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Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Meatier shower?

Directed By:

Phil Lord, Chris Miller

Starring:

(the voices of) Bill Hader
Anna Faris
y Samberg
Mr. T

Released By:

Sony Pictures

Released In:

2009

Rated:

PG

Reviewed By:

Adam Mast

Reviewed On:

Mon Sep 28th, 2009

Grade:

B


Based on the popular children's book by Judi and Ron Barrett, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is a lively, exhuberant computer animated fantasy that revolves around Flint Lockwood, an eccentric inventor who discovers how to make food fall from the sky. Naturally, after making this scientific breakthrough, Lockwood becomes the talk of the town and eventually, through the aid of local reporter Sam Sparks, he becomes an international celebrity. In the end though, all Flint really wants is for his working class father to be proud of him.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs really took me by surprise. Beyond the solid computer animation, this film is also vibrant, funny, charming, and full of high energy vocal work from Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Ana Faris, Mr. T, Neil Patrick Harris, Bruce Campbell, Will Forte, James Caan, and Bobb'e J. Thompson.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs greatly benefits from moments of truly bizarre humor--watch for a strange sequence involving gigantic chickens--but for the most part, this colorful homage to disaster movies is extremely accessible and perfectly acceptable for all age groups. And what an innovative use of food. Be it the ice cream snow shower, the spaghetti tornado, or the steak storm, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is endlessly creative. But it also offers up a nifty little message about our sometimes dangerous craving for excess, particularly in the U.S.

Audiences will have the option to see this wonderfully engaging film in 3-D or 2-D and while its a blast in the third dimension, its a terrific entertainment no matter how you see it. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs isn't quite at the same level as Up or Coraline, but its vastly superior to Monsters Vs. Aliens and the last Ice Age picture.

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