SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: RATATOUILLE

"RATATOUILLE"
(2007) (voices of Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano) (G)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Moderate	Minor	*Moderate	*Moderate	Moderate

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Mild	Mild	Moderate	None	*None

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Mild	None	Mild	Moderate	*Moderate

QUICK TAKE:: Animated Comedy: A rat gets to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a chef by secretly teaming with a garbage boy at one of Paris' best restaurants.

PLOT:

For all of his rat life, Remy (voice of PATTON OSWALT) has detested the garbage the rest of his kind, including his brother Emile (voice of PETER SOHN), regularly consume. In fact, he dreams about not only eating exquisite cuisine, but also making it, with his idol being legendary French chef Auguste Gusteau (voice of BRAD GARRETT) who he occasionally sees on TV. Unfortunately for him, his nose for the finer things in life has led his dad, Django (voice of BRIAN DENNEHY), to assign Remy as the official food taster for their clan, what with worries about poison left for them by humans.

It's because of one of the latter, however, that Remy becomes separated from his family and friends. Ending up in Paris, he learns that not only has Gusteau died (the rat saw him on TV reruns), but also that his famed restaurant is now run by the diminutive yet bossy Skinner (voice of IAN HOLM) who runs the place with an iron fist when not otherwise marketing Gusteau's legendary name on all sorts of food products.

After meeting Gusteau as a ghostly figment of his imagination, Remy ends up falling into the restaurant's kitchen and scrambles to get out, but can't resist the temptation to fix some soup accidentally ruined by the new garbage boy, Linguini (voice of LOU ROMANO).

When that's an unexpected hit with the customers, Skinner is forced to bump him up to a junior chef position with the prickly Colette (voice of JANEANE GAROFALO) as his mentor. Yet, Skinner does so reluctantly, not only because he questions the young man's abilities, but also because he's concerned that Linguini might actually be heir to the restaurant. What he doesn't know is that Remy and Linguini have formed an unlikely partnership where the rat sits under the young man's chef hat and controls his every move by pulling on his hair like a puppeteer's strings.

With their combined culinary work impressing everyone, Skinner tries to get to the bottom of what's occurring, all while preparing for the arrival of legendary, but much feared food critic Anton Ego (voice of PETER O'TOOLE) whose critique can make or break any restaurant.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Probably so, especially if they're fans of films from the folks at Pixar.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: G: Presumably for not containing material that would warrant a higher rating.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: While it's debatable whether kids view animated characters (particularly non-human ones) as role models, here's a quick look at their major characteristics.; REMY is a country rat who ends up in Paris where he gets to fulfill his lifelong dream of cooking in a great French restaurant. Facing something of an existential crisis (since he doesn't act like or enjoy what the rest of his kind do), he much decide which lifestyle to lead.
LINGUINI is the new garbage boy at the restaurant who unwittingly becomes famous thanks to Remy controlling his cooking abilities and decisions. Initially unassuming, he somewhat lets that success go to his head, and takes a liking to Colette despite her curt behavior toward him.
SKINNER is the new, Napoleonic type owner of the restaurant who's trying to profit by marketing its legendary name, and does what he can to undermine Linguini's unexpected success in the kitchen.
DJANGO is Remy's dad, a standard issue rodent who wants his son to be like the rest of them.
EMILE is Remy's brother, a rat who doesn't care what he eats, much to Remy's dismay.
ANTON EGO is a legendary and feared food critic who seems to delight in raking a restaurant over the coals if they don't meet his lofty expectations.
GUSTEAU is the now ghostly former owner of the restaurant, a legendary chef who serves as something of Remy's conscience and advisor about how to lead his life.
COLETTE is the only female chef in the kitchen, an intense woman who isn't pleased with being assigned to supervise and train Linguini.; LINGUINI is the new garbage boy at the restaurant who unwittingly becomes famous thanks to Remy controlling his cooking abilities and decisions. Initially unassuming, he somewhat lets that success go to his head, and takes a liking to Colette despite her curt behavior toward him.
SKINNER is the new, Napoleonic type owner of the restaurant who's trying to profit by marketing its legendary name, and does what he can to undermine Linguini's unexpected success in the kitchen.
DJANGO is Remy's dad, a standard issue rodent who wants his son to be like the rest of them.
EMILE is Remy's brother, a rat who doesn't care what he eats, much to Remy's dismay.
ANTON EGO is a legendary and feared food critic who seems to delight in raking a restaurant over the coals if they don't meet his lofty expectations.
GUSTEAU is the now ghostly former owner of the restaurant, a legendary chef who serves as something of Remy's conscience and advisor about how to lead his life.
COLETTE is the only female chef in the kitchen, an intense woman who isn't pleased with being assigned to supervise and train Linguini.; SKINNER is the new, Napoleonic type owner of the restaurant who's trying to profit by marketing its legendary name, and does what he can to undermine Linguini's unexpected success in the kitchen.
DJANGO is Remy's dad, a standard issue rodent who wants his son to be like the rest of them.
EMILE is Remy's brother, a rat who doesn't care what he eats, much to Remy's dismay.
ANTON EGO is a legendary and feared food critic who seems to delight in raking a restaurant over the coals if they don't meet his lofty expectations.
GUSTEAU is the now ghostly former owner of the restaurant, a legendary chef who serves as something of Remy's conscience and advisor about how to lead his life.
COLETTE is the only female chef in the kitchen, an intense woman who isn't pleased with being assigned to supervise and train Linguini.; DJANGO is Remy's dad, a standard issue rodent who wants his son to be like the rest of them.
EMILE is Remy's brother, a rat who doesn't care what he eats, much to Remy's dismay.
ANTON EGO is a legendary and feared food critic who seems to delight in raking a restaurant over the coals if they don't meet his lofty expectations.
GUSTEAU is the now ghostly former owner of the restaurant, a legendary chef who serves as something of Remy's conscience and advisor about how to lead his life.
COLETTE is the only female chef in the kitchen, an intense woman who isn't pleased with being assigned to supervise and train Linguini.; EMILE is Remy's brother, a rat who doesn't care what he eats, much to Remy's dismay.
ANTON EGO is a legendary and feared food critic who seems to delight in raking a restaurant over the coals if they don't meet his lofty expectations.
GUSTEAU is the now ghostly former owner of the restaurant, a legendary chef who serves as something of Remy's conscience and advisor about how to lead his life.
COLETTE is the only female chef in the kitchen, an intense woman who isn't pleased with being assigned to supervise and train Linguini.; ANTON EGO is a legendary and feared food critic who seems to delight in raking a restaurant over the coals if they don't meet his lofty expectations.
GUSTEAU is the now ghostly former owner of the restaurant, a legendary chef who serves as something of Remy's conscience and advisor about how to lead his life.
COLETTE is the only female chef in the kitchen, an intense woman who isn't pleased with being assigned to supervise and train Linguini.; GUSTEAU is the now ghostly former owner of the restaurant, a legendary chef who serves as something of Remy's conscience and advisor about how to lead his life.
COLETTE is the only female chef in the kitchen, an intense woman who isn't pleased with being assigned to supervise and train Linguini.; COLETTE is the only female chef in the kitchen, an intense woman who isn't pleased with being assigned to supervise and train Linguini.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

Here's a brief summary of the content found in this G-rated animated comedy. Some colorful phrases are present, as is brief kissing, the implication of a "love child," talk of a man caught fooling around with someone else's daughter, and the sight of a woman's bare back in a painting.

Slapstick and action-style material is present, including a woman wildly firing a shotgun at rats, while various characters strike others or cause them to do the same to themselves. Some of the action scenes and moments of peril might be unsettling or suspenseful to younger viewers, but probably few others.

Various characters drink wine in several scenes, including one man trying to get another intoxicated to get information out of him. Other bad attitudes are present, as is some tense father/son material, while some behavior may be enticing to imitate.

If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some of that from camera flashes.

In an animated short, "Lifted," that precedes the main film, the light from a spaceship illuminates a human's house at night (all as some suspenseful music plays), with the sleeping man levitated off his bed. As he heads for the window, however, he slams head first into the wall and then again. We then see inside the spaceship where an alien trainee is attempting to levitate the human out (as a supervisor watches), but can't pick the right switch and thus repeatedly crashes and bounces the man all around the inside. During one attempt to get him out, the man is brought out butt first, and we see just the top of his butt crack as his pajama bottoms ride down a little. After getting him out and yanking him through an adjacent tree, the trainee uses the light beam to float the man up into the spaceship. Yet, he celebrates too soon, with the man then falling through a hole in the bottom of the spaceship a long way toward the ground, with the supervisor using the tractor beam to catch him just in the nick of time. The trainee then tries to fly the spaceship, but ends up crashing down onto the human's house (but when it lifts off, we see that the man and his bed are safe atop a lone pillar of dirt). All of that, save for the first moment, is played for laughs, with the human asleep the entire time (except in the end credits where we hear him fall off the pillar of dirt).

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: Miscellaneous humans drink.
During some cooking training where Remy controls Linguini's movements by tugging on different strands of his hair, Remy has Linguini pour some wine and taste it, but it then accidentally gets poured onto Linguini's head and thus Remy as well.
Miscellaneous humans have wine with dinner.
Various chefs make a toast with wine.
Trying to get him tipsy and get information from him, Skinner keeps pouring Linguini more wine. While Linguini initially says he doesn't drink, he keeps guzzling down the good stuff (with Skinner pouring himself a little).
We see a painting of Ego holding a glass of wine.
We see Ego with wine.
Linguini, Colette, and others have a champagne toast.
Miscellaneous restaurant patrons have wine, while one has a martini delivered to him.
Some miscellaneous people have wine in the restaurant, while rats have unidentified beverages.

BLOOD/GORE: While training Linguini, Colette complains about the mess on his sleeves, saying it looks like he threw up on them (it's just kitchen stains).

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Skinner is worried that Linguini, who he constantly treats badly, might be the rightful heir to Gusteau's restaurant and thus he tries to undermine him (played for comedy).
Colette is intense while training Linguini and tells him to keep his station clean "or I will kill you."
One chef in the kitchen is reported to have been in prison, although his story about why changes with each telling (one of them is that he killed a man with one finger).
Linguini becomes a bit full of himself following his success and press, and eventually tells Remy to stop controlling him. As a result, Remy leads his rat family and friends into a raid of the kitchen. That causes Linguini to be mad when he catches and then chases them out.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: Scenes listed here and under "Violence" might be unsettling or suspenseful to younger viewers, but probably few others.
Remy and his brother are up on a roof using part of a TV antenna as a rotating spit. Suddenly, a lighting bolt strikes the antenna and them, knocking them to the ground where they look a bit singed, but are otherwise okay.
An older woman repeatedly and wildly fires a shotgun at Remy and Emile, blasting parts of her house while barely missing them. Emile ends up dangling from a chandelier, but the woman is out of shells. As she reloads, Remy tries to help Emile, and they barely avoid another blast. In conjunction with the others, however, that causes her ceiling to collapse, exposing the rest of the rats. They flee (with her firing more shots at Remy as he tries to take a cookbook) and board various aquatic vessels, with Remy using the cookbook as the same. As they float toward a storm sewer, she suddenly fires at them again from above, causing Remy to be separated from his family and the rest of the group. Now in the sewer tunnel, he realizes too late that a waterfall is fast approaching and is tossed over it into a series of rapids where he tries to grab hold of the book, but is repeatedly thrust under the water. While adventurous for adults and older kids, younger ones might find all of that intense to varying degrees.
In a long, continuous shot in the kitchen, Remy ends up underwater in the sink and must avoid being spotted there. He then tries to scamper across the floor to escape, but most avoid various perils along the way. That includes him nearly being stepped on and then knocked aside, avoiding gas flames as they ignite below some appliance, and cart wheels nearly running him over. He also ends up in some food that's then put into a lit oven (and he barely makes it out before the oven door is closed).
Skinner hits Remy with a mop, knocking him across the kitchen. Remy then avoids cleavers and such chopped at him, with Linguini then catching him in a jar. Skinner then orders that Linguini kill the rat, but not there. Thus, we see Linguini take Remy out to the river, but he can't get himself to throw Remy in.
Angry that she's the only female in the kitchen and Linguini has now grabbed the spotlight, Colette expresses her frustration by jabbing some large kitchen knives down into a table or cutting block, accidentally or purposefully pinning Linguini's sleeve to that surface.
While outside the kitchen, Remy hears some strange rustling in the dark and thus nervously holds a kitchen knife in that direction, but it turns out to be Emile.
Remy's dad goes to show him how humans really treat their kind, and they stop in front of a storefront window where they spot various poisons, and what look like real dead rats in various traps hanging along the window (with a little scary music playing on the soundtrack).
Remy is nearly hit by a car on the road, and then has various things thrown at him before scurrying into the storm drain.
A motor scooter hits Skinner who then takes the scooter and chases Remy on it. During the chase, Skinner crashes down some steps, and then chases Remy on foot, including from boat to boat until missing the last jump when Skinner lands in the river.
In Linguini's nightmare, Ego menacingly says he wants the chef's heart on a spit (regarding reviewing his culinary work).
Skinner traps Remy in a metal rat trap cage and then places that in the trunk of his car. Remy's friends and family then push some pieces of a building down onto the car's trunk, bending it enough that they can rescue him.
Linguini stops others from attacking Remy with cleavers and other kitchen tools.

GUNS/WEAPONS: An older woman repeatedly and wildly fires her shotgun at Remy, causing property damage in her home.
In passing and from above the ceiling, Remy sees a human couple struggling over a gun, with the sound of it firing and the resultant blast accidentally coming up near Remy (no one is harmed).
One chef in the kitchen is reported to have run guns for some resistance movement.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Clean-arino," "Now shut up and eat your garbage," "Aww, man," "You're a clever rat," "Are you mad?" "Garbage boy," "I should have you drawn and quartered," "For Pete's sake," "Idiot," "Welcome to Hell," "I'm insane, I'm insane, I'm insane," "Let us toast your non-idiocy," "Rejecta-menta" (or something like that), "I'm detecting nuttiness," "Nupity, nupity, new" (or something like that), "Rat-a-patooty" (rather than ratatouille), "The biggest idiot psycho you've ever seen," "Shut up," "You're slow for someone in the fast lane" and "Bloody."
Remy uses Linguini's hair to control him like a puppet (some kids might try the same with others).
Trying to get him tipsy and get information from him, Skinner keeps pouring Linguini more wine. While Linguini initially says he doesn't drink, he keeps guzzling down the good stuff (with Skinner pouring himself a little).

JUMP SCENES: Remy and his brother are up on a roof using part of a TV antenna as a rotating spit. Suddenly, a lighting bolt strikes the antenna and them, knocking them to the ground where they look a bit singed, but are otherwise okay.
Chef Gusteau's "ghost" (seemingly just a figment of Remy's imagination, but appearing as something of an apparition) suddenly appears and startles Remy, but that's not the intent.
In passing and from above the ceiling, Remy sees a human couple struggling over a gun, with the sound of it firing and the resultant blast accidentally coming up near Remy (no one is harmed).
Gusteau's "ghost" once again startles Remy (but that's not the intent).

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): A moderate amount of suspenseful and adventurous music plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: None, but there is 1 hell used in the phrase "Welcome to Hell."

SEX/NUDITY: In passing and from above the ceiling, Remy sees a man painting a portrait of a woman where we see her bare back.
We hear that Linguini's mother has died, and that she was an old flame to chef Gusteau, with the implication being that Linguini is their love child (that term is not used in the film).
One chef in the kitchen is reported to have been fired from one place after being caught fooling around with a person's daughter.
Remy controls Linguini to make him kiss Colette. She nearly sprays him, but then gets into the kissing (played for comedy).

SMOKING: None.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: Remy and his dad have a bit of a tense son/father relationship (seen in various scenes).
We hear that Linguini's mother has died, and that she was an old flame to chef Gusteau.
Remy and his dad have a few more tense moments between them.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: Rats and how people react to them.
The comment that anyone can cook.
How kitchens in restaurants work (who does what, etc.).
Remy views his and others lives' as rats as being thieves (of garbage).
Remy's view that humans dream and create (which he admires).
The comment not to let anyone determine who you are based on where you came from.
The comment that if you focus on what you left behind, you'll never see what lies ahead.
The comment that changes in nature start with a decision.

VIOLENCE: Most of the following is played for comedy.
We see Remy crashing through a window with a cookbook, with that image paused as Remy discusses it in voice-over narration.
Remy and his brother are up on a roof using part of a TV antenna as a rotating spit. Suddenly, a lighting bolt strikes the antenna and them, knocking them to the ground where they look a bit singed, but are otherwise okay.
An older woman repeatedly and wildly fires a shotgun at Remy and Emile, blasting parts of her house while barely missing them. Emile ends up dangling from a chandelier, but the woman is out of shells. As she reloads, Remy tries to help Emile, and they barely avoid another blast. In conjunction with the others, however, that causes her ceiling to collapse, exposing the rest of the rats. They flee (with her firing more shots at Remy as he tries to take a cookbook) and board various aquatic vessels, with Remy using the cookbook as the same. As they float toward a storm sewer, she suddenly fires at them again from above, causing Remy to be separated from his family and the rest of the group.
In passing and from above the ceiling, Remy sees a human couple struggling over a gun, with the sound of it firing and the resultant blast accidentally coming up near Remy (no one is harmed).
Skinner grabs Linguini by the front of his clothes, and then pinches and holds onto his cheek, causing him some pain.
Skinner hits Remy with a mop, knocking him across the kitchen. Remy then avoids cleavers and such chopped at him, with Linguini then catching him in a jar.
Linguini reacts to having Remy under his clothes (giggling and squirming), and when he starts whacking at Remy to stop, Remy starts biting him in response (we don't see the impact, but do see some red marks on Linguini's chest when he bares it). All of that causes Linguini to hit himself while trying to whack Remy (all played for comedy).
During some cooking training, an omelet (and possibly the pan it's in) accidentally flies out the window and we hear the sound of a vehicle crashing below on the street.
Linguini whacks at his chef's hat to hit Remy, with Remy then pulling Linguini's puppeteer hair to cause him to slap himself.
A waiter accidentally opens a door into Skinner's face.
Distracted by seeing Remy, a bicyclist crashes into and up onto the back of a parked car.
Thinking Linguini is indifferent to what she's saying (when he's really asleep and Remy is controlling his body), Colette slaps him (thus waking him up).
Remy is nearly hit by a car on the road, and then has various things thrown at him before scurrying into the storm drain.
A motor scooter hits Skinner who then takes the scooter and chases Remy on it.
We see the results of Skinner throwing another chef aside (we see the latter going through the air).
Remy pulls Linguini's hair to cause Linguini to bang himself on the head with a skillet.
Skinner traps Remy in a metal rat trap cage and then places that in the trunk of his car. Remy's friends and family then push some pieces of a building down onto the car's trunk, bending it enough that they can rescue him.
We see a health inspector that the rats have bound and gagged (played for comedy). We then see Skinner thrown into the pantry with that man, in the same condition.

Reviewed June 11, 2007 / Posted June 29, 2007

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