Monsters, Inc. (2001)
– After A Bug’s Life didn’t inspire
audiences the way Pixar might have hoped – although Toy Story 2 did – Pixar’s third original idea had a lot riding on
its shoulders. Aw, never mind, you know
it worked; we’ve had Pixar movies galore since then, including a Monsters, Inc. prequel back in
June. But the one that started it
all? The original monster-buddy picture
finds Sulley (John Goodman) and Mike (Billy Crystal) tearing up the Scare
Floor, racking up the big screams in a private competition with slithery
serpentine Randall (Steve Buscemi, in a wonderfully scummy villainous
role). The movie’s real soul, though,
comes when an adorable toddler named Boo wanders into the monster world – a
strict no-no for the creatures from our closets. Though the animation isn’t as astounding as
recent turns, the deliberately cartoonish nature of the characters engages us
in an endearing way, especially (once again) the innocently chubby cheeks and
spastic arm movements of Boo. It’s not
that she’s the only ray of light in a dismal feature film; Goodman and Crystal
are perfect as the opposites-attract team of scarer and engineer, and Buscemi
is a revelation as always as the antagonist.
But Boo is that one character in ten thousand who completely eclipses
the rest of the movie; like Heath Ledger’s Joker or the monkey puppet Monk on
HBO’s Family Ties, Boo steals not
just the film but your very gaze in every one of her scenes. She’ll make you laugh, and if she doesn’t
make you cry that Randy Newman score almost certainly will.
Ratatouille (2007)
– There comes a moment every time I rewatch Ratatouille
where I sit back in my chair and think to myself, “My God, I really love this movie.” It’s not always the same moment every time –
usually it’s Remy’s silent plea not to be drowned or it’s Anton Ego’s big monologue evaluating whether or not anyone actually can cook (which, yes, still brings a tear or two of aesthetic
sublimity) – but there’s something about Brad Bird’s second Pixar film that
just hits you right square in the feels in a way that The Incredibles never did.
That’s not a slight to Incredibles,
which I love, but Ratatouille manages
to transcend a hokey conceit (talking mice?) and a clichéd message (follow your
dreams) in one of my favorite Pixar movies.
Patton Oswalt voices Remy, a mouse with sensitive taste buds and a
desire to cook, while Lou Romano plays Linguini, the clumsy but
well-intentioned janitor-cum-chef who brokers a deal with Remy so that both can
achieve their goals and feed Paris.
Naturally, the plan butts heads with Head Chef Skinner (Ian Holm), who
resents both Linguini and the rat infestation, while top critic Anton Ego
(Peter O’Toole, in a brilliant performance) fumes at the resurgence of a
restaurant he once damned. There’s so
much this film does right – the friendship between Remy and Linguini, the
familial bonds amongst the kitchen staff, the characterization of Ego – that
makes Ratatouille an A-Number-One
feature, topped with a score by Michael Giacchino (Pixar’s best, for my money)
so perfect that you’ll be downloading recipes and wishing you had a “lil chef”
to help you out.
That does it for this week’s edition of “Monday at the Movies.” We’ll see you here next week!
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