Ratatouille

For the longest time, I avoided this movie. I’m not sure why, but for some reason, the previews never grabbed me. Meanwhile, I watched just about every other Pixar movie. I even suffered through clunkers like Cars 2 and The Good Dinosaur, and retreads like Finding Dory and Monsters University that used familiar characters to hide hoary old plots. Finally, I broke down and watched it, and it turned out to be far better than I thought. More important, it was something I didn’t expect: a Pixar movie without something or someone being lost. It’s a favorite of theirs, embodying the plots of 3/4’s of their library. That’s not to say there isn’t a bit of the ol’ Disney “families getting split up” cliche here, but reconnecting is never a driving force. Hell, when he does find his family again, it’s by accident and becomes a hinderance. Ratatouille eschews all that in favor of a “portrait of an artist” story and becomes a standout just on that basis alone. The story arcs of Remy and Alfredo both intertwine and parallel; both are searching for who they are but come from different starting points and take different journeys. The characters are slowly nurtured and developed, and you believe and sympathize and cheer for them. Better yet is the ending, where there are a couple opportunities for the movie to take the Hollywood/Disney way out, and Ratatouille swerves. From start to finish, it’s a bold movie. Which is what makes the few minor flaws so infuriating. Collette, the female lead, has two modes: harsh and shrill, or friendly and sweet. She switched literally from scene to scene, and it can be jarring, especially when her first real scene is a fantastic soliloquy about how she is the only female chef in the kitchen and how extra hard she has to work just to be there, let alone get ahead. There’s a fantastic commentary on gender politics here that is touched on, but dropped a couple scenes later where she is happily showing Alfredo — a boy she resented for falling into a cooking position a couple scenes before — some kitchen tricks. The back and forth is whiplash-inducing, and more important, disappointing. By the end, she’s just the love interest and (say it with me, kids) there to inspire the hero complete his journey. I get that the movie is about the journeys of Alfredo and Remy, but there’s no reason to set up THE ONLY FEMALE IN THE MOVIE as a strong, fierce character in her first scene and then fridge her from then on. Likewise, the middle section drags a little, especially when the all-too cliche argument between Alfredo and Collette happens, and they’re split up for a little while. Crisis of faith, indulgence of ego, oh look, they make up in time for the climax. It’s all a little too familiar and a little too pat. But hey, it’s a Disney movie, right? This isn’t Sundance. Some formula is gonna be adhered to, you have to expect it. So, while some of the missteps are disappointing, some come with the territory. And it doesn’t hurt the overall quality. Is it their best ever? No. Is it top tier, though? Yes. Yes, it is.