Bird

5

Time Out rating

Average user rating
115 reviews

Synopsis

There's a rat in the kitchen in this Disney film.

Movie review

From Time Out London

The title of Pixar’s fabulous latest animation gives you its three elegantly dovetailed elements: rodents, food and French. Co-director Jan Pinkava’s original idea was sweetly ridiculous – can a naive, ambitious rat (baby-eyed Remy, charmingly voiced by Patton Oswalt), long inspired by his reading of a famous French chef’s recipe book, realise his dream to become a chef? This has been turned by its final director, Brad ‘The Incredibles’ Bird, into one of the most witty, clever, gently moral, dramatically convincing and visually stimulating family entertainments of the year. The animation is extraordinary too, and occasionally breathtaking. It’s so enticing, in fact, that card-carrying anti-anthropomorphists like this reviewer can readily accept its ‘big ask’: not only
a talking rodent but one able to make a celebrity chef out of his hopeless human helpmeet (the docile, disaster-zone Linguini, voiced by Lou Romano) by jerking his hair from inside his hat, like a Pinocchio pulling his master’s strings. It’s a tribute to the film’s tonal and directorial control, not to mention its sympathy, detail, intelligence and lack of pretension, that such subtextual sub-currents and metaphors – be they the immigrant experience à la ‘American Tail’, digs at McBurger food ethics or the assignation of artistic credit – never obscure its pleasures. Those pleasures are found in its vivid characters (such as its frightening Snow White-style villain, the power-crazed Anton Ego, a food critic with the features of a Gothic Will Self and the voice of Peter O’Toole), richness of ideas and daring sense of fun. A test for tiny tots, a mite nostalgic and as male-dominated as a modern kitchen it may be, but these are mere quibbles about this delightful addition to the Pixar pantheon.

Author: Wally Hammond 2007-10-08 17:42:31

Time Out London Issue 1938: October 10-16 2007


  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend
Get 2 for 1 cinema tickets with Orange Click Here

User reviews of this film

  • fhui said...
    Posted on Mar 11 2009 09:59 goood bad
    Report as inappropriate
  • tia said...
    Posted on Feb 25 2009 10:41 this film is rubbish, more for litto kids and this film was not funny , SHIT
    Report as inappropriate
  • ellie said...
    Posted on Apr 16 2008 17:19 I think this film is the best it is funny and the rat is cute.I like it so much I have got it on Nintendo wii! It is gr8t! (:
    Report as inappropriate
  • dude said...
    Posted on Dec 16 2007 17:04 good but bad
    pathetic its not the best and its not better than the rest
    Report as inappropriate
  • frannie said...
    Posted on Dec 15 2007 19:42 dissapointing. i didn't warm to the characters at all.
    Report as inappropriate
  • Juliet said...
    Posted on Dec 15 2007 15:57 I saw Ratatouille in August when we were in Paris on holiday. The night before we saw the real Ratatouille running by the river Seine when we went past in a boat with my grandad and nana and Keir and Tiffany. The film is so good as it really makes you feel like you are really in Paris again. I want the DVD definitely.
    Report as inappropriate
  • cecilia said...
    Posted on Dec 12 2007 15:56 i thought it was really brilliant, i loved how it was about a rat who loves food and the fact that it is set in Paris.
    Report as inappropriate
  • Pea said...
    Posted on Dec 11 2007 23:17 I was expecting another endurance test but was pleasantly surprised because this film is fun, funny, stunning and totally charming. A must see!
    Report as inappropriate
  • Lucy said...
    Posted on Dec 11 2007 10:09 i thought this film was amazing its really funny and cool! :D gr8 4 little kids! :):)
    Report as inappropriate
  • grace said...
    Posted on Dec 09 2007 12:05 it was quite good nothing special.
    Report as inappropriate
  • Benni G said...
    Posted on Dec 08 2007 14:25 it was well bad innit bruv. But I Is finking of seyin it latters.Fred claus is well betta, innit.go see it wiv me kevin. see ya ma brevrin. Toodles.
    Report as inappropriate
  • Sam said...
    Posted on Dec 03 2007 19:10 The Film of the year
    Report as inappropriate
  • doddle said...
    Posted on Dec 03 2007 17:06 i thought it was a really good family film, if taking children it may drag in the middle as it is quite long for the little ones but was well worth the watch !!!
    Report as inappropriate
  • adam said...
    Posted on Dec 03 2007 11:05 I love this movie when I saw It. It was funny too.
    Report as inappropriate
  • Mandi said...
    Posted on Nov 30 2007 19:56 amazing film!! x
    Report as inappropriate
115 comments: page 1 of 8
1 2 3 4 5

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields





Top Stories

Hippies who work for The Man

Hippies who work for The Man

To celebrate George Clooney comedy 'The Men who Stare at Goats', we look back at six memorable onscreen hippies who fought the system from within

Roland Emmerich's guide to disaster movies

Roland Emmerich's guide to disaster movies

Ahead of the release of '2012', Roland Emmerich offers his ten tips on creating the perfect global catastrophe

Grant Heslov: interview

Grant Heslov: interview

Grant Heslov, director of 'The Men who Stare at Goats' talks about his old pal George Clooney, his interest in the paranormal, and his fond memories of working on 'Happy Days'

The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'

The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'

Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’

Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?

Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?

Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer

Michael Jackson's This Is It: review

Michael Jackson's This Is It: review

Kenny Ortega's posthumous concert film is a rousing eulogy for one of pop's great enigmas

Michael Haneke: The man behind the menace

Michael Haneke: The man behind the menace

From Cannes to Munich to London, Dave Calhoun tours Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'

Lone Scherfig talks 'An Education'

Lone Scherfig talks 'An Education'

Danish director Lone Scherfig was an unlikely choice for a very English affair like 'An Education'. Cath Clarke meets her

How Jane Campion brought John Keats back to life

How Jane Campion brought John Keats back to life

Time Out gets Romantic with the ‘difficult’ New Zealander about her new film, 'Bright Star'

Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam

Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam

In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations