If You Can't Go To France, See This Movie; If You Can, See it Anyway

Rating: 10/10 (9 September 2015)

ï»¿Animated movies targeted towards children can be a lot of things. Artful. Immersive. Deep. Breath-taking. And in some, or even many of these areas, they can be better than the majority or even all of the movies directed towards adults. Yes, there are some things that they cannot do that 'adult'-oriented movies can. But there are just as many things that the latter category can't do and only the former can.
It is because of this that I laugh at people who don't want to see these movies that they consider 'too childish.' If you don't want to see these films, fine. But don't' act like it makes you cooler or more mature. Because it doesn't. It only leaves more empty seats at the theatre for people like me to stretch out in. We all have a phase where we vehemently hate everything from our childhood. But the better of us grow out of that phase. I did so before I learned how to drive a car. If those fools want to see the immature ones, they would only need a mirror.
Okay. Rant over. But do check out C.S. Lewis' quote on this. I've linked to it right here if you're interested. I'm not a big fan of his but that quote is perfect.
Because I believe in what I've said above, I have watched many good child-friendly animated movies. And I am a more creative person for it. But as much as they have offered, this one right here, Ratatouille, a movie about a rat that learns to cook, is the first one that I consider profound.
Bird has always had a penchant for things of this sort. The Incredibles had a lot to say about the state of the world today and the standards of boring mediocrity society forces upon us. But in profoundness, this film goes above it, particularly in the last ten minutes. Oh, those last ten minutes. They are like drops of milk falling from a luscious tree made out of honey. While The Incredibles is probably a better-written film on the whole, those last minutes of Ratatouille are some of my favorites in all of film.
I am talking primarily, of course, about the speech given by the man who for most of the movie could be considered the film's primary antagonist. As you know if you've read all of my other reviews, I am a bigger fan of speeches in film than I probably have a right to be considering that film is and should be primarily a visual medium. And this is one of the best speeches I have ever heard in a movie. It hits especially strong if you are a critic like I.
And don't just take my word for it. Almost every critic that I've seen, from the greats like Ebert to more recent reviewers, like the NC, has said that this speech hit them in a powerful place in their heart. Bird (who also wrote the screenplay to the extent that such matters) manages to 'get' critics more than some critics 'get' themselves. Kudos to him for that. I tip my hat to you, Mr. Bird. It is a 'drop the mic and walk out' moment.
If nothing else, see the movie just for that speech. Yes, you could read the transcript or catch a clip- and you should do such if you don't have time to watch the movie- but it has more impact if you've seen the whole movie and are emotionally primed.
I would be tempted to put this film in my top 100 for that speech alone. Yes, that would not be such a great critical decision, but I operate above all else on my emotions. Thankfully for my (minimal) critical reputation, there is more than enough else in this movie to justify it being there.
This movie is stirring to the two of the five senses most involved with movie watching: sight and hearing. The colors are soft and as flowing as the heart of artistry itself and is backed up by lighting that is romantic in every sense of the word. When Remy (the rat) first gets out of his sewer and is amazed by Paris, we are too. If they used the picture of the Eiffel Tower in this movie for its description in the travel guides, even more people would come to Paris.
This is visual storytelling at its best, as well as the diametric opposite of those movies where you are supposed to insert yourself into the slot of a personality-less 'hero.' Unlike in those movies (examples of which include the Twilight movies and any serious movie with Keanu Reeves in the lead role), the character is not a skin that you put on. They are a close friend that you are sharing a deep moment with.
The score is something out of a xenophilic seventeen year-old girl's deepest fantasies about France. I mean that in the best way possible. The atmospheric, intimate, ambient sounds that we in our moments of greatest wanderlust associate with The City of Love and Lights and with Paris in general are on full display here. This film is a love letter to Paris through and through. Though it may not take the place of an actual trip to the city, it certainly is a fitting compliment.
It can be argued that Pixar from 1999-2010 was on the greatest run in cinematic history. They certainly were on the most creative run ever. This film is arguably the best movie of that run and unarguably the one most representative of it. They understood, and here I paraphrase that speech at the end of the film, that not every film can be great, but a great film can come from anywhere.