Pajiba

YAY! I very much wanted to see this movie but had to wait for the all clear signal from the
Ch[i]ef Pajibian. Thanks Dustin. I am off to see the movie even if the namesake foodstuff is one of the few things that I do not like. "Very good" rating by Pajiba of a Pixar product is high praise indeed.

Am I the only person who didn't like The Incredibles? I liked Finding Nemo the best, and haven't seen Cars but The Incredibles seemed to try too hard to sell the 1950s American Traditional Family model. Eh, maybe it was just me.

I wasn't going to see Ratatouille at first but the recent trailers and this review has convinced me.

God damn I loves me some Patton Oswalt. I'm so glad Brad Bird chose him.

hoorah - I think The Incredibles tried for the 50's family model because they wanted to base it (in part) on some of the Golden Age comics from that era as well.

Anyway, I freaking love Brad Bird, and am SO glad that this came out well. I was terrified that he'd eventually succumb to the gleam of Pixar and wondered about this one. Glad to hear it pays off.

And you're right - Iron Giant is the greatest kids film ever.

You can fly? YOU CAN FLY!

For some reason, that makes me smile and makes my eyes crinkle every time.

Considering the sheer amount of advertising for this movie on ABC, I was sure it would suck. I guess sometimes overexposure does not signal crappiness, though it usually does.

Chez and I have discussed actually going to the theatres to see this movie.

this is huge.

My daughter has been pestering me about seeing this for the last month and a half. I'd have taken her no matter what, but I'm glad you feel it lives up to the Pixar tradition of awesomeness.

Wow, I just realized that this will be my fourth movie this year...that's like 2-3 years worth of theater experience for me.

Hmmm... I may end up seeing this with some friends, and I really, really want to see the animated short at the beginning.

On a completely unrelated note: Why is there a banner ad at the top of this site telling me that "The truth about life's great questions is finally restored"? Maybe I am just too uptight, but I find ads for the Mormon church an afront to my intelligence.

Rats. Rats and food. Rats TOUCHING FOOD!

Sorry, no. Just no.

Just wanted to jump into any column in which The Iron Giant is mentioned in order to exhort anyone who hasn't seen it to SEE IT RIGHT AWAY.

Doesn't matter if you have kids...doesn't matter if kids' movies usually leave you cold...you have to see this little movie. It is unspeakably beautiful.

In fact, just buy the DVD sight unseen. You will not regret it.

I'd more or less managed to avoid any references to this movie in the media until last week, when I started catching the handful of short TV promos on cable. Then I heard Brad Bird (didn't know he was directing this...now that I do, I REALLY want to see this movie) and Paton Oswalt (who made me laugh so hard with his old "Black Angus" bit that I had to sit in a parking lot with my kid in the back seat for a couple of minutes to catch my breath), so I am thinking, it's time for us to make an excursion to the local multiplex. Glad to see that you guys approve.

Amen, Jerce. A-fucking-men.

I am afriad I must speak out against the majority and question the worth of Iron Giant. The film and the book are as severely flawed as the man behind the story, Ted Hughes.

Sorry gang,"My Neighbor Totoro(Tonari no Totoro) is the greatest kids movie of all time.Check it out.You won't be sorry!

I may or may not see the movie. I just find it hilarious that all the advertisements contaiin pronounciation guides. "Ratatouille/rat.a.too.ee." I'd like to see this trend adopted for more movies. "Norbit/ nor.bit." "Hostel/ hoss.tell." etc.

The greatest kid's movie of all time is Harry Nillson's The Point.

i agree with the_wakeful on the morman ads. i understand that "big love" (which i absolutely love) makes it semi-cool, but i don't like being assaulted with it. especially not here.

"Joseph Smith was called a prophet! Dum dum dum dum dum!"

Sorry, that really has nothing to do with anything, but it's one of the funniest "South Park" episodes ever.

Yes! I've been waiting for this for nearly a year! (For some reason, Southeast Asian food bloggers got a wind of this movie far earlier than anyone else.) I'm glad Pajibans actually liked it. Now, all I have to do is find the patience to wait for it to be shown in this part of the world...

(By the way, Dustin, is anyone reviewing the Transformers movie? When's the review coming out? It's already showing here, guys, and have been hearing great things about it.)

Where's the "Live Free or Die Hard" review? I'm shocked to admit I enjoyed the hell out of that movie. Over the top and kind of silly but a lot of fun. I doubt the Pajiba reviewers will like it but fans of the trilogy should see it. It's better than "Die Hard 2".

Many apologies for the obnoxious Mormon ads. After several attempts, I do believe I've located the source and they have been blocked. Within a few hours, they should disappear from the site.

And bloodsugar: Transformers comes out in the US of A on Tuesday. Our review will be up then. I won't be reviewing it, however -- it scarcely matters how good it would be, I'd hate it. On principle alone. Are they machines?! Are they robots?! Unless they flew out of Paul Haggis' ass and made out with Anne Coulter before shoving a fist through the back of her throat, I wouldn't care what they were.

Rob -- The Die Hard review will be up first thing in the morning. And why would you think we'd hate it? We made the original our top action movie of all time. And Justin Long kind of rocks. Dan will have his take on it very soon. Do check back. -- DR

Am I the only person who didn't like The Incredibles? I liked Finding Nemo the best, and haven't seen Cars but The Incredibles seemed to try too hard to sell the 1950s American Traditional Family model. Eh, maybe it was just me.

Considering that most 1950s American Traditional Family models didn't include having Black best friends, I'd wager it was "just you". ;-)

I've been hemming and hawing about taking my nephew to see this... it just didn't appeal to me even tho' he's stoked... but, now I'm convinced.

This one has some astonishing fast moving low perspective (think fleeing rodent) animation, and at least two genuinely touching non-cheesy moments. It's a mature movie when compared to Cars (which I still find a little TOO cute.)

If you can get passed the fact that rats are touching food give it a try.

God, I have wanted to see this since I saw the teaser online like over a year ago.

"Let it go, Dad!"

I heard that, and could not stop giggling for like 20 minutes. Pixar has been some of the highest points of my movie experience since I was 9-years old and they have never disappointed me.

OK, I haven't read it since high school (my college days were spent whiling away with early modernist Brit and American lit...*sigh*), but didn't Kafka write a novel in which the main protagonist was a cockroach? OK, he became a cockroach, but pretty damn close, no?

No, hoorah, it was not just you. The whole marital jealousy suspected infidelity thing in The Incrediblesdrove me up the wall. I hate that movie. I still do.

And Dustin, I'm sorry, but if you make anything like a living from this site, it is your duty to go see Transformers. So we don't have to. I can understand the aversion, but I must know before I'm dragged to see it by my sons.

And if you don't make a living out of this and Quizlaw, maybe we could do a small Paypal collection to fund tickets to the movies you really aren'nt interested in. You must save us!

The site is still reviewing The Transformers, it just wont' be me doing it. -- DR

And Dustin, I'm sorry, but if you make anything like a living from this site, it is your duty to go see Transformers. So we don't have to. I can understand the aversion, but I must know before I'm dragged to see it by my sons.
Well said, dot, well said.

This movie is only out in the UK on the 5th of October!
I really don't understand the logic of movies that are definitely going to make money in certain countries, not being released in the aforementioned places at near enough the same time.
The way they hype up the threat of piracy, how is waiting three months for a movie to be released going to help that?
I can understand that kind of gap between releases in different countries with a surprise hit movie, but a movie by Pixar?

Considering that most 1950s American Traditional Family models didn't include having Black best friends, I'd wager it was "just you". ;-)

Not to mention a woman choosing to stay at home to raise her kids in spite of the mocking of her female neighbours. It's not the Family Model, people, it's how it gets into place.

Somehow, after the Knocked Up fiasco, I knew the folks around here would turn a cartoon about a family of superheros into a political debate.

Becca: Kafka's novel is called Metamorphosis. The protagonist awakens one morning to find he is a large bug. The type of but is not specified. It is all very depressing.

TK: Politics are an unavoidable by-product of human existence, like snot or sewage. It is nasty but it must be dealt with, or else it will accumulate and life will become unbearable.

Yay for this movie being good. I was wondering..and I also was not the biggest fan ever of the incrdibles..i thought the story kinda fell a little flat..and finding nemo is my favorite..but I am looking forward to seeing this one.

I want to see this, but I think I will wait until DVD given that I am 26, childless, and have already seen a Pixar movie in a kid filled theater with my husband while getting strange looks from all the parents in the room. I still do not regret seeing Toy Story 2 in the theater. That is one hilarious movie.

It does look cute though.

Ooh! If it's this good I may emerge form my five years of suckitude as a Godparent and offer to take the little squealer to it (yes, I'm prepared for the abuse that will inevitably follow this post).

Meander: If you've ever eaten any processed foods with ingredients that may have originated in China (Sara Lee, perhaps), you've probably come a lot closer to food touched by rats than you would think.

Also: Call me too liberal if you will, but I'm a little bothered by banning the Mormon ads. Will we now get campaigns to ban ads featuring (as you have on the site today) Michael Moore's face because his point of view upsets someone? Believe me, I'm no fan of the LDS, but is the ad that offensive? I've actually posted before that the fact that the ads end up here wasting their righteousness on a bunch of heathen alternaphiles is pretty hilarious.

I agree with PaddyDog. Let the Mormons (dum dum dum dum dum!) spooge their advertising dollars all over Pajiba. As long as the ads don't wink and blink at me I'm cool with it.

(A lot cooler with Mormons, actually, than with that ad for Captivity at the top left--not that I'm demanding its removal; I'm not such a pussy that I feel I must be protected from upsets.)

Dustin: You can't stop the signal. There is only the truth of the signal.

Bwuh, Mormon commercials.

And just leave The Incredibles alone -- it's not a parable about how great the white nuclear family is, it's a cartoon.

Count me in as another one who didn't like the Incredibles AT ALL (and neither did my 5yr old daughter).

I CANNOT WAIT to see Ratatouille!!! My husband is a chef and did his "stage" (ie: unpaid internship) at Guy Savoy restaurant in Paris--one of the Parisian Michelin 3-star restaurants the filmmakers studied and observed to perfect every kitchen detail. I have a feeling we will be purchasing this DVD...

PS: Applebee's be damned--Chili's is much better.

Third the call on not banning the Mormon ads. The antidote to stupid speech is more speech. E.g., The more people that are subjected to Ann Coulter the more obvious it becomes that she is a pox on political discussion if not on humanity itself. The only speech I would not allow under any circumstances is child porn. There is never a defense for that and the cure is not more of it. Other than that, let advertisers spend their dollars where they will, ESPECIALLY if they are so flagrantly wasted as are those of the Mormons on this site. TeeHee.

(A lot cooler with Mormons, actually, than with that ad for Captivity at the top left--not that I'm demanding its removal; I'm not such a pussy that I feel I must be protected from upsets.)

That Captivity ad was creeping me the fuck out. May I recommend Firefox's adblock extension- it has saved me many times.

Gotta agree with phaeolus - I use firefox with the extension, and I haven't seen an ad on ANY site in the last six months. It's a thing of beauty.

And just leave The Incredibles alone -- it's not a parable about how great the white nuclear family is, it's a cartoon.

Thank you, Socalled. Believe it or not, folks, not EVERYTHING has political subtext. Sometimes a funny cartoon is just a funny cartoon.

Believe it or not, folks, not EVERYTHING has deliberate political subtext.

Fixed. :)

(Haven't seen film in question. Just sayin', in general terms.)

Man, Ranylt, you and Jerce aren't giving me any slack today.

Yes, TK, it seems Jerce and I both spotted a half-off sale on Marxist berets, and we're putting them to good use.

OK, I have no comment on Ratatouille, Pixar, Brad Bird, Mormons or Michael Moore.

I just want to say how much I love you frikkin guys.

Okay actual rats making food = ick

Pixar cute, smart rat making food = genious!

I'm so glad it's good. I so desperately didn't want this one to suck because it's a kids movie about my favorite things: food, Paris, shedding societal stereotypes, fighting bigotry and even maintaining one's personal identity in lieu of selling out to corporate interests

Oh, and Mr. Incredible did in fact have his Stephen-Colbert-approved Black Friend, Iceman or whatever.

TK - I loves me some freakin' Brad Bird too. "Iron Giant" IS the best kids movie ever (Ho-GARTH?), and "The Incredibles" was a flippin' love letter to my comic book collectin' ass. I was a little hesitant about "Ratatouille"...even with Patton doing the voice, but I've certainly changed my mind by now. C'est la vie!!!

You mean there's ads here !?!?!?!

Thank you AD_BLOCKER!

No kidding. Firefox+AdBlocker is the shit. Never see a damn ad again.

I saw Ratatouille tonight and it was just great--my daughter loved it and so did I.

I went to the first showing of this movie with my entire family and I have to say that although the animation was terrific the story could have been trimmed downed A LOT. The movie clocks in just under 2 hours which is about 40 minutes longer than a reg. animated film. My four year old was BORED BORED BORED and couldn't stay seated which never happens when she views similar films.

If I had been a consultant on the film I would have advised cutting most of the story with Remy and his family after the separation and especially when the entire rat colony comes in to cook in the kitchen - YUCK. Perhaps that was important in some way, but visually, it was really discusting to see a restaurant kitchen invaded by an entire colony of rats preparing meals, It would have been much better if Remy had won over the other chefs by demonstrating his brilliant skills and his love of high cuisine - and then they (Remy and the chefs)work together in creating something magical.

Top notch animation combined with a plodding storyline leaves me to give the following grade

Storyline: C-
Animation: A

I'm so glad this has been getting positive reviews; every time I tell the boyfriend I want to see it he gives me a look that says "you dragged me to see Shrek 3. I think not."

As for a rat preparing food, the review in the local paper spent a good 100 words going on about how Remy always washed his hands before doing any cooking. Don't know if that makes anybody feel better about the culinary rodent but I thought I'd point it out.

This is probably the best film you are going to see all summer. I shit you not. I love animation and the best animated films are the ones in which you FORGET you are watching an animated film. The vocal performances, the "photorealism" of the "sets" and "props" and the EMOTIONAL connections I made with the characters; I will carry these things with me for a long time. This film has very mature ideas and yes, small children and some adults may get bored, but if you can handle it, you will see this movie at least twice. That's how wonderful this is. I am so in love with "Ratatouille." Let me just add that there are three things missing that make this an out and out modern kids' film: 1) No one gets kicked in the crotch. 2) No one burps in someone's face and 3) No one farts. Thanks, Brad, for treating me like a grown-up.

And Dustin is right: The short before the film is my favorite of all the Pixar shorts. Absolutely hilarious.

Jerce- thank you, I am aware that the Kafka novel to which I was referring is The Metamorphosis, and I am also aware of the plot. I was being intentionally obtuse for effect; clearly, I missed the mark on that one =).

Pixar will release a movie that won't need to be judged on whether it's good or bad, but whether it's great or just really good.

Damn right. Loved this movie.

i pretty much agree with the entire review. except for the part about iron giant, cause i still haven't seen it. it's on my list for this summer now - for sure!

btw, everyone at the cinema today seemed to enjoy the film - from little kids to young adults to seniors. and there was a huge applause at the end.

it's not genius or anything, but it's a very fine film and a damn good time. oh and the alien short before ratatouille was absolutely brilliant!

saw the movie tonight, and, aw. it was very cute, very sweet, and quite well done. to whoever posted upthread about wishing to cut out the scenes with the rats in the kitchen, holy crap! that was, to me, when the film *really* got going. it was all about family and friends coming to the aid of those they love, plus, hilarity.

if i could've cut anything, it would have been in the first hour, where it felt like it took ages to get going. but it was still very lovely overall, and i admit to totally geeking out and thinking 'but...but..it takes at least TWO DAYS to make a good ratatouille. one must let the flavors meld overnight!' but, that may just be me.

oh, also, i totally didn't like the incredibles either. well i didn't hate it, but it was average at best in my opinion. eh well.

I saw this movie last night at 10:20 with a theater full of adults. :) Everyone laughed often, and afterward there was that we-all-just-experienced-something-lovely vibe. Ratatouille was charming, though I think it might appeal more to adults than children - don't know how well they'd respond to all the food talk.

Well, leave it to Brad Bird to allow no question to remain unanswered. It's adorable to witness Remy washing his hands before preparing the food! There's another scene prior to the rats-in-the-kitchen scene that illustrates Remy's fastidiousness as well...hilarious!

Can't heap enough praise on this film, and expect it to be an international hit as it has something for everybody, children and adults alike. There are slower scenes where the kids may get bored, and the dialogue may be uncomprehensible due to the thick accents, but their attention is bound to be fixated on the rats, anyways.

Our children ate it up! (GROAN)! :)

My sister and I went and saw this the day it came out because (and I'll just straight-out admit it) I am a sucker for good, animated movies. Then, to top it off, the subject is culinary related? I pretty much was hooked right there.

My sister is in her mid-teens while I'm in the very late-teens and getting her to see anything is always a bit of a trial (especially if the movie is not of the horror genre she likes so much now) but we both adored this film. The fact that the voice actors were not famous celebrities was liberating in a way because I wasn't constantly associating the characters with actors which always seems to happen with kid's movies.

Also, the humor? Top notch, in its own way. One of the scenes where Remy is learning how to steer Linguini and cook pasta is way funnier than I expected it to be. There were some cliched bits, naturally, but for a movie intended for those under twelve they are few and far between, thankfully.

Overall, I would see this movie again in theaters in a second. : )

Oh, and for the people concerned about rats in kitchens, it really isn't that bad, or at least it never bothered me. They do make a point to clean them, after all (and they're animated).

Maybe it's because I see rats in the subways all the time, maybe it's because they really gross me out, or maybe it's because they ate my parents...

but I just got completely skeeved watching rats cook. I big thumbs downed it. I just couldn't roll with the rats.

I saw this yesterday and really don't see what all the fuss is about. I certainly didn't enjoy it nearly as much as Monsters, Inc. The storyline was kind of sweet, but I maybe chuckled a couple of times (I read one review - is it this one? - that says the final scene with Ego is one of the funniest ever. My response is THE HELL?) The animation is definitely amazing . . . now if only the storyline were up to par.

The funniest thing about this movie was the "gross but cute" moments: the rats fleeing the house in droves, scampering when the lights switched on, the sight of them taking over the kitchen. One minute you forget you are watching a movie about rats and the next moment Bird & Co reminded you "these are RATS, people!" Sheer brilliance.

Whenever a reviewer throws out "Cars" in heaping praise upon this latest Pixar release, I make a mental note to avoid the movie like the plague, no pun intended. "Cars" was a monumental bore and a movie about rats and food, eewwwww.

the best things about Ratatouille were that it was not a movie dumbed down for kids, it refused to adhere to what the public expects and that the rats were still slightly icky (all the way down to their slightly scaly tails).

I have pet rats, so I'm biased. I think they're adorable.

Craig,

I had a pet rat in high school. One of the best pets I've ever had!

It was so charming, and done in very good taste. this is the kind of movie our children should watch, one with great messages and that manages to be really good-hearted without being overly makes-me-wanna-puke-sweet. I understand some kids (and adults) wont go for it since it does not involve any farting, pooping and burping.

I also have to add that I really liked that the rat and the boy did not speak the same language.

Mercedes,
ditto with my 4 (about to be 5 yr old) - she was a little fidgedy in parts, so I would say this movie would be best appreciated for kids around 7 and older. I loved it - can't say it's Pixar's best, but still way above the competition. My only critique would be to edit it down a bit, maybe with the rat's family dynamic. I thought the direction of the chasing sequences were outstanding and worth another look. Seeing a mass of rats in a restaurant kitchen was a bit disconcerting but the payoff I think was enough to overcome it.

IMO, although Bird's work with Iron Giant is classic, he has yet to produce a classic with Pixar on the order of Nemo or Bug's Life...yet.

you know, I liked finding nemo, but it really isnt all that incredible in my opinion. Monsters inc was seriously awesome because of billy crystal mostly.

Is Disney really that bad? I mean, AFI didn't say that Beauty and the Beast was to be preserved because it sucks.

I enjoyed this movie so much- i agree with the ick factor with the family of rats helping but i think that adds to the movie, because you get a pov that rats shouldn't be touching the food, but you also get so happy that everyone is helping (at least I did.)

During the scenes where the rats were tasting the food and there is the "fireworks" illustrating the taste, did anyone else think of disney's first Fantasia where there was the line (the conductor called it by a name) that showed how music looked like? So when it was a cacophony of percussion, it would be bursting with red splashes of color, or when it was oboe (or some sorta string music) it was like a vibrating movement? does anyone remember that? Because I honestly tagged the rat-tasting-fireworks scene to be completely Fantasia-inspired.

and i do actually agree that one of the most memorable scenes was the very last with Ego tasting the food- i almost teared up.

it's an interesting point you make about Pixar's films being of different levels of excellent. personally speaking, the weakest film they've ever made (difficult to name) is still way better than any Shrek, Ice Age or similar imitation

Ratatouille is funny, witty, charming, original, and I'm very impressed with the blurring effect - which created the depth and makes the film feels half reality and half imagination.

Loved the film sooooo much. Loved the humor. Loved the characters. Remy's brother is very endearing. Loved the beautiful Paris backdrop.. cobble stone streets, canals, buildings... If Little Miss Sunshine was the funniest film of 2006, Ratatouille is certainly the funniest film of this year. It is now my #1 all-time favorite animation (Finding Nemo is now #2)!

The short animations--abduction and the history of rats and plaque--were just as good!

I just found this site - my friend told me it was for snarky movie a-holes like me. I adore Pixar movies, and generally count down the days until a new one premieres, but the last two offerings have sucked something awful. Cars is the worst, but Ratatouille is right there with it. I feel like I'm in The Twilight Zone seeing all these amazing reviews for it. The story is rushed and boring at the same time. I think they decided to animate the movie before they even finished writing it. It was disjointed and boring! Please watch it again and agree with me! I think we've all been programmed to rave about Pixar movies, and that's the only reason so many of us believe Ratatouille is worth digesting!