The only thing better than watching RATATOUILLE in a theater is watching the DVD of RATATOUILLE at home with a lovely big bowl of the eponymous fare on which to dine while watching it. And perhaps a side of toasted cheese and mushrooms. If you’ve seen the film, you’ll get why.
The adventures of Remy, a rat with dreams of creating haute cuisine, has much to recommend it. There is plucky courage of a rodent variety, unlikely romance between a talentless kitchen helper and an ambitious sous-chef with a chip on her shoulder, and a nefarious plot brewing unbeknownst to those who will most feel the scourge of it should it succeed. Toss in some shots at frozen food while making even the most hopeless home cook swoon over the magic that the right ingredients can produce, and the result is film that is sweet and tart, funny and moving, and about as perfect as cinema can get.
There is no commentary track. There is, however, a sequence of deleted scenes with writer/director Brad Bird explaining why they were cut. The scenes themselves are in a very rough, hand-drawn state, but one of them, is nonetheless a stunning tracking shot that starts in the streets of Paris, runs through Gusteau’s restaurant, its kitchen, and then to Remy peering in from a skylight. The question that springs to mind is why it was cut. And Bird’s reply demonstrates why he is a superlative storyteller, both visually and aurally.
There are two other featurettes. The one starring Bird and consultant/chef Thomas Keller charts the synchronicity of their lives, each finding at a very early age what would be their lifelong passion, each following the dream through trials designed to weed out then faint of heart and make them the masters of their craft that they eventually become. It’s especially notable for the shots of Keller creating his variation of ratatouille that would be featured in the film where it would come under the scrutiny of the world’s toughest food critic. The other feaurettes, “Your Friend, the Rat” is a whimsical history of the interaction between rats and humans, with due attention paid to the bum rap given them about being responsible for the whole Black Plague thing in the Middle Ages. Hosted by Remy and his eternally puckish brother, Emile, it features, except for the siblings’ sequences, a retro style of animation that hearkens back nostalgically for those campy yet irresistible Disney educational films of yesteryear.
The big draw is the film itself, which works just fine on the small screen. There is no finer exaltation of culinary skills nor gustatory indulgence than RATATOUILLE, especially accompanied by an insouciant beverage and appropriate nibbles.
Click here to read the full review of RATATOUILLE.
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