speaking English with that phony ridiculous accent!
My best to sweetmisery678!
Stereotypes are annoying and insulting sometimes. But try to think of grossly exaggerated stereotypes as mocking the stereotypes they are depicting rather than developing them. And remember most people realize it's just silly teasing from American writers. What are the french like by the way? In Sweden there was a whole TV-series about what we are like and how we see ourself that I watched but I'm still not sure how I would answer that question!
shareStereotypes are annoying and insulting sometimes. But try to think of grossly exaggerated stereotypes as mocking the stereotypes they are depicting rather than developing them.
^ eg. not all australians look like this:
http://www.paramountpictures.co.uk/films/crocodile_dundee_la/images/im _crocodile_dundee_07.jpg
lol
If i gave a *beep* you'd be the first person i'd give it too.
I only rated this 6 stars because of stereotypes. Since this is a movie for children the minds of children get brainwashed.
I wonder when people will grow up and not watch this anymore.
This movie will be viewed years and years from now. It's one of the best movies ever made.
You're weird. Did you notice how every character wasn't a stereotype but a fully developed personality? Isn't THAT more important than accents? Again, you're weird.
Spider-Man 3 is superior in every way to Funny Games.
It's a harmless movie, not religion
shareActually, the French aren't anti-American arrogant sex-fiends, it's just Parisians.
This bill is outrageous. If I were you I wouldn't pay it.
Re: I HATE this stereotype of French being rude and...
by malcomforbes 2 days ago (Mon Mar 31 2008 12:42:11)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply
Actually, the French aren't anti-American arrogant sex-fiends, it's just Parisians.
[deleted]
Well, what makes you say that, how are the parisians more anti-American than the rest of the country? I am sorry I live in Paris, and my parents live in the middle of France, near Bourges, and I can tell you overthere I saw more anti-Americans than in Paris.
I know this is years later, but I found this post interesting. I visited Europe as my Senior Trip in high school (1980) instead of the stereotypical beach trip (for our school, it was FL). We visited Paris, Lucerne, Heidelburg, Koln, and Brussels. The French we met were rude and arrogant - and since we were in Paris, they were Parisian. We were high school students who had studied French and/or German and were excited to try out our skills. In the other cities, people were kind enough to listen to us massacre their language and speak slowly to help us comprehend. Most of them also spoke English which really helped when our skills just weren't sufficient. In Paris, it seemed that waiters went out of their way to humiliate us and reduce us to pointing on the menu.
shareAs far as the ridiculous French accent, why not give your American audience what they expect? The only real alternative would be to let them speak French and have subtitles, but not in a children's movie.
As far as rude is concerned, I can either assume you are a French person or you've never been to Paris. In order to finally get a waiter to come and deliver her bill, my wife once had to actually get up and start to walk out without paying to get him to come over. This was after trying to hail him several times and actually meeting his eyes while doing it. Also, the last time we were in Paris the government tourist bureau was holding workshops to promote more courtesy in the tourist industry because they were feeling a reduction in tourism to Paris because of the lousy reputation they have. Our guides actually assured us it wasn't anti-American feelings, but that Parisians were rude to other French people from out in the boondocks. They also told us the Parisians loved to argue, which we saw at Fountainbleu when our Parisian guide offerd to go outside with a Japanese tour guide and solve a little problem they were having about him being too loud man on man. Does this sound like the movie exaggerated??
My father once said Disney made a fatal mistake when they located their biggest theme-park near Paris (rather than any other European city with good climate and many tourists). The french are apparently totally uninterested in blinking neon-lights and cartoon-mice and prefers sitting in a café and argue over a baguette and café au lait (or something of the like). I don't know if this is true, though.
sharemaria weman, Disneyland was located near Paris rather than any other European city because Walt and Roy Disney had french ancestry (it's an old ancestry though we are talking about medieval times), their name come from "D'Isigny" wich sounds like Disney in french, so that is a tribute.
Actually the French love Disney movies, even if some won't admit it (I know... it's lame), everytime I've been at someone's place, they had a Disney motion picture in their VHS and DVD collection.
And Disneyland is well appreciated in here.
Really? That's interesting! I have wondered what sort of name Disney is. I'll have to tell my father he's wrong then. I really like some Disney-movies too, when I was little I even used to play "Pocahontas", "The little mermaid" and "The lion king" with a friend of mine. Now I like how beutifully animated the classic Disney-films are and how lovely some of the music is.
In Sweden it's tradition to watch a Disney clip-show called "Donald Duck's christmas" every christmas. There is not a Swede alive who doesn't know parts of it, at least from childhood.
To get back to the topic, what do you foreigners think Swedes/Sweden are/is like? And just to eliminate one suggestion: I'm personally very short and have brown hair and eyes...
I'm personally very short and have brown hair and eyes...
Oh NO!!! Maria, you kill my stereotyped dream of the fair hair and blue eyed tall Swedish girl, easy and getting drunk every Saturday night. Don't tell me you're teetotaler and not easy at all, I'll die!
I'm kidding. Besides SAAB cars, IKEA and the smörgasbord, we are on IMDb and Sweden is for me the country of Ingmar Bergman (I've watched "Tystnaden" more than twenty times maybe) and the wonderful Lena Olin (one of the best actress ever)
ddx-5:
Oh dear, I'm not much of a Swede, am I? I don't even drink exept a single glass of wine at parties...If it's any consolation I was blond for between about the age 2-6 and I was, obviously, born with blue eyes (but black hair...).
I love IKEA! I also think it's funny that the names of their products (mostly regular people-names, names of citys or cute puns) are complete nonsens to the rest of the world...
I have seen two Ingmar Bergman movies and plan to see more. His films aren't exactly light and fluffy but very interesting and moving.
I know a sweede who speaks to me as though I am stupid intentionally because I am from the US, even though I have the same level of education as her. I think they are like Austrains - aloof and convinced they represent the pinnacle of human cultural evolution. And I always get the feeling they despise Americans.
shareDisneyland was located near Paris rather than any other European city because Walt and Roy Disney had french ancestry (it's an old ancestry though we are talking about medieval times), their name come from "D'Isigny" wich sounds like Disney in french, so that is a tribute.
And Disneyland is well appreciated in here.
My father once said Disney made a fatal mistake when they located their biggest theme-park near Paris (rather than any other European city with good climate and many tourists).
The french are apparently totally uninterested in blinking neon-lights and cartoon-mice and prefers sitting in a café and argue over a baguette and café au lait (or something of the like).
To bigbadjc:
Why not give your American audience what they expect?
That's a good definition of a "stereotype". I started that thread in support of Sweetmisery678 who's tired of the stereotype spread over the world about Americans being "stupid and uncultured". Would you write about it "Why not give the worldwide audiences what they expect"?
The only real alternative would be to let them speak French and have subtitles, but not in a children's movie
Not at all, in that movie the sympathetic characters: Remy, Linguini, Colette, etc. even if they are supposed to be French, aren't deezgueezed weez zat ridiculous phony so-called "french" accent, but oddly it befalls to the bad guy! The real alternatives would have been the same accent for everyone, or, better, no accent at all!
As far as "rude" is concerned, so you've meet The-Rude-Parisian-Waiter! Therefore every parisian waiter is rude and by extension French are rude... Logic. I remember, at Dallas Love Field Airport (Texas) two air hostesses ill-treated my girlfriend as soon as they had noticed her French passport. I showed mine and asked "What's your problem concerning Frenchies?", one of them muttered something sounding like "bad smelling monkeys". What would be your own conclusion according to your logic: Americans are...
Anyway, you want to spend a nice time in France? As long as (WARNING: Stereotype!) you don't shout loud in English (In France, usually the people speak FRENCH, you know!), as long as you'll say "Bonjour", "S'il vous plait", "Merci" and as long as you don't order Ketchup with your Ratatouille, then you'll be warmly welcome and then you'll get friendly smiles. That's easy, isn't it!
So, I'm guessing from your reply that we should assume that French rats would have French accents. Maybe all rats speak in English?? If you've ever watched old movies, you know that one of the disappointing things about them is that wherever they are set, everyone would speak American English regardless of what nationality they were supposed to be. I don't have an answer to how you satisfy everyone on this topic.
If you reread my post, you will see that I did not say that French people by extension or otherwise are all rude. What I said was that my personal impression was that Parisians were rude and that other French people told me that was the case; they were equally rude to French people from outside Paris. It is also noteworthy that the French tourist officials were concerned about projecting a more welcoming attitude among the Parisian merchants toward tourists. You can slice and dice that any way you want, but don't write off a very widespread impression about Parisians as just stupid American prejudice. We were treated very well by the people we met in the smaller towns all over France where we travelled.
By the way, I have no problems with moviemakers catering to the idea of the ugly Americans. I can usually spot the Americans on entering a pub in England or a subway anywhere in Europe. We dress much less formally and talk much louder. What I have noticed most in the last couple of years is the amazement they have in our selection of national leadership. I can't fault them on that.
So, I'm guessing from your reply that we should assume that French rats would have French accents.
Ok, it seems I hadn't be clear enough. I won't repost all the arguments, just the main stuff: Why the hell the bad guys only speak with that kind of accent? Try to imagine the mess about, for instance, the same kind of movie, set in a kosher restaurant and the bad guy character only is speaking with a wrong caricature of Yiddish accent...
Ok, it could be worse:
http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0030549/
What I have noticed most in the last couple of years is the amazement they have in our selection of national leadership. I can't fault them on that.
As a citizen of "Sarkoland", my thoughts are wholeheartedly with you: as far as our countries are concerned, in that matter, they both play now in the same league...
I am French and hate the stereotype of French people hating Americans (if anyone is hating it's them), but I did not see anything anti-French in Ratatouille. Although it did annoy me that only the two main characters speak with American accents, Colette, a positive character, speaks with the French accent, as well as every single character. Really, the only negative character in the film is Skinner.
shareKetchup with Ratatouille? Did someone actually ever order that? I know you were being kinda cynical there, but still I get the impression that a comment like that must have come from some first-hand experience or story you've heard.
shareI don't know the context, but I understand that Europeans tend to stick around a bit longer in restaurants than Americans do.
I've heard Dutch people visiting the U.S. wonder why the waiters were "rushing them out" when they handed them the check without being asked. I'm sure this seemed a bit rude from their perspective.
I'm not sure that would account for actually ignoring someone, but it might have been a component.
The last time I've met French people was in Budapest, riding a metro car. A friend of mine who speaks French told me that they were complaining to each other about how filthy the metro was, how expensive everything was, and they concluded that they are never going to visit Hungary again.
Tyb you can replace "French tourists " by "American tourists " ,"German tourists " etc etc .
The only conclusion is that tourist from either country they are from are not the best ambassadors of their land .
As far as rude is concerned, I can either assume you are a French person or you've never been to Paris. In order to finally get a waiter to come and deliver her bill, my wife once had to actually get up and start to walk out without paying to get him to come over.
Indeed, so do I! Parisians are much nicer, on the whole--both to foreigners and to each other--than New Yorkers and Londoners. As for the stupid accents, I started a thread on the topic because that really is my pet peeve in any language (I saw it done with German once...stupid).
shareJust wanted to add my personal experience regarded the stereotypes.
I spent a couple of years working at a National Park in Colorado, so I encountered a great many tourists.
In general, the British were very friendly. I can only think of a couple who were at all rude. They were usually very attentive, very willing to converse, and over-all a pleasure to have around.
The French were different, definitely, but for the most part I don't think they were rude. I guess, as a group, that had the highest percentage who came off as rude, but mostly they were just less outgoing than the British. They kept to themselves a little more, didn't talk to others near as much.
Americans were usually not rude, but they were more apt to be dicking around and causing problems. If that was going on, it was almost without fail, someone younger. One thing, though, if you encounter a rude American, he's probably a very rude American. If they are going to be rude, they aren't usually just a little rude, they go all the way to complete @sshole status. Luckily, those types were few and far between. For the most part, though, the Americans were very friendly.
I won't get into the many, MANY details of this discussion, but as far as the use of silly accents, I would say it would be to emphasize the fact that everyone is French. If everyone just spoke the same as Remy and Linguini (American accent) then it would lose the French feel (for us ignorant Americans ;) ).
I really want to commend everyone on this thread though, because this discussion was held in a very adult, calm and respectful manner, which I'm sure all of you know is NOT the norm on IMDB. Why is it that the threads for a movie like Letters from Iwo Jima were more about who's right and who's an @ss, than about making valid points and trying to enlighten others, which is how it is on a RATATOUILLE board? I find that endlessly amusing.
Anyway, yeah, I'd just like to give you all major props and respect for being adult about this whole debate, which is why I can't even call it an argument.
"Potter! Potter, tell them I mean no harm!!!"
"Sorry Professor. I must not tell lies."
To me, it's NOT a stereotype. I visited Paris 10 years ago with my family and everyone there was snotty, snooty, and downright rude. So, my opinion of the rude French is based on my personal experiences. During that same two weeks I visted Paris, I went to Munich and London and the people there were infinitely nicer.
shareI lived in Germany from -04-'06 and visited quite a few French villages and Paris. I noticed that most French people are pretty nice inside of France, but they would be rude in other countries. Essentially they seemed mad that everybody else doesn't do things the exact same way as the French. I understand loving your country, but when in Rome...In general, if you keep a fairly low profile in Paris (don't run around like a blatantly drunk idiot) you shouldn't encounter too many problems.
shareThe last time I've met French people was in Budapest, riding a metro car. A friend of mine who speaks French told me that they were complaining to each other about how filthy the metro was, how expensive everything was, and they concluded that they are never going to visit Hungary again.
This is interesting because they could be right about the filthyness, but it's a LOT worse in Paris. In Budapest, you can't see homeless people sleeping in the metro cars, hookers and junkies on the platforms, and some other disgusting stuff I saw in Paris metro when I was there. Also, they were DEAD wrong about Budapest being expensive - unless they were overcharged in some bar or by a taxi driver, which happens sometimes, but even after that, Budapest is one of the cheaper cities in Europe, while some surveys say Paris is THE single most expensive city in Europe.
I don't want to sound judgemental, there's a LOT of things about the French I like and respect (especially their love for fine food and fine wine, which is kind of what this movie is about), but they do seem to take this national pride thing TOO seriously, which, in turn, makes them more than a little rude to foreigners.
Live long and prosper,
Tyb
I hate most French Stereotypes. I am French and a lot of my mates (joking of course) ask me why don't I shower.
It gets to a point where it just is not funny anymore.
I have visited Paris four times by now (in 1995, 1998, 2005 and 2008) and don't think the French are rude. I think they are just very proud of their own country, language and culture. It would repeatedly happen that a French person would just refuse to speak in any other language than French, even if he understand what I was saying in English. He would just reply in French. I absolutely love Paris. It's one of the most beautiful cities on earth. I myself am from Amsterdam. How do people see Dutch people anyway? Are they seen as friendly and open as I think they are perceived by non-Dutch people?
shareThe Dutch don't get "perceived" much in American culture... you're not big enough
Supermodels...spoiled stupid little stick figures mit poofy lips who sink only about zemselves.
The most impressive characters in this film speak with French accents. Both Gusteau and Anton Ego are decidedly French and teach the most valuable and eloquently spoken lessons in the film. I think really, the only insulting moment to me, is when Colette says: "sorry about being rude, but we're French."
"You're legally allowed to drink now so we figured the best thing for you was a car." GWH
I hail from the same city, but my experience with french people is not so optimistic as yours. Ive been there more than several times, mostly in the southern areas, but my experience is that they are often rude and inconsiderate of outsiders.
share[deleted]
You Dutch are most famous in the US for having legalized prostitution and marijuana.
Oh yeah, and the windmills and wooden shoes.
I have been to Paris a few times, and every native I encountered was very nice ---- I will say I did learn a few words and phrases before I went - "please" thank you" "hello" and most importantly - "I speak very little French, may we please converse in English?" I also kept my jeans and t-shirts at home and dressed like I cared how I looked.
And to the poster above, Anwar.... was in Amsterdam for 9 days, and the people were a delight..... so friendly and helpful!!
French Chefs can be extremely rude and crass, actual French people I have no clue.
shareI watched the french version so I can't comment on how the characters spoke english. I thought the voice actors in the french version were spectacular though. No voice seemed out of place and they were often very funny.
share