Alfredo Linguini

**Alfredo Linguini Gusteau** is the deuteragonist of the 2007 film Ratatouille.

Alfredo is the bumbling, yet kindly son and heir of Auguste Gusteau. While working as a garbage boy at his father’s restaurant, Linguini is mistaken for a world-class chef. The real talent, however, was that of a rat named Remy, whom Linguini rescued and befriended, and who actually controlled him by tugging on his hair.

## Background

### Personality

Linguini, at the beginning of the film, is a very unsure and clumsy individual. He mentions that he has never had anyone expect anything from him before and has lost many jobs prior to his job (which seems to be partly attributed to his clumsiness). However, he is a very kind-hearted person, as shown when he wouldn't drown Remy after looking into his eyes. However, he did hold some distrust of Remy, as shown when he woke up the next morning and saw Remy's bed empty and his eggs stolen, saying, "I knew I shouldn't have trusted a ra...." before he saw Remy cooking, and quickly took it back. Later, his trust with Remy deepens after they realize Remy can control Linguini's body using his hair and the two spent the night perfecting the body manipulation. His kindness was also shown when he genuinely thanked Colette for her help, rather than complain about her training as being hard.

Linguini is shown to fail as a cook since he ruined the soup that Remy had to fix at the beginning of the film and has been shown to have numerous take out boxes in his fridge. However, he has shown skills at skating, which helped him become a waiter when Remy and Colette were cooking the night Anton Ego was going to critique their restaurant, and later as the waiter for his and Remy's restaurant La Ratatouille.

After he learns about his heritage as Gusteau's son and inherits the restaurant, he starts to neglect Remy and forget that he is the reason for his success (although the situation wasn't desirable and no one would have actually believed him at the time), instead of giving the credit to Colette and himself and even gets rid of Remy after learning he was stealing food from the fridge to give to his rat colony. However, he later came to understand that he needed Remy after realizing that without Remy and his abilities to cook he would not have had the amount of success he had. He even tells the rest of the staff the truth about Remy as he becomes tired of lying and taking the credit from Remy, which prompts them to leave in disgust and disappointment.

Linguini is also somewhat naïve and trusts others too easily. He trusted Remy to help him with cooking (after Skinner threatened to fire him if he couldn't remake the soup that Remy made), of which Remy initially took advantage in order to be set free. However, Remy quickly returned to him after seeing how sad Linguini was over his deception. He also seemed to be unaware of the animosity and suspicion Skinner had towards him, managing to avoid his dirty tactics either by pure luck or with the intervention of Remy. He also trusted Remy to blindfold him while Remy practiced manipulating his body to cook, despite causing him injury multiple times and defended Remy when the kitchen staff was about to kill him.

He cares greatly for Remy, whom he treats as his equal and best friend, and his girlfriend Colette, with whom he has been in love with since he first saw her and with whom he develops a close romantic relationship. Overall, Linguini is a kind-hearted, yet klutzy person who tries his best to help others and moves people with his kindness and honesty.

## Film Appearances

### Ratatouille

Linguini is the son of Auguste Gusteau and Renata Linguini. He knows nothing about cooking, which can be seen from the many Chinese take-out cartons in his refrigerator and his lack of cooking skills and knowledge. He is attracted to Colette, the only female cook in the kitchen.

On his first night as "garbage boy" at Gusteau's, he witnesses Remy improving the soup he (Linguini) had wrecked earlier. When he hides Remy from view, Skinner believes that the soup was Linguini's work. Remy attempts to sneak away from Linguini's scolding, but Skinner discovers him and orders the staff to kill him. Linguini, however, catches him in a jar and is subsequently forced to finish the job outside, away from the restaurant. Linguini is nearly at a loss, believing he's gone crazy when he sees Remy nod at his words. Linguini releases Remy and takes him back to his small Parisian flat, giving Remy a room with a view of the outstanding Paris scenery.

Skinner demands that Linguini recreate the soup, and after a jumbled attempt, Remy figures out how to manipulate Linguini's actions by pulling on his hair, similar to a marionette. Together, after a night of practice, Remy and Linguini succeed in producing the soup. Linguini, due to his partnership with Remy, rises to stardom in Paris and the newspapers, making Chef Skinner jealous. Chef Skinner discovers that Linguini is Gusteau's son when he reads the letter from Linguini's mother. Skinner's lawyer also realizes Linguini's heritage when he clandestinely takes a strand of Linguini's hair for DNA testing in order to determine his true parents. Everyone else, including Linguini, is unaware of this fact. Skinner realizes that because Gusteau never stated in his will that Skinner is to have the restaurant; Linguini threatens his ownership of the restaurant and his visions of low-quality frozen food products that bear the name "Gusteau's." Because both Auguste and Renata have died, Gusteau's restaurant legally now belongs to Alfredo.

Linguini immediately harbours romantic feelings for Colette, the only female cook in the kitchen. After he is given into her care, Colette teaches Linguini about the workings of a high paced, high-quality kitchen. Skinner attempts to ruin Linguini by forcing a recipe (one that even Gusteau thought was a disaster) on him, which Remy modifies, making it an instant success. Linguini then resists Chef Skinner's attempts to persuade the truth out of him by making him drunk. Although Linguini does not leak secret information, the alcohol intoxicates him to a point where he finds it hard to work.

Chef Skinner leaves the tipsy Linguini to clean up the kitchen, and Linguini is sound asleep when Colette arrives early the next morning. Remy fails to properly wake Linguini up and resorts into putting sunglasses on him and manipulating his body to make him appear awake.

Colette, irritated by Linguini's sudden fortune, is insulted when Linguini does not pay any attention to her. She slaps him awake, and she rushes out, with Linguini rushing after her. Linguini is about to tell Colette where his real genius lies when Remy forces him forward, causing the two to kiss and fall in love. They quickly strike up a relationship.

Linguini then inherits the restaurant, when Remy successfully captures Gusteau's will and the letter from Renata from being destroyed by Skinner. Linguini fires Skinner and orders the Gusteau's frozen food line to be discontinued. He moves into a new apartment, marking the beginning of his new, more prosperous life.

During Linguini's interview with the press, the notorious critic Anton Ego arrives to inform him that he will be reviewing the restaurant the next day. He tells Linguini to pray that he (Ego) is not disappointed. At this point, Linguini is getting tired of Remy thinking that he is the only opinion that matters. Remy leaves after the two fights. Linguini later regrets his words and comes to apologize, only to find that Remy had let his entire clan into the food storage to steal food in revenge. Linguini furiously throws out the clan, telling Remy not to come back. Because of this, he is now left to cook Ego's meal on his own.

While hanging around the restaurant, Remy is caught by Skinner. Linguini, meanwhile, is breaking under pressure to cook. Remy is freed by his family and arrives in the kitchen to help the chefs prepare for Ego's arrival. Linguini stops the staff from killing him, delivering a speech to the stunned staff informing them that the rat is the real cook. The entire staff walks out, including Colette, feeling deceived and betrayed by Linguini. Dismayed, Linguini retreats into his office, and Remy and his clan begins cooking for the entire restaurant.

Colette returns (after remembering Gusteau's motto: "Anyone can cook") and Linguini, feeling hope, starts waiting for the tables expertly on roller-skates. Linguini serves Ego the ratatouille Remy has prepared for him. The meal takes Ego back to his childhood, moving him and causing him to write an impressive review.

However, Gusteau's is closed down by the Paris city council due to a rat infestation, and Ego loses his job and credibility due to praising a restaurant filled with rats.

At the end of the movie, Linguini is seen as the owner and waiter of a very successful bistro called La Ratatouille, which serves food to both humans and rats, featuring Remy as the head chef and Colette as sous chef. Anton Ego is a major investor in the business. It is also implied Colette and Linguini are still in a relationship.