Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Food + France = Ratatouille.

I saw this movie yesterday and absolutely loved it. Very cute and delicious. I'd very much like Pixar's recipe for Ratatouille. Even though I've made a place for this movie on my list of "favorite food movies", I do have a few criticisms: 1) there are many French actors who speak English with a genuine French accent, bien sûr. I don't understand why Pixar couldn't have added a little Jean Reno (looooove him) to the cast. Make it a bit more credible than having Janeane Garofalo or Brad Garrett speak with a French accent. 2) And how is it that the main rat, Remy, is from the French countryside, but has an American accent? Je ne comprends pas. 3) One of the clients in the restaurant calls over to the waiter by saying, "Waiter!"...in English with a French accent. A few French words wouldn't hurt, right? What if that client said, "Monsieur!" or "Excusez-moi!" to grab his attention? 4) And total disappointment that they didn't play UB40's song, "Rat in the Kitchen", while rolling the credits. But really, go see this movie. It's fabulous.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh, don't tell me ! Prune went to see it the other day with "cantre aéré" and I loved the previews ! I can't wait for it to be available on our pay-per-view !!

Victoria said...

emily! i thought the exact same thing. french accents (for the rats) would have made the movie much better!! i'm so glad we are in agreement on that. :)

Phyllis said...

The kids and I loved this movie, too. After about 4 minutes you forget you're rooting for an animated rat.

Jennifer said...

I agree completely - to everything you said. It so bothers me to see out-of-work actors of the culture showcased in the movie. (Hello! Audrey Tautou was busy I guess.) Also the American accents on the French rats. But we loved it too.

ashtanga en cevennes said...

Ah, I loved this movie too! But you know, I took a little (French) boy to see it, so of course we saw it in French. It worked perfectly--it never once looked like the voices didn't fit the lip movement. I suppose it's easier with animation...

As for the main character, Remy, not having an accent in the original version: Disney is (in)famous for that. Normally bad or difficult characters have accents, or silly, goofy characters, and the good guy or the main character don't. Think of Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, etc. etc. They're often accused of racism for that.

The Late Bloomer said...

I think I agree with you on those criticisms; I liked the movie on the whole, for the beautiful artistry and the presentation of the amazing food, and I know Pixar did heaps of research to put it together, but I think they could have used real French voices speaking in English too. That is a bit of a shame. There were a few French cliché/stereotype things about the movie that bothered me as well. But overall, it's a whole lotta fun!

Me and Him said...

Haven't seen it yet, it's on my list. But I have to say I love Jean Reno too. He was one of the reasons I watch the DaVinci Code. He's also a voice in Flushed Away.