I have no idea why the title is spelled this way, but…. just kidding. Bliss! A wonderful film–funny, engaging, smart, moving; the kind of kids’ movie you long to see (after so many hyperactive or tawdry maudlin blurs), where the intelligence shimmers behind every detail, where the film demands (or, better, assumes) a little bit of intelligence from its audience. But better yet: this is one of the best, most lovely pieces of cinema I’ve seen this year.
Near the opening the clan of rats scurry en masse away from a farmhouse and its shotgun-wielding, bespectacled granny. In ramshackle boats, rats spilling off the edges, each rat carefully defined to her or his own particular brand of bedraggled, they shiver, as raindrops pelt the dark-slate surface of the water all around them. There’s so much visual delight in this film–on top of the pleasures of narrative and score–that I think any of us would love it.
This film had me rolling in the aisles. Oh, wait–that was the flames searing my skin in the endless torments of hell. Dear sweet Jesus, it burns! But go see Ratatouille— Almost takes the sting out of eternal damnation!
Hey, moderator–where the hell did my post go? It’s hard to get to an internet cafe here in the underworld, and sweet jesus the connection is SLOOOOOOOW!
I just wanted to say that, at first, I thought Ratatouille had me rolling in the aisles. But then I realized it was the licking of the flames of endless torment here in Hell. Despite the tortures, I still heartily–and with a big mustachioed smile (or what’s left of the moustache, given the licking flames)–say go see Ratatouille. Fun for all ages, and even those eternally damned!
Hey Reynolds! Despite being possibly the best film of the summer, no one’s posting on Ratatouille. That seems to be the general consensus around the film: everyone likes it but no ones going to see it. Or they’re in no particular rush to see it since they know it will be excellent and are saving it for another time.
Some quick thoughts:
Saw this last night, and I agree with reynolds. It’s a very beautiful film. But I found it a little slow and not quite as tight as The Incredibles. I’m not sure why the first ten-fifteen minutes was devoted to rather predictable (and not really essential) events: little rat is marked as “different,” doesn’t fit it, gets separated from family, strikes off on his own. But after that, the film is fine.
David Denby has a rather odd but nice review of the film, in which he raves about how the kitchen is laid out, how he knew where everything was at all times (the sauces, the sinks, etc.). I didn’t get that. Sure, I was never confused, but I didn’t think there was any real need to have my bearings. Just go with the flow.
The performances are excellent, lots of nice touches, nuances, etc. Patton Oswalt is wonderful. And both Garofalo and Holm turn in fine readings in convincing accents (the villain, Skinner, which is played by Holm, is not-so-vaguely Algerian…hmmmmm).
The real joy comes during the ratatouille sequence. I laughed out loud and teared up when it’s served to the delightfully nasty Ego. In fact, the final 20 minutes or so are flawless.
A real improvement over Cars, which I thought was mind blower, visually. This is even better. A must see on the big screen.
Oh, and the short, Lifted was funny too. Especially the first 2 or 3 minutes.