Rat (2000)

When hard-drinking Hubert Flynn comes home late and bedraggled for the umpteenth time, he wakes up transformed into the rat he truly is. But the movie Rat takes this event in stride; Flynn's family is upset and surprised, but somehow they recognize the appropriateness of this turn of events--Flynn's wife Conchita (Imelda Staunton from Shakespeare in Love, Sense and Sensibility, and Antonia and Jane) even takes a smug satisfaction in her husband's fate. When a writer arrives and offers to help Conchita write a bestselling book about this odd turn of events, she seizes on the opportunity to squeeze something positive from the man who's made her so miserable--and in the process, becomes a bit of a rat herself. Rat takes a little while to establish its comic tone, but once it settles into a kind of Irish magic realism, the deadpan reactions become strikingly funny. For example, when Conchita takes the rat to visit Flynn's favorite tavern, one barfly blithely comments, "Still, all things considered, he's not looking so bad." Pete Postlethwaite (In the Name of the Father, The Usual Suspects) plays Flynn in his brief time as a nonrat. All the performances are excellent; particularly charming is Kerry Condon as Flynn's daughter, who desperately tries to preserve some sense of dignity for her altered dad. With its whimsical humor and sardonic streak, Rat is no doubt destined to become a cult favorite. Fans of Monty Python will appreciate the movie's sly verbal wit. --Bret Fetzer Amazon.com

Love that Rat

Rat is a strange but extremely clever film. Both Imelda Staunton and Pete Postlethwaite give hilarious performances only to be outdone by a very talented rodent. Touching at times to even out the laughs. I enjoyed Rat immensely. May 25, 2008

Sometimes silly feels sooo good...

Plodding along in a rut? Having way too many serious thoughts and conversations? Well, curl up and enjoy "Rat"! This is a delightful, silly story, with a super-good soundtrack and terrific actors!! It's one of those rare gems you can enjoy over and over again and smile every time! February 28, 2008

Funny, interesting, and well crafted.

Say what you will about the implausibility of the basic premise, this is a very intelligent movie about human nature. How do people act and react to someone whose appearance of humanness has been removed? No one in the film doubts that the rat is the same person/personality that once was a man, but without his former appearance, he no longer *is* a person to any of them.

It's a very funny film, because it is so intelligent in portraying basic human nature. It speaks volumes about human/human and human/animal relationships, and if you can wrap your head around the idea, could even be an allegory about abortion rights.

"Rat" is one of the rare comedies that is successful as a comedy *and* leaves you with lots to think about after the film is over. July 2, 2007

Rat

If you like paradoies, British Isles humor, and a good story, this movie is for you. It has a story and it is hilarious and it has a wonderful ending with engaging music all the way through. It will stay in my library for anytime I need an uplift. mikiel June 1, 2007

feed this movie rat poison

This may be perhaps the silliest movie I've ever seen. The idea of a husband/father turning into a rat is just a strange storyline. I wouldn't say this movie is necessarily a childrens movie either. It's more like, well, just a really silly movie that some families might enjoy.

I guess it was an okay film. What I REALLY loved about it was all the really good songs that played throughout the film, which didn't resemble the storyline in any way. Then again, I'm not Irish, so maybe they did.

I think what kind of rubbed me the wrong way about the film was how the other family members continued treating the rat like it was the man of the family, and none of this looked believable at all. For instance, the wife was determined to get the rat to eat his supper during dinnertime. I think if someone I knew had turned into a rat, the last thing I'd care about is why they're not eating.

I just couldn't get into the movie. March 20, 2007

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