Throwback Thursday Review: 'Ratatouille'

Sorry for the delay on this review, as it was supposed to be published on Thanksgiving. I watched the film on Thanksgiving, but only recently had a chance to sit down and write about it. Anyways, I'm reviewing Ratatouille to coincide with the most recent Pixar release, Coco. I felt Ratatouille was the perfect choice because it's a Pixar film about a foreign culture (France), and since it's all about cooking, it ties into the food motif of Thanksgiving! The Throwback Thursday Reviews I have scheduled through the end of the year include Pitch Perfect, The Room, Looper, and Jumanji (1995) to go along with Pitch Perfect 3, The Disaster Artist, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. I'm also well aware that I've yet to publish the last two Throwback Thursday Reviews in addition to all the other significantly delayed ones. I haven't had a chance to sit down and watch any of them yet, but I will get them out there!

'Ratatouille' Review

Nominated For: Best Animated Feature, Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Original Score.
Won: Best Animated Feature.

Ratatouille scampers alongside the remarkable rat Remy, whose heightened sense of smell and passion for cooking cultivate a foolish fantasy that he may one day become a world class chef. As fate would have it, Remy unexpectedly winds up underneath one of France's most exclusive restaurants, which happens to also be the restaurant popularized by Remy's culinary idol, Auguste Gusteau. When the garbage boy, Linguini, discovers the rodent and bears witness to Remy's unique expertise, the two strike a peculiar partnership in hopes of rising through the restaurant's ranks.

Ratatouille was cooked up concurrently by Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava, who co-directed the feature and developed the story with Jim Capobianco while Bird was the sole screenwriter. Like the vast majority of Pixar's work, the film is still stirring thanks to exceptional animation, worthwhile themes, and a reluctance to adhere to any formula. However, despite its shared characteristics, Ratatouille always seems to be one of the forgotten films among Pixar's nineteen animated features. I'd daresay it's one of their more underrated entries in the grand scheme of things.

Ratatouille's unique flavor is derived from the ingenuity of its masterful storytelling. The emphasis remains on character and servicing the story in spite of all the entrées presented to the viewer. There's never a wasted moment, and a deft balance of humor and seriousness is successfully achieved in Bird's script. 

Ratatouille even offers ample meta commentary on criticism through the Anton Ego character by pointing out the humble origins of a critic's subjective perspective. Bird walks the tightrope between satirizing critics and glorifying them quite well in presenting an honest outlook of the profession.

And of course the animators ensure kitchen utensils, food ingredients, rat fur, and human hair are all as intricately detailed as any of the incredible animation to be found in Pixar's other offerings! Elsewhere, Michael Giacchino's swell score encompasses an extraordinary assortment of compositions ranging from pleasant and deliberate to swift and lively, but each one stands out as an inviting accompaniment underneath the ongoing events. 

Tossed to the forefront, Patton Oswalt's pleasant personality strictly suits Remy's delightful disposition and Lou Romano grants Linguini an apprehensive aptitude fitting of the character's aloof clumsiness.

Ian Holm chews the scenery as Gusteau's fiendish head chef Skinner, Brad Garrett brings a light-heartedness and compassionate nature to Gusteau, but Peter O'Toole's seemingly cynical food critic Ego is perhaps one of the standout supporting characters. Sprinkled throughout the animated ensemble, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, Janeane Garofalo, Will Arnett, and John Ratzenberger can all be found voicing Remy's doubting dad Django, Remy's amiable brother Emile, cunning female chef Colette, mysterious German sous-chef Horst, and worried waiter Mustafa.

Ratatouille remains a bold, original recipe thanks to its inspired mixture of seasoned storytelling, charming characters, outstanding animation, and pinch of heart. When it's all over, you won't be able to resist the urge for a second helping. 

Film Assessment: A-

'The Circle' Review

The Circle adapts the 2013 novel that follows the ordinary Mae Holland stuck in a temp customer service position till her friend Annie scores her an interview with tech conglomerate The Circle, a tech company marrying the concepts behind Google and Facebook. Mae gets a job at The Circle of course and soon discovers the company's latest innovation is a small spherical camera that can broadcast live video from anywhere. Mae quickly rises through the ranks and makes the decision to become totally transparent in her everyday life by wearing one of these cameras on her person at all times after a life-changing event (except for when she uses the restroom, so you don't worry about that unsettling idea). 

If that idea doesn't strike you as frightening, I don't know what will and that's where The Circle falls flat on its face. The Circle had plenty of potential to be a terrifying tech thriller offering commentary on current social media trends. For proof of this all you have to do is look at the talent working behind it with an indie director on the rise James Ponsoldt and an all-star cast including the likes of Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, Karen Gillan, Patton Oswalt, and John Boyega. 

Unfortunately, that's just not the case considering The Circle was a chore to sit through. James Ponsoldt's direction allows the most charismatic actors working today to come across as mundane and bland, largely due to the lifeless script these actors were provided. The narrative flow is an incoherent slog and every-time the story appears to chart a more interesting course, it goes in the opposite direction. The film's ending doesn't even have any resolution and finality to it. I don't mind an open-ended finale but this one just doesn't work. 

On-top of that, the dialogue is atrocious and basic social interactions between the characters feels forced. For example, Tom Hanks' character Bailey showcases some sketchy innovations and hardly a single person in the crowd has any qualms whatsoever for what I'd consider to be a very controversial advancements. They applaud and laugh at almost everything he does like trained monkeys regardless of whether his comment warranted a laugh or not. There's no conflict in a movie that centers around a incredibly controversial topic. Oh, and I haven't mentioned that Ponsoldt even co-wrote the screenplay alongside Dave Eggers, the author of the source material, so it's not like Ponsoldt didn't have someone working with him that understood the fundamental ideas of the book. Circles normally have arcs but Ponsoldt and Eggers must have forgotten rudimentary geometry when penning The Circle's screenplay because the characters certainly don't have any. 

My grievances haven't even touched the uninspired cinematography and messy editing that plague this flick, and if you're looking to the talented A-list cast to be the saving grace of this movie, you better look elsewhere because they two are trapped in mind-numbingly mediocre roles. The performances are okay but that's rather pathetic for this accomplished ensemble and it's clear most are in it for the paycheck. Emma Watson's Mae Holland remains The Circle's center in what I consider her dreariest turn yet, while Tom Hanks, Patton Oswalt, Karen Gillan, and John Boyega are relegated to The Circle's circumference with almost nothing to do whatsoever.  

Hanks is the more significant presence of the bunch as a twisted Steve Jobs but even he is degraded to a few scenes. Boyhood star Ellar Coltrane is really the only actor to turn in a bad performance among the ensemble. Coltrane's Mercer comes across as whiny and obnoxious due to the soporific script and poor direction and as a result, his character fails to strike the emotional chord the screenplay was aiming towards. 

I feel it's worth mentioning that the recently passed Bill Paxton plays Mae's father Vinnie, a character diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and actually gives a great performance with the screen time provided. Paxton may not show up much but he put forth a seemingly accurate portrayal of someone with M.S. and it really bummed me out to see his final film performance be attached to something so forgettable. 

In conclusion, The Circle is the wasted potential of such a compelling contemporary concept that's downright dishonorable to the esteemed ensemble involved. I guess The Circle succeeded in resembling it's namesake as a flat and hollow doldrum, except that it's not very well-rounded. 

Film Assessment: D-