Dir. Chris Miller and Phil Lord
"My chest hairs are tingling, something's wrong!"
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is the story of Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader), an inventor who just can't seem to land a successful invention. Inventions such as spray on shoes, hair-growing cream, and rat birds. But after a slight mishap, the town of Swallow Falls takes notice of Flint's newest invention. A machine that turns water in food, which after getting released into the atmosphere, makes it rain cheeseburgers, pizza, steaks, ice cream and several other wondrous foods. And yes, it rains meatballs, thus validating the title.
To say this film surprised me would be an understatement. I've heard nothing but good things, but the fact that it was based on a short story for children had me a tad worried. I was worried that the plot would be stretched thinly across the 90 minute running time, but I'm happy to say I was wrong.
Do not get me wrong, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is not a serious movie, nor is it one that's very introspective or demanding to be viewed on a deeper level. Simply put, it's a light, fast, and engaging film. Sure, there are some emphasized character arcs, as well as a plot that focuses on heavy subjects such as the loss of a loved one, having someone believing in you, as well as feeling like one doesn't belong, even in their own family. But instead of dwelling on these issues and tackling them in a melodramatic way, the film instead focuses on gorgeous visuals, creative set-pieces and rapid-fire joke delivery, most of which actually work pretty well. Which is thanks in large part to such a stellar voice cast that features Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Anna Farris, Neil Patrick Harris, James Caan, Mr. T and Bruce Campbell as the gluttonous Mayor with a "large" obsession.
Brief side note, I think Mr. T's police character in Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is a clear indication that Mr. T should be put in more films. He is hilarious and over-the-top in the best possible ways.
The thing to keep in mind is that this is not a Pixar film, and I say that with all due respect. Pixar simply makes a different breed of animated film, which seemingly favor character and story over jokes. Again, that's not a stab at either Pixar or Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. This film doesn't take itself seriously and the result is a film that is slightly uneven in it's storytelling, but whimsical, completely enjoyable, often hilarious, and always engaging. They are tonally different, and if you can't get that by now, than it will probably be lost on you during the film.
I highly recommend this film to families as well as anyone who just enjoys movies, because Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs just happens to be a really good one.
4 out of 5
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