Movie Review - Ratatouille

Phillip and I have had terrible luck with movie theaters during our marriage. We did manage to see Narnia with my family once, but we’ve been foiled every time we’ve tried to go on our own. Either tickets are sold out, or the only seats left were on the very front row, etc. Considering how hard it is for us to find a film we both even want to see, the continual thwarting of our plans was extremely frustrating.

Bad movie luck notwithstanding, I decided to tempt fate this week and try seeing a movie with Phillip for my birthday. I was curious to see Ratatouille, a computer-animated film about a rat who wants to be a chef. It seemed a safe bet: the G rating meant no offensive junk, and Pixar has yet to produce a film I didn’t enjoy.

This time we played it safe and bought our tickets ahead of time, but we still barely made it. It took a while to find parking, and when we hurried up to the box office window they told us we were at the wrong theater. Fortunately, the right one was just down the block. We made it to our seats just as the previews began (good thing - sometimes the previews are better than the movie).

The film's moral about being yourself and trying new things was a bit heavy-handed in spots, but other than that I loved the film. Being a food enthusiast myself, I enjoyed watching the main character’s discovery and exploration of good food. I also liked the way the film encourages you to pursue your passion, whatever it may be.

One of my passions is cooking, and though I don’t necessarily aspire to be a gourmet chef, I did feel inspired to learn how to make food taste and even look better. I believe that the secret to good cooking is just mastering the fundamentals of technique and flavor coordination. That being the case, why survive on mediocre food when a little effort and know-how could make it delicious, and even beautiful?

A final note on the film: One of the characters I most identified with was a person I wholeheartedly disliked at the film’s outset. He tried to demonstrate superior knowledge through criticism, which is something I used to do and still struggle to avoid. In the end, though, the character learns to stop criticizing and start savoring both food and life. He ended up being my favorite member of the cast. I guess there’s hope for all of us.