What's old is new again.....Okay, I'm lazy. That's NOT new.

This next blog is brought to you by an uninspired Sunday morning, and a looming trip to the grocery store to shop for food for my starving children.  No time to write today folks.  Sorry.  So I decided to recycle a piece I posted a few years ago on the present-day-internet-ghost-town known as Myspace.  It's a review I did of Disney's "Ratatoullie" when it first came out.  I'll be in NYC next week for a wedding, so I promise to make it up to you, by writting a nice review of Anthony Bourdain's old haunt, Les Halles.  Until then, chew on this!

Yesterday afternoon I took the little monsters to see the new Disney/Pixar film “Ratatouille” (pronounced “rat-a-too-ee”).  There had already been quite a bit of favorable buzz about this film, but I was most excited over the fact that it was about my most favorite substance to abuse: food.  The film’s protagonist, a rat named “Remy” (voiced by Patton Oswalt), rejects the trappings of rat-dom and instead aspires to be a chef.  All of this is to the dismay of both his fellow rats and humans alike.  In pure cartoon anti-realism he attains this dream with the help of a human counter-part, and lives happily ever after.  Although Pixar’s animation was absolutely breathtaking in this film, the greatest accolades go to writer/director Brad Bird (“The Incredibles”, “Iron Giant”, etc…).  And this film undoubtedly delivers that self-same punch that Bird was able to bring to bear when he made “The Incredibles” and “Iron Giant”.    The climax/conclusion of this film is beyond fulfilling, and showcases the villain getting his soul back in a scene more touching than when the Grinch’s heart grows ten sizes, and he thusly saves Christmas. 

Maybe I’m biased and overly-gushy about this film because I’m food-addicted.  But if heroin addicts have “Trainspotting”; food addicts like me certainly have “Ratatouille”. There are a few spots where the film’s pace is a little show for children, and I think anyone under the age of four might be periodically bored.  Surprisingly, alcohol use (i.e. wine consuption) is a sometimes backdrop in few of the scenes, which I found a bit odd for a film targeted to children, but after all, the theme of the movie is French cuisine.  I don’t think a European audience would flinch at this fact.  Some folks who are against alcohol use on moral grounds might be put off by this tiny aspect of the film.  As many of you know, wine is a ubiquitous part of the weekend meals that The Wife and I concoct, so it was kind of funny when my son leaned over during one of the scenes and whispered, “Dad, what kind of wine is that?”.  I only hope that we’ve set the stage for him to eventually be a connoisseur and not a drunk.  Since I’m on the topic of wine, there are a few cameos in the film, made by some of Bordeaux’s heaviest hitters in winemaking (i.e. Chateau Le Tour and Cheval Blanc).  Cheval Blanc last made an appearance on-film in “Sideways” as Miles’ trophy wine.  Anyhoo, I like how Brad Bird takes his time between films, and doesn’t rush projects to theaters too soon.  Because what he serves up in “Ratatouille” is very much representative of the lightning-in-a-bottle that he’s found with past works.  Cheers to him!  Cheers to anyone who goes to see this soon-to-be-classic!

Chew on that!
T.S.G.