Line #4 Heartwarming/Ratatouille


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ratartaoille_memory_740x620_5.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:[[WesternAnimation/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas And what happened then? Well, in Paris, they say, Anton Ego's small heart grew three sizes that day.]]]]
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4	* Although he causes trouble later, Emile and Remy have a strong family bond. Even though he doesn't really understand Remy, Emile accepts his brother unconditionally, which is saying something considering what their dad thinks.
5	* Even back to when Linguini first showed up at the restaurant, all the chefs beside Skinner (and Colette who seems to be a younger member of their ranks) appear to welcome Linguini rather warmly. Being very casual with him and speaking very positively about his mother. They even had a uniform and a job ready and waiting for him, even without asking Skinner for permission, and even though he was only given a position as a ''plongeur''. Regardless of knowing he was Gusteau's son, it's clear that the older kitchen staff always had a soft spot for him as a child, and respected his mother enough that they were always going to make a place for her son.
6	* How about Remy’s return to Linguini after initially fleeing his confinement by the river? The dejected sigh from the latter as his last hope has just run off... and then we hear the sound of little rat feet getting closer once again, with Remy’s big bright eyes staring up at Linguini, who smiles back in awe and disbelief! The accompanying music swells perfectly as their unusual yet strong bond is highlighted for the first time.
7	* After his first night of sleeping in Linguini's sad-looking apartment, Linguini wakes up to find Remy gone--along with his eggs. For a moment, Linguini thinks Remy's played him for a fool...until he walks into his kitchen to find Remy cooking breakfast for him, most likely as a sign of gratitude for not killing him and giving him a place to stay. Linguini then sits down and tries it, marveling at how delicious it is.
8	* When Linguini ducks into the food storage to rant at Remy for running up and down his body and biting him, he notices the rat staring longingly at some cheese. Linguini realizes that Remy is hungry and breaks him off a piece to feed him and in a much calmer tone talks about how they have to figure out a better solution to make their partnership work.
9	* The montage of Colette helping Linguini to learn how to operate in the kitchen - she starts off very harsh and often corrects his mistakes with yelling, but eventually their interactions turn friendly.
10	--> '''Linguini''': ..."we"?\
11	'''Colette''': Of course. You're one of us now, oui?
12	** Colette starts off harsh and cold to Linguini because she's used to not being taken seriously. She's fully expecting Linguini to just dismiss her, but he doesn't. He listens to everything she tells him, taking notes, and never once questioning her. This is what makes her soften up to Linguini fairly quickly, and she point-blank thanks him for listening.
13	** The exact defrosting happens when she talks about how Gusteau was always about trying something new, to surprise his customers. As Linguini writes that down, she clarifies that only the head-chef can be creative; he quickly scratches it out to add, "Follow the recipe." Colette can't help but smile that Linguini is this attentive.
14	* The kiss between Linguini and Colette: instead of pushing him off, she passionately kisses him back, even though [[ShutUpKiss Remy was the one who forced the kiss.]]
15	* Remy's final conversation with the imaginary Gusteau.
16	-->'''Remy''': I'm sick of pretending. I pretend to be a rat for my father, I pretend to be a ''human'' through Linguini. I pretend you ''exist'' so I have someone to talk to! You only tell me stuff I already know! I know who I am! Why do I need you to tell me? Why do I need to pretend?\
17	'''Gusteau''': [''chuckles''] But you don't, Remy. [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre You never did.]] [''disappears'']
18	* When Remy is about to be attacked by the chefs, Linguini stops them without a second thought to protect his little friend. Even after [[PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure Linguini (temporarily) kicked Remy out of his life]] when he caught his colony stealing food, they BOTH regretted their actions that nearly cost them their [[InterspeciesFriendship unusual friendship]].
19	--> '''Linguini''': Thanks for coming back, [[AffectionateNickname Little Chef]].
20	** You can tell by the clear relief in his tone of voice that he's glad that his "little chef" has returned yet again, [[CallBack just like the first time they met]].
21	** Also, Remy doesn't even try to run when the chefs try to kill him on sight. One might think it's because he [[ThePowerOfTrust trusted Linguini to protect and accept him back]], even after he kicked him out. Props that his human friend did just that.
22	* "And this rat... this ''brilliant'', little chef... can take us there." No wonder it convinces Remy's dad that he was "wrong about... your friend."
23	* Remy's dad whistling for the rat colony to [[MisfitMobilizationMoment come out of hiding and help Remy save the day]]. He was opposed to Remy's wide-eyed cooking dreams from day one, but when his son needed help, [[strike:he was]] they were there. He caps it off with these words.
24	-->"We may not be cooks... but we ''are'' family." You tell us what to do, and we'll get it done!
25	** Actually, Remy's dad gets a fridge instance of this much earlier. Remy's activities alerted the old lady the colony was living with to their presence, and eventually, resulted in them being forcibly displaced, separating Remy and his family. You expect his father's first reaction to his return to give him TheReasonYouSuckSpeech? Nope, he instead throws a big party in his honor. It goes to show that despite being harsh on him and wary of his hopes and dreams in the prologue, [[GoodParents he genuinely loves]] [[ParentsAsPeople his son]] [[RousseauWasRight and just wanted him back.]]
26	** For that matter, Remy saving his father's life two seconds after his dad called his enhanced sense of taste/smell useless.
27	* Colette catching sight of a copy of Gusteau's original book bearing the phrase she believes in so strongly; 'Anyone Can Cook'. Just when you think Linguini's revelation about Remy has finally broken her spirit altogether, she still chooses to return to help Linguini.
28	** After she and Linguini explain everything to Ego, they passionately kiss, proving their solidarity even ''after'' the truth about the real chef emerges.
29	** She and Linguini are implied to have remained in a relationship even after Gusteau's is closed down; she becomes sous-chef at La Ratatouille by the end.
30	* Ego's review of Gusteau's in the finale. Yes, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome the restaurant was closed by health inspectors and he ends up losing his job and credibility]], but it's truly incredible if you don't come out of that monologue feeling inspired, or with a new respect for some critics, to a degree.
31	** Don't forget Ego's {{Flashback}} upon actually tasting Rémy's ratatouille. If that [[BestYearsOfYourLife sunny kitchen]] and the warm, reassuring smile of [[DotingParent Anton's mother]] as she cheers her son up with a bowl of her own ratatouille don't melt your heart... No wonder he gave them a rave review.
32	*** It's so simple and sweet -- and a ''perfect'' example of everything PetTheDog should be.
33	*** FridgeBrilliance: Ego considers his mother to be the best cook he ever knew, and holds all other cooks to her standard.
34	*** And then, there's the way Ego reacts after tasting the dish: he drops his pen in shock and, for the ''first'' time in the whole movie, he starts ''smiling'' as he eats the ratatouille with delight. He's not evaluating the quality of the meal: he's actually ''enjoying'' it! and what is more, shortly before he drops the pen, you can see color slowly start to return to his face, which had been very pale up until that point.
35	*** Not the same impact as this iconic scene, but earlier during the meal, Ego is served soup as an appetizer. While it doesn't have the same effect on him that the main course does, he looks mildly impressed at the dish, presumably not expecting any food from the restaurant to come close to his standard. Remember, what he doesn't love, he doesn't swallow. And apparently, he loves this!
36	** Ego's review is quite wordy, but the crux of the argument is that he now understands that Gusteau didn't mean to devalue the skill of a chef with the phrase "Anyone Can Cook", but instead, that a skilled chef simply needs the proper environment to nurture those skills.
37	--->'''Ego:''' In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto, "Anyone can cook." But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist can come from anywhere.
38	** Which segues very nicely into his review of the restaurant: even after meeting Remy and having the situation explained to him, he gives it a highly positive rating, which eventually costs him his job. And just as a pick-up-and-cuddle-the-dog moment, Anton loses his credibility but becomes a regular customer at Remy's new restaurant, where he consistently orders the ratatouille. Say it with me: ''d'awwwww!''
39	*** Not only ratatouille. He trusts whatever he is served. When asked what he'd like to order for dessert:
40	---->'''Linguini:''' Can I interest you in a dessert this evening?\
41	'''Ego:''' ''(nearly chuckling)'' Don't you always?\
42	'''Linguini:''' Which one would you like?\
43	'''Ego:''' ''(loudly, in Remy's direction)'' Surprise me!
44	*** Not just a regular customer. It's highly suggested that Ego helped front the money to open La Ratatouille in the first place, making him co-owner along with Linguini and Colette.
45	** A subtle moment during that scene: Colette has mentioned how being a woman has handicapped her and forced her to work twice as hard to get where she is. Then she goes out to speak with Ego, who immediately assumes she's the head chef responsible for the ratatouille and begins congratulating her. The fact that she's a woman doesn't make any difference to him.
46	*** FridgeBrilliance again: Of course he's not surprised by the (admittedly false) notion of her being the head chef. The best chef he's ever known is, as always, his mother.
47	** Compare Ego's facial structure between his first appearance and the ending scene. When he's first shown, his face is incredibly thin, with [[VillainousCheekbones prominent cheekbones]], and skin so pale, it's almost white as a bone. In the ending, his skin is flushed with color, and there's a prominent roundness in his cheeks implying that he's now eating more filling meals courtesy of Remy or thanks to a change in perspective is willing to lighten his standards and just ''enjoy'' food.
48	** Though he's still unquestionably a bad guy, Skinner's reaction to tasting the ratatouille could also be seen as a (very brief) heartwarming moment. After having ordered "whatever [Ego's] having", his initial reaction to being presented with the ratatouille is to scoff at it, but as soon as he tries some he ''whimpers'' and even bursts into the kitchen demanding to know who made it. It's fairly reasonable to assume that he went through a similar experience Ego did upon tasting it. He ''wants'' to hate and/or mock it, but he ''can't''.
49	** Through all of this, Ego (and likely several other diners who weren't just getting usual menu fare) had been kept waiting for his food ever since he walked in, since Linguini and Remy had their falling-out before dinner service, and he's even shown consulting his watch before writing down some notes. The poor service didn't influence his glowing review at all; the food was ''that'' perfect.
50	* Colette signals Remy that it's time to get back to work with a look of warm acceptance, a look that says she truly accepts him as her comrade and a master of the kitchen.
51	** Not to mention Remy's teeny-tiny little chef's hat. Awwww.
52	* As the camera pans over the rats enjoying their own meals in Remy's restaurant, there's a brief shot of his father, who laughs as he remarks "That story gets better when ''I'' tell it!" He's not just [[SoProudOfYou proud]] of Remy--he's bragging about him to anyone who'll listen (and, given the line, has probably been doing so for a long time). Compare that to how he dismissed Remy's gifts at the beginning of the film and feel your heart melt.

Context Heartwarming / Ratatouille