[L.N. Smithee]

Some final notes: You heard it here first -- don't be surprised if a BDS-suffering critic says Remy is a Karl Rove surrogate. Don't be deterred by Janeane Garofalo's voice in the cast; she is unrecognizable under her fake French accent. Lastly, there is a potential problem with the heroic portrayal of rats in this movie – their actual filthiness and the fact that they carry disease isn’t addressed specifically at all in Ratatouille. Hopefully, it won’t do for exterminators what Bambi did for deer hunters. If you have a young one who becomes determined to feed rodents in the fields or allow them to scurry through the house because Remy is so cute, some shock therapy may be needed. I recommend this YouTube clip, but if you don’t need to see it, you may not want to. Aaaaaaaugh!

[truthkeeper]

Thanks for this, Smithee. My grandson is going to see this flick today and is pretty excited. Sounds like he’ll enjoy it.

[agrace]

Do you write movie reviews for a living? If not, you should - well done. And beyond writing ability alone, you just convinced me to take my three small kids to see this one.

[vladimir998]

I’m looking forward to this movie.

[NonValueAdded]

Thnak you so much for posting that review. It is good to hear such things on a trusted source.

[highball]

Great analysis - thanks!

You’re spot-on with “The Incredibles” - the single most conservative mainstream film in years, if not decades.

I don’t understand why people have a real problem with a rat protagonist, though - talking animals usually signify that a willing suspension of disbelief is required. “Bambi” had a cute skunk, after all, and I’m not aware of some rush of small children luring skunks into their houses as a result.

[AnnaZ]

Excellent review, L.N., thanks. I'm taking the brood this weekend. (I LOVE Pixar!)

[PCBMan]

It’s kinda weird - most reviews for The Incredibles, from both reviewers and movie patrons, were less than stellar. Now it’s made out to be really great? I loved Cars - I think if you know a bit more than the average person about automobiles and racing history, it appeals to you on a different level, even though the plot is a retread (pun intended).

[ConfusedAndLovingIt]

You are spot on about Cars, so it is good to hear that Pixar is back in form with this movie.

[Thrownatbirth]

I’ll see it for the Patton (Spence) Oswalt voice. He’s become one of the best stand-up comics around.

[JewishRighter]

Story of a rat who wants to be a French Chef? Well he’s halfway there. All he needs to do is learn to cook.

[dfwgator]

And in case anyone was wondering, yes, John Ratzenberger is in it.

[the_devils_advocate_666]

Lastly, there is a potential problem with the heroic portrayal of rats in this movie – their actual filthiness and the fact that they carry disease isn’t addressed specifically at all in Ratatouille.

It's not addressed because it is not true. Rats actually make great pets, especially for children:

Looking for a small pet with lots of personality, energy, and easy maintenance? Soft, affectionate, clever, and small enough to ride on your shoulder? The rat is one of the best kept secrets in the pet care world. If you have never thought of rats in a positive way, it is time to free yourself from cultural indoctrination and reconsider.

[Yaelle]

Fantastic review! I was wondering whether it was worth it to take the kids to see at the grand old El Capitan in Hollywood. I see that it is. Great. We go to very few kids’ movies these days because of the subversive social messages. But we did love The Incredibles for the reasons you mention and it sounds like this one’s a winner too.

[xp38]

I saw Ratatouille a week ago in a preview with my 3 neices. I would rate it a good movie with the usual amazing detail Pixar does. It’s a fun movie and I would recommend it. I was unaware of Garofalo doing the voice of the female until after and I would still recommend it but it was nice to watch it not knowing it was her.

[L.N. Smithee]

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

---

...But the film is virtually adult-proof -- even grown-ups who claim to hate animated movies will enjoy this one -- and should lead to Bird finally getting the credit he deserves. While the filmmaker's work on "The Incredibles" wasn't exactly ignored (he received a screenwriting Oscar nomination and won the best animated feature award), this should be the movie that makes him known as a great director, without the qualifier "of animated movies" tacked on to the end of the statement.

"Ratatouille" is a classic.

---

[ikka]

Were you able to place the inspiration for the review that the food critic writes? It sounds very familiar in some of the terms.

[lainie]

I’ve seen the 9 minute trailer on DirecTV, and, don’t forget the rat falls into the dishwater when he first enters the kitchen. See? All clean. :-)

I’m taking my kids to see this one.

[NewLand]

We took the kids tonight (9 and 7) and although it was a little far fetched for my taste, overall it was pretty good, the kids liked it and so did little rebel. A few scenes were quite funny. litte rebel liked the hair style on Colleen (the French cook who befriends Linguine).

Safe for the kids! Enjoy! Thanks for the review LN.

[paudio]

I agree with you about the the soft bigotry of low expectations. In fact, I thought the rats refer to the Black community who always said, ‘we are diffeent from them’...

[Varda]

I was disappointed in this movie. IMO it’s the weakest Pixar so far. The middle part exchanges slapstick for plot (boring) and then we get a major plot device, illegitimacy. I did enjoy the end but it was too little too late.