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DVD Insider An offbeat look at a new release

"Ratatouille"

A Mafia "rat" (who's also a chef) savors the animated tale of rodent redemption.

The Plot
Disney/Pixar's hit comedy about a young rat from the French countryside with ambitions to conquer the culinary world. When Remy (Patton Oswalt) is separated from his family in the sewers, he follows his sensitive snout to the cobblestone streets of Paris and partners with a clumsy kitchen boy, Linguini (Lou Romano). The two cook up a hilarious Cyrano-like stunt that will help make them the toast of the town.

Our Insider
Henry Hill, a former Lucchese crime family associate, ratted out multiple members of the mob and spent years in witness protection. Hill's ordeal was the basis for the film "GoodFellas." (He was played by Ray Liotta.) Hill came out of hiding in 1987 to pursue his dream of becoming a chef. Last month, he opened a 100-seat family eatery in West Haven, Conn.

OVERVIEW "Let me put it this way: I don't watch cartoons, and I stayed glued to this movie. It's adorable, it's funny, and it's heartbreaking. And the kid, Spaghetti -- what's his name? Linguini? What struck me was how smart he was. He went from being a dishwasher and cleaning floors, which I've done at restaurants, to being the star."

THE UNDERWORLD "There's an early scene where the rat jumps out the window after his crew gets busted [stealing food], and he's narrating, saying how crazy his life is. And I thought, 'Is that Ray [Liotta from "GoodFellas" talking]?' It really hit home with me. In that life, you're up 18, 20 hours a day, hustling all the time. Then you got to watch your back, for the Feds, the local police, and you steal things, which you know is bad. That life is not glamorous. It's insane."

PEER PRESSURE "I like the scene where the rat's family finds him, and they try to pull him back into his old ways. He had this fear of his old life creeping in, and he had to confront them. And that happens; I've had people from the old life figure out how to contact me and try to lure me in with some kind of big deal, but I just say nope. I don't break the law today. I pay my taxes, and I do the right thing. There's no way I would ever go back to that life."

ON THE MENU "We don't serve ratatouille [in my new place, Wiseguys Italian Restaurant], but we have classic dishes like that. Everything's Italian on the menu. One of my favorite things to make is aglio e olio, which is olive oil, garlic and lemon over a pasta. You can use spaghetti or linguini or angel hair. It's very simple. I love that."

DEALING WITH THE CRITICS "The whole basis of the movie is the world's hate for rats, and it's true. Today, I don't worry about [getting whacked]. But random people have confronted me about being a rat. I've been in restaurants, and people have threatened me, saying, 'You'd better get outta here,' or 'You're going to get your head busted.' And I'm cool -- I'll just turn the other cheek and walk away. With the new restaurant, maybe the critics will say there's a rat in the kitchen. But the food is excellent, so it doesn't matter what they say."

-- Frappa Stout