The Cook is a Rat, his Cooking is an Art...

Rating: 9/10 (13 April 2016)

While in the past, an imposing belly was the sign of good wealth, today: the poorer, the fatter.
Indeed, good and healthy taste, in our junk/frozen/industrialized-food consuming society, became a luxury. This might explain the success of cooking-related TV programs, the sight of an appetizing meal is as rewarding to our senses as if it was eaten. Some surrender to bad food, out of laziness, those who don't learn to cook and are rewarded by the certitude that they'll always eat well, in total respect to their tastes and their stomachs.
But can anyone cook?
The question is raised in Disney Pixar's animated movie "Ratatouille", released in 2007, and it's as serious and defining as a problem in a high school essay. Everything in the film subtly relates to that simple question. Is the required discipline and dedicated available to the common mortal? The film doesn't provide answers, it's too adult for that, it just gratifies us with two great characters and let us figure out for ourselves. Of course, the most important and fascinating one is that blue rat, Remy, whose dream is to become a chef. The title "Ratatouille" is very well chosen as it plays on the word 'rat' and an iconic French meal, it also contributes to one of the most original climactic moments for any film.
Remy is a fascinating character, even by Pixar standards, contrarily to many usual leads, his goal isn't conditioned by a specific mission, limited to the film's time-frame. This is a rat with a highly developed sense of taste and smell that was first used in order to detect poison. But later, RÃ©my felt he had a gift, he could recognize good food and from that, could learn about cooking. His idol is Chef Gusteau, a French cook whose motto was "anyone can cook". Remy used to watch him on a TV belonging to the old lady (whose house served as a refuge to the rats' colony) until discovering the chef died a long ago because of a scathing critic from Anton Ego who was probably to food what Pauline Kael was to the movies. This is a rather dark moment in the film where it's impossible not to believe the chef committed suicide, this is no joke in France as previous chef Bernard Loiseau committed suicide after losing one star is the fear Michelin Guide, the book whose effects can either be beneficial or disastrous.
But it's still a Disney film and not to discomfort young viewers, Gusteau is resurrected in Remy's imagination. After escaping from the old lady's gunshots, his family vanishes in the sewer while he floats on the cooking book and maybe hallucinating out of hunger, discusses with the illustrated Gusteau (who's like 'Ghosto' all through the film). Remy wonders if anyone can cook as the chef pretends. But he actually gives another meaning to the question, it's not "can anyone cook, even an amateur?" but "can anyone cook, even a rat?" Remy will prove that, even as a rat, he can cook to perfection because he belongs to the category of gifted people who take cooking seriously. And he's immediately gotten the opportunity to prove his talent by fixing a soup almost spoiled by a new sous-chef hired in Gusteau's restaurant.
Linguini is a lanky and awkward boy in his early twenties, he's hired by Gusteau's former sous-chef, a diminutive and sneaky-looking cook named Skinner. When he accidentally spills the soup and blindly drops ingredients in it, Remy manages to fix it, and the soup catches the attention of a prestigious critic. It's a matter of time before Linguini and Remy discover that they can communicate, and Remy becomes to Linguini what Cyrano was to Christian, a Ghost cook, so to speak, managing to guide his body in order to cook the perfect food. This is also a nice pretext to some of the film's best visual gags, the most explicit manifestations of slapstick and visual humor in a rather serious film. The smallness and fastness of Remy, the nonchalant and thin silhouette of Linguini creates great interaction, but it's the complicity between the two that drive the story.
The second act allows us to discover that Linguini is Gusteau's unknown son and is likely to inherit the restaurant, which gives Skinner a status of clear antagonist. Meanwhile, a conventional romance develops between Linguini and Colette, the only female chef of the team (made of very interesting characters) and I think there was enough relationships in the film, Remy and his brother and father and even Linguini to really make us care for the romance. The crew was made of intriguing and interesting guys but their under-use didn't come as a surprise given how RÃ©my and Linguini formed a solid pair. Colette was a colorful and interesting character on her own but she didn't need to be in love with Linguini to help him. So, the film loses its track until a fantastic climax whose merit is not to rely on the traditional confrontation of good vs. evil.
Anton Ego, tastes a piece of 'ratatouille' and lives a wonderful Madeleine Proust episode. In a way, this Madeleine moment makes the film's point about cook, it's an emotional connection, we love food that reminds us of something. I'll never forget the first tiramisu I ate, the best and I couldn't find the same taste. Food is something that revives emotions, mostly positive, it can indeed draw a smile in your face, and this is the power of "Ratatouille", it's inspirational on countless levels.
I can imagine a kid dreaming of being a cook thanks to "Ratatouille", which is a serious vocation-inspiring film, but supposing Gusteau was wrong and not anyone can cook, then I hope the film's beautiful story will inspired kids to dream of being capable to bring the same joy and happiness to people by doing something with as dedication, love and passion as Remy.