Ratatouille (2007)

Synopsis: Rat loves to cook human food even though he’s a rat but there’s one small problem: he’s a RAT!

Would you be able to sit through it?: Absolutely. I’d say there’s just as much going on for adults here as there is for kids.

Any scary/violent parts?: Remy’s dad shows him the horrors that humans are capable of by taking him to see an exterminator shop that has a bunch of dead rats hanging in the window. It’s pretty unsettling. Also, multiple people try to kill Remy and talk about killing Remy.

Anything that will screw up your kid’s head?: They may think that rats aren’t so bad, and will invite them into your home to cook a nice French dinner, at which point the rats will eat you alive.

Any lessons to be learned?: Anyone can cook. Don’t judge a rat by its appearance (metaphorically—you should absolutely judge rats by their appearance in real life).

I Don’t Get It…: So at the end, the health inspector finds hundreds of rats cooking in the kitchen of Gusteau’s, so it’s later closed down and food critic Anton Ego is discredited for writing a good review of the rat-cooked food, then later on the owner, chef, and discredited critic of that restaurant that was lousy with rats open another restaurant called La Ratatouille and people aren’t avoiding it like the bubonic plague??

“Table for two?”

Recommended age: 6. There’s a surprising amount of dark overtones and adult stuff, plus the gourmet cuisine talk could be hard to follow for little ones.

Rent it, buy it or avoid it?: Buy. Despite this being a movie about talking rats, it’s probably the most “adult” of the Pixar offerings, which can be a bad thing if you want kids to enjoy it, but it’s an excellent thing if you want to enjoy it yourself. The overall story, direction and tone probably make it the finest Pixar movie from beginning to end. I may like WALL-E or Up a little more, but overall I’d have to say this is the better film. Brad Bird did an incredible job directing this, and probably should have been nominated for a best director Oscar if the Academy Awards wasn’t the most useless event since the last Dave Matthews CD release. So I actually think adults should like this more than kids. While the rat characters are cute and funny, virtually everything they do is adult-themed. Kids should still like it just fine, but a lot of it may sail over their heads, and could lead to a few uncomfortable questions, such as my daughter’s, “Why is he [Gusteau] dead?” “BECAUSE HE DIDN’T LISTEN TO HIS PARENTS.”

Score: 8.75 ratburgers (out of 10)

My Daughter’s Review: “Remy’s a good cook.”