Okay, of course, I'm joking -- but you get the picture (no pun intended). When a rat with great cooking skills who can read English (in France), but can't speak it, meets up with a gangly young man that works in a kitchen, but can't cook -- they find an amusing way to help each other out.

Almost entirely a cute production with some gratuitous action sequences to patronize the kids, the film cajoles plenty of yucks, but seldom a big laugh. More seriously, Ratatouille reveals how unfortunately important critics can be to high-class restaurants. Ironically, I suppose, I'm a critic (though I prefer the term "reviewer") reviewing this film. And as a "reviewer" I remind my readers, these are just opinions. Simply put, we are all human beings with a wide range of beautifully varying tastes. That said, the net opinion of the net critics had been one big rave for Ratatouille. So I went into the screening with high hopes. Not quite the comedic animated masterpiece I'd expected, I, instead, found a cute quaint film that drags a bit at the end of the second act, but offers up an unexpectedly warm plate of climax in the wind up.

-- Book Contest --