It isn’t often that I see a movie that I think is absolutely excellent.

I see lots of films that I like, and lots of films that are good, and lots of films that are “tops” in their genre, but very few films that are excellent.

Ratatouille is an excellent film. In fact, it’s so good, so well-constructed, that I have difficulty choosing any one part that I liked above any other. I do know that there weren’t any parts I disliked. I wish I’d seen it weeks ago.

Blah, blah, blah, technical achievement, blah, blah. It’s visually awesome, and the water effects basically kick George Lucas in the nuts. It’s Pixar. We expect this out of every movie they make (and with the exception of Cars, they deliver).

Within two minutes I had been pulled into the world. It felt real. I have always liked old Tom & Jerry cartoons, and a big part of that was seeing Jerry’s world – the clever way that he lived behind the mousehole. The coffee table made from a spool of thread. The bed made from a matchbox. So I loved this stuff – and it wasn’t used like a hammer, which made it all the better.

Regarding the plot of the film. . .(and holy crap i’m gonna use a food metaphor) Ratatouille is a bowl of macaroni and cheese that has been prepared by an excellent chef – one that is unexpected and spicy. It’s comfort food. You know what it tastes like, kind of, and you expect those tastes. But the cook has thrown in some tabasco, and some oregano, and some paprika, and a bunch of other stuff. So what you are eating is, yes, macaroni and cheese. But it’s also something completely different.

Something better and something new and all the more marvelous for its simplicity.

In many ways, that is the point of the film.

It’s rated G, so don’t be a dumbass and say things like “that was fuckin’ awesome” out loud. There are kids around.