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Living in the UK, I had never heard of the children's book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and to be honest, I thought it sounded a little too peculiar and odd for my tastes going by the title and trailers. However, being a big fan of animated movies, I decided to take the risk and judge the movie for myself; and I'm so glad I did.

Not only does Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs have a quirky, thoughtful and imaginative storyline, it also exudes humour through its likable characters, discerning messages and vivid visual style. Telling the tale of a young man's quest to become an inventor, the film shies away from numerous Disney clichés creating a unique and original world full of colour and inspired characters. Unlike most Dreamworks animations, the characters are fully developed and rounded without the need for countless A-list celebrity voice-overs. The screenplay is similarly outstanding in terms of humour with countless laugh-out-loud moments that will appeal to both adults and children alike.

The animation and visual style of the film isn't up to the stunning beauty of the latest Pixar movies such as Ratatouille or WALL-E but it certainly exudes a similar level of ingeniousness, creativity and originality as seen in such movies. Albeit, amongst the wild plot and genuinely hilarious dialogue lies a subtle moral tale of parental recognition, portion sizes and personal confidence.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs took me by surprise, I went into the cinema expecting an average computer generated movie incomparable with today's best of the genre and came out astonished by the sheer creativity oozing from every aspect of the film.

8/10.

Anyone involved with the elementary school world as at least heard of the Barret classic "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs." As a teacher, I was thrilled to learn it was to be made a movie. As usual, however, that leads to the problem of whether it would stick too much to the book to be entertaining for the screen or a Hollywood catastrophe that steals only the title?

I know it's irritating to read from those book loyalists, but it's only a fair comparison. I felt this movie found a perfect balance of big-screen awesomeness and the charm of the book.

For book enthusiasts, they pretty much had everything right. This film does indeed follow the plot of the book. Entire illustrations are recreated for the movie with stunning nods to Ron Barret's artwork. Then again, one must keep in mind that the book was an extremely general plot. The movie goes into detail, very much into detail, of what was going on in the town.

We have the classic nerd, Flint Lockwood, a lovable and goofy character who embodies the wannabe coolness and social awkwardness and desperation of every social outcast. He's almost painful to watch, but I think it's what makes him so likable--you feel sorry for him. Anywho, in a desperate attempt to prove his worth to his father, he invents a machine that turns water into food. And hence the coming of the trademark weather of Swallow Falls (later renamed to Barrets' Chewandswallow).

Honestly, I was surprised at the plot they got going out of this--while still maintaining the basics of the book. It had an ADHD spirit with wonderfully over-the-top characters. This will probably annoy many a soul, but I thought it a winning combination for those who can put up with it all. Really, you need the heart and mind of a child for this, but if you can summon those up, you will be impressed.

I saw it in the normal format, but I'm sure it was an intense hoot in 3D. That might have been a bit much for me, but I'm sure the kids loved food flying at them. Regardless, the animation was stunning, combining a tribute to Ron Barret's amazing illustrations in background with pleasantly cartoony characters.

This was much better than expected. It was creative, extremely fun, and paid reference to everything from "Independence Day" to "The Twilight Zone". You may need the heart and mind of a child for this, but if you can summon those up, you will be impressed.

From the title through every character right to the end this film is a roller-coaster ride of absolutely ridiculous fun that will have kids and adults alike doubled over with laughter. I personally nearly choked from laughing so hard at one particular point.

What makes this movie so great is the characters...you can't go wrong with Bill Hader ever and Anna Faris I wouldn't be a fan of at all but she is cast completely out of character here and you would never guess it is her. The real entertainment lies in the support cast though. James Caan is outstanding as the father and Mr. T as the loving father and over enthusiastic local cop will have you in tears. Benjamin Bratt and Neil Patrick Harris didn't have much work to do with their characters but even with so few lines they are stars, particularly Steve the 'talking' monkey. There was one bit character that I found highly entertaining who had the best line in the whole thing when referring to hamburgers as tasting "significantly better than sardines".

I would consider myself a bit of a movie buff and my leaning is very much toward the art-house. On a recent Saturday afternoon, I choose to take a risk and cross the sticky floor, trying to avoid stepping on one of the many screaming kids running around, my heart beating fast and hard with nervousness and anxiety that maybe this was a mistake. When the time came I casually donned my 3D glasses and 90minutes later with a pain in my side I wanted to go again... It's been an long time since that has happened!

In the small island of Swallow Falls, the outcast boy Flint Lockwood is a clumsy inventor encouraged by his mother. When the island is not capable of exporting the production of sardine, the fish becomes the basis of the alimentation of the locals that have to consume it all the times. Years later, Flint's mother dies and his skeptical father Tim Lockwood, who is an old fisherman that has a store that sells sardine, gives a partnership in his store and invites Flint to work with him. But Flint has just invented a food processor that converts water into food and decides to test the piece of equipment. However, he accidentally launches it to the space and begins to rain hamburgers and other food in the island. A television sends the trainee of the weather department Sam Sparks to cover the phenomenon and Flint becomes famous. However, the greedy and glutton Mayor Shelbourne overworks the machine and the food becomes a menace to the human race.

"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" is an animation silly for adults but also funny and entertaining. The satire with the world of destructive fast food loses the opportunity to give a message to children about the wrong type of food and prefers a naive and foolish story with a beautiful visual. But children will certainly love this movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Tá Chovendo Hamburguer" ("It Is Raining Hamburguer")

An exuberant and quite entertaining little feature- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs can feel a little too safe at times- but does anage to be quite an enjoyable ride. First off, the animation is very well developed, very original, and very easy to look at. From its popping colors and cartoon like expressions, it's a refreshing take on the often mimicked-like animation style so many people want to copy from brands like Pixar- and truly feels like its own thing. As for the plot and story of the film- it can be interesting- but it never really feels like it takes any leaps. Yes, it has some bold ideas, but even those ideas tend to play it safe from time to time. Its sense of humor also feels the same way, pure wackiness- which is very enjoyable to watch- but never made me laugh out loud like many other animated films i've come to love. Its soundtrack is very bright and cheery, and its score is surprisingly epic- and I would be lying if I said some of the themes used in this film wouldn't be stuck in my head until the next day. The voice cast is impressive and everyone does a really good job- my personal favorites being James Caan as Tim Lockwood and Bruce Campbell as the Mayor. It does seem to follow quite a few animated cliches, which i've honestly come to expect with these films, but nothing that ever truly weighs it down. In the end, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a fun and solid animated flick. It never wows or amazes like Toy Story or makes me crack up like Shrek, but it manages to be a decent watch and be pretty sweet in the end- and that is completely fine with me.

My Rating: 6.8/10.

It may be because I had insanely high expectations for this movie, but I thought it was GREAT. I admit, I had been excited for it since I saw the first trailer a few months ago. I went and saw it the day it came out in IMAX 3D, which was cooler in itself, with my sister. I'm fifteen and she's twenty: we were both cracking up the whole time. There were no 'filler' jokes, as many kid's films do today. No jokes with 'potty humor'. All jokes were in good taste and all genuinely funny. The whole script was insanely well written. Timing, pacing, everything was great. The animation was fantastic and really fit the film. The character designs were all original and cute. You could tell how much effort was put into this movie. And the cast! I watched the (adorable!) credits and was surprised! I'd thought I'd recognized that fool pitying officer. (: The whole cast did a terrific job. No complaints there.

This is a fun, lighthearted film. I walked out of the theater feeling the best I'd felt in a long time. Great family film, great film to see with your friends, great film to see by yourself, great film all together. Highly recommended.

I am a huge fan of animated movies. From 'Wall-E' to 'How to train your dragon' from 'Toy Story' to 'Finding Nemo' to (yes) 'Frozen'. I just love them. 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs' is definitely not an animated movie I love or even like. One cliché after another. The absolutely unintelligent, stupid 'villains' there to hate without a real purpose (I'm not even sure how that is possible) just like the 'heroes' (who are not likable and couldn't produce an intelligent thought at all). In the middle of the movie I gave up and pressed 'forward' because at least I wanted to find out how the movie ended. The ending was just as useless as the rest of the movie. I did not enjoy the movie.

In a small island, a protagnist invented a machine made it rain of food. At first, everyone seemed to be happy. But it went out of control and happened a large disaster!

It was just happy kids movie, but was a bit terrible and crazy for me because I'm definitely an adult. In the first half, I smiled at pretty setting like rain of donuts and ice creams! But I didn't feel good like overstuffing myself! The reason was that I know how oily they are! Pancakes, hotdogs, meatballs, cheeses, donuts and spaghetti. I feel like even only these scripts make my blood thick. So those images were tougher for me! If I would exchange them to Japanese food, they might be chased by large rice balls, enjoy the pools made by soy soups, a castle of rice dumplings in a sweet sauce. Maybe the rain made by fermented soybeans and hijiki seaweed falls. It seems to be salty!

I thought kids would enjoy watching it definitely because of overreaction. Particularly the long sequence a protagnist went toward his laboratory in the last was amazing!

I'm not a huge fan of animated features, or children's movies. My tastes usually gravitate towards (good) horror films, foreign films, and more artsy independent features. I saw Up, thought it was a really great animated feature, but would I see it again? Maybe if i was babysitting. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, however, blew me away! It had such vivid, sometimes surreal, almost PSYCHEDELIC qualities, that I found myself awestruck at what the creators of this film had come up with! There was so much color, and such an imaginative design quality to the film that I couldn't help being thrilled. I'd probably give this 8/10 for those qualities alone, but in my opinion, the best part of all were the characters! The comedy was seriously non-stop, and so over the top ridiculous at times I was completely laughing out loud. Mr. T as the security guard. Very entertaining and fun character. The talking monkey. The Guatemalan weather assistant/doctor/pilot/whatever else... HILARIOUS. baby brett? Oh man. The list goes on. I'm 28 years old, and while I often enjoy kind of sick, off the wall humor, I really found this to be a VERY funny movie. It's personally very refreshing to know that humor doesn't have to be R rated to be hilarious. It sounds ridiculous, but this is probably going up there on my favorite movies list, right next to the films of polanski, kubrick, argento, hennenlotter, and the coen brothers.

This family friendly film is about an inventor who creates a machine to distribute food instead of water around the world. When the machine gets out of control, the world could be destroyed by an abundance of food. I did enjoy the film's super animation with its realistic people and settings. The colorfulness in the environment is well received. Anna Faris plays a likable weather forecaster. Bill Hader plays the voice of the inventor. The story is unrealistic but the film does manage to pull it off. I found the film weakest in the storyline and character development. I rarely recognized the voices of notable actors and actresses in their characters. Their characters were developed and their voices weren't necessary needed by A-list actors and actresses. The only two voices that mattered were Hader and Faris who did a stunning job in their roles. Their characters weren't developed enough though and the film's storyline is overshadowed by its poor development. For a family film, it is enjoyable all around. The effects are just stunning and the visuals are brilliant with colors.

Sony Pictures Animation have had mixed success in comparison to the more established studios like Pixar, Dreamworks and Blue Sky with their films coming out at the wrong time with Open Season opening after the glut of talking animal films and Surf's Up which opened after Happy Feet but with Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, SPA has finally found a hit film, the animation is stunning especially the water and the food weather and unlike say, Shrek the look is cartoony but works in its favour, the voice actors are equally as good with Bill Hader as Flint, Mr T as Earl and Anna Faris as Sam but it's Steve the Monkey who steals the film. The story itself works very well expanding on the original book and while the second half lags a bit, overall I left the cinema both with a smile and hungry.

If The Smurfs and Hotel Transylvania are half as good as Cloudy then Sony Pictures Animation will continue to thrive.

(Warning: This Review May Contain Spoilers) (It may also contain comments about the movie ) 5 out of 10 because while this movie is watchable, I will avoid watching it again.Most of the movie felt forced, like an amateur stand up comedian who's act is slowly dieing on stage. The movie was basically just a flashy tribute to the book on which it is based and the only things that draw's the viewers attention is the ability to see classic children's story come to life, and to see what it would be like for the weather to be made of food. Many of the jokes were repetitive to the point of annoyance, including the "saying what I'm doing" montages. The first one got a chuckle from me, but I thought "well, that was okay, but I hope they don't try to do it again". Unfortunately, they did. Most of the characters were unlovable, except for possibly the dad, who's inability to use technology or to express his emotions will inevitable get some sympathy from the audience. The main character and his 'love interest' were both shallow and annoying and showed no depth nor development of character. The only thing genuinely funny was hearing the monkey's thought-comments occasionally throughout the movie. The effect was somewhat reminiscent of GIR from Invader Zim, in the cute brainless robot monkey sort of way. Overall, it seems the only point of the plot was as excuse to visualize different forms of food-weather such as an Ice-cream Christmas and Spaghetti Tornado. Of course you might say this is the only point of the original book as well. I must admit, I am being a bit harsh as I was looking forward to this movie and was quite unimpressed. But this seems to be the trend with movies these days. Movies are a business and good writing doesn't sell tickets as well as flashy CGI.

Fun visuals and an original concept makes it a fun watch for kids, comedy is a hit or miss. Some is great, some feels forced. A few characters got on my nerves because I didn't feel like they needed to be kept around for as long as they were. But it's fun.

All right, so let's take the weirdest and craziest characters that we can think of, the most improbable story that could happen to them, let's throw in dozens of funny puns, and there you have it : Cloudy with a chance of meatballs, one of the funniest animated movie I've ever seen.

This is one of those movies that really makes an hour look like twenty minutes, it's very well written and voiced, but also, the animation is great, really fluid and colorful.

I have to say I went to this film thinking it was going to be terrible, I couldn't stand the idea of "ok, let's make stupid stuff happen and kids will be pleased", but this is nothing like that, here everything is either funny, or tries and succeed at being emotional.

Now, the only downside to this movie, I'd say, is the fact that after the first 40 minutes, it probably won't surprise you plotwise, and all you do is enjoying the fun (which is excellent in itself).

The movie leaves you with an excellent feeling and surely, good memories.

There are two major film studios specializing in animation in Hollywood: Pixar / Disney and Dreamworks. Whenever any other competitor decides to take a risk in this genre, the results are controversial. This time, Sony's animation division is betting on one of those big-budget cartoons that seem too funny and weird to have gotten space in the big studios, always dealing with formulas and safe return on investment. Based on the eponymous children's book by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett, published in 1978, the studio presents us Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) is a young scientist who dreams of creating something that will make him recognized by the population of Boca Grande, a small island in the Atlantic. One day he manages to find a way to turn water into food, only he needs a lot of electricity to get it up and running. When he tries to use the energy of the local generator, he loses control of the invention and it heads for the sky. To make matters worse, the confusion he creates destroys an amusement park, Mayor Shelbourne (Bruce Campbell) 's greatest asset in improving the local economy. Flint believes he lost the machine, but suddenly hamburgers start raining all over the city. With the support of Sam Sparks (Anna Farris), a journalism intern who was sent to the island to be the new "weather girl", Flint soon became a local celebrity.

Turning the sky into a great fast food seems to be a typical American dream and what to do with leftovers is a nightmare for the rest of the world. At first, 3D animation seems like a response to the excellent documentary Super-Size Me (USA, 2004) by director Morgan Spurlock, who criticizes fast foods with their unbearably caloric food. While the documentary warns of care with food, the drawing seems to suggest the opposite, with food as a goal in search of happiness. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs makes it unclear whether it is an ode or a criticism of gluttony. Not even if, when it becomes alive, this food is a transformative alert or a mere effect of animation in search of easy laughter. On the small island, only one character with overeating problems is punished, but not for that very reason.

It is amazing how children's stories in general and feature-length cartoons in particular have explored the basic theme of Ugly Duckling. If we take some random examples - A Bug's Life, Ratatouille, Dumbo, Antz, Chicken Little, Monsters SA and now Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, you can see how all of them - and many more that don't occur to me at the moment - start from the same premise: the protagonist who seems totally devoid of talent is ridiculed and segregated in the social environment where he lives because he is "different", marginalizes himself so that later a greater force reveals that he does have a special gift, a particularity that will transform him a hero both within his social life and outside him. The formula is again used in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Which is not a demerit, since the film has enough qualities to please adults and children.

However, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs starts as a "nerd movie", going through the Back to the Light future, copies a little bit of Almighty here, a lot of catastrophe films there, threatens to criticize the human posture in a certain part, as if turn WALL · E, until arriving in Armageddon and staying there for almost the entire third act (with hints of Indiana Jones and other adventures of the genre). In this way, it becomes a film without an identity, with nothing to say even though it tries to say everything, shooting all over the place. When you have the possibility to discuss the effects of excess, whatever it may be, you should not waste time playing with a bizarre construction of gelatin (nor with the light romance between Flint and the nerd / meteorologist Sam, who besides being evil developed, it's perfectly disposable) or stacking sequences for identical purposes, changing only the food from the previous scene.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs sins precisely because it is not able to stand out in the face of its origin. In other words, the plot of the mad scientist who manages to rain food even has its beautiful and fun moments, but it is too much aimed at children. And that simple conclusion already falls short of other true recent classics, such as Wall-E and Up (from Pixar / Disney) and Kung Fu Panda and the Shrek trilogy (from Dreamworks). These are brilliant works, masterfully combining a liveliness and a dynamism that irrevocably captures the attention of the little ones, at the same time that it attracts the more adult eye with well-elaborated dialogues, convincing characters and absurdly original plots. Basically, everything is missing here.

But this also does not mean that Sony Animation's first 3D feature film (which had previously ventured with the mediums Open Season and Surf's Up, both interesting, but which ended up failing in one aspect or another) is one complete waste. In fact, quite the opposite. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs starts in a very lyrical, curious way, but little by little it shows that what seemed to be innovative was, in fact, just another way of reaching the same goal: transmitting simple messages that reach the viewer without major problems. . And if on this path you get a smile or two, in addition to some signs of admiration, even better.

Lord and Miller clog the screen all the time, with crowds and tons of food on the scene. The jokes also pile up. Recurring, they make you laugh at repetition. Notice how the monkey Steve gets funnier with each appearance, or how the bird-rats conquer the audience a few pictures at a time. Everything is very well tied, with relevance to the story without making it seem forced or predictable. There is a concern of the directors to create satisfactory action scenes, so that the audience that sees the film projected in 3D from this jump on the chairs. At times this is even possible, but nothing that justifies the sloppy narrative and overlapping of ideas. The success of the film at the American box office can be justified by the casting of the original voice actors, formed by Bill Hader, Anna Faris and Andy Samberg, all important names in the current generation of American comedy.

The trait, the quality of the animation itself, is surprising, and can even be compared to what is best in the genre. Read Pixar. The 3-D film does not make the Disney line cute, nor does it seek the style of a Pixar or the bold sets of Dreamworks Animation. The economic traits, both of characters and objects and scenarios, seem more like something out of an episode of The Muppets. It is in volume that production stands out.

But the merits of the lineup prove that the focus of production was completely distorted from its real possibilities. Even the political and social content that could be embedded in the original idea (if it rains food from heaven, world hunger would end) is practically ignored, having an effect contrary to the galaxy of themes that could have been explored. For this, the film complains of being what it is, gets lost in any of its directions and returns to the commonplace, which in his case is nowhere. The acceptance that Flint so much desired is given to him as a gift, but not necessarily due to the awareness of the attempt, but much more due to the error and failure of others. If this is a message that is worthwhile, Sony should really give Pixar films an assist.

Pointed basically as a beautiful example of family entertainment, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs captivates by the unusual of the proposal, while disappointing by the lack of originality in its development and conclusion. Really seeing food rain is kind of fun, who hasn't been enchanted by Robin Williams' noodle pool in Patch Adams? Well, in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs this goes much further and the fun is guaranteed. I am very creative and well done. But that's it, stop there. There comes a point in the movie that we can't take food anymore!! The script stops at that and doesn't go any further, doesn't take advantage of any situation, doesn't bring us any messages (okay, okay... whoever you are, regardless of what others say! Or rather, "follow your dream even when everyone doesn't believe you !!"). Ok, I will stop here ....

From the beginning to the middle, incredible, fun and creative. From half to the end, boring, falls into sameness, does not innovate anything, does not bring surprises, the characters are linear and do not bring us anything useful. Then they go, try to save the world ... enough! Even so, you should make the joy of minors who are after just a carefree diversion. As for the others, who seek a quality laugh and an intelligent mood, the best thing is to cool their spirits and wait.

Just to set the record straight, I'm not a fan of most non-Disney Animation, non-Pixar animated films being released these days, and even my faith in the former was just recently renewed with last year's Bolt (which has topped Pulp Fiction as my personal favorite movie of all time). Sure, every once in a while, a brilliant piece such as Coraline will come along, but honestly, I find that to be one of the relatively few exceptions from this decade. So, with that said, I initially wasn't looking forward to seeing Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. What further detracted from my excitement were the trailers, which led me to believe that the film was going to be strictly targeted towards children. Having just seen the film, though, I am happy to say that all of my fears were put to rest.

Visually, this is perhaps one of the most spectacular animated movies I've ever seen, with literally every frame being a feast for the eyes. There were moments, especially throughout the movie's undeniably thrilling climax, in which my jaw just dropped in amazement. Not to throw in so much hyperbole, but this truly is one of the best animated films in terms of pure eye candy. While there's so much else in this movie to enjoy, the visuals alone make it worth the price of admission.

The vocal performances in Cloudy are some of the most impressive ones I've heard in quite some time. Both Bill Hader and Anna Faris as Flint and Sam, respectively, capture the essence of these two socially-awkward, smarter-than-you-might-think type of characters perfectly. Overall, I felt these two characters had some real chemistry, and as a result, I thoroughly enjoyed watching their relationship evolve throughout the course of the film. Mr. T is also terrific as the city cop, Earl, delivering some of the most gut-bustingly hilarious lines in the entire film. With that said, this is quite possibly the funniest animated movie that I've ever seen. To put it simply, there were a couple of moments in which I literally thought that I was going to be ill.

I walked out of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs with very much the same feeling as I did with '08's aforementioned Bolt: astonished by how mediocre I initially expected the film to be, and how enjoyable it actually ended up being. The only thing keeping this film from getting a 10/10 in my book is – even with the few scenes that managed to tug at my heartstrings - the lack of an emotional punch powerful enough to get me choked up. However, given the film's quirky nature, I view that as a mild complaint at best. Go see it, folks.

I only watched the sequel when it came out back in 2013 on a field trip to the theater, so this was my first time watching the first movie.

And I gotta say, this was good, but not a masterpiece.

For one, the premise is VERY outlandish and weird (albeit original), and the humor wasn't that funny, but other than that, this was really enjoyable and wasn't annoying or painful to get through, and it wasn't boring.

Overall, this was a solid movie, but it definitely feels like a one and done movie for people (especially adults who are parents or have seen it), and when this comes out, you had more rewatchable movies like Coraline, Up, The Princess and The Frog, etc.

7/10.

Inspired by Ron and Judi Barrett's beloved children's book of the same name, CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS follows inventor Flint Lockwood and brainy weathergirl Sam Sparks as they attempt to discover why the rain in their small town has stopped while food is falling in its place. Meanwhile, lifelong bully Brent relishes in tormenting Flint just as he did when they were kids, and Mayor Shelbourne schemes to use Flint's latest invention--a device designed to improve everyone's lives--for his own personal gain.

OK, I admit it. The trailer for this film looked average, compared to other animated flicks, especially the films from Pixar. I thought the film would be too kiddy for me and that the storyline was beyond lame. I mean, food falling from the sky doesn't draw people in, does it? Oh, how wrong I was. I think we just found the third contender for the best animated movie section in the Academy Awards, people! Not only is this much better than non-Pixar animated films that has been released in SOME time (I think the last was HAPPY FEET?), but it's also one of the most visceral, inventive, entertaining, ingenious, silly movies that I've seen this year! Oh, wait. This is the only one.

I felt like a kid again when I put my 3D glasses on. Things popped out in a flashy fashion and the movie told in a quick pace with zippy dialogue! I wanted to grab the delicious-looking foods on the screen, from hotdogs to ice cream! It's like being a kid in a candy store! There's so much craziness here that I can't even dare to describe! When was it the first time that you saw a talking monkey that ripped a heart out from a live gummy bear?! When was it the first time that you saw a live turkey eating a human being?! Everything in this film is so ridiculous and preposterous that you have no choice but to go along with the ride

This is also a very, very funny film with a laugh per minute with some really clever jokes scattered throughout the film. But don't worry. There's a story in here too. It's been quite a while since I've seen a good father-and-son film (the last was FINDING NEMO?), but this film succeeded in that department as well. The message is by no means blatant and preachy at all. The cast is also a splendid delight, Mr. T standing out as one of the top characters because you can never really escape his noticeable voice. Bill Hader and Anna Faris did a wonderful job in their roles as well.

Oh, and did I mention the film was a visual feast (no pun intended)? You will see things in here that you have NEVER seen and probably will never see again in any other film. This should automatically get you a ticket to the theaters because when are you ever going to see a talking monkey grabbing a heart out of a live gummy bear?! WHEN?! The 3D technology is near flawless. It's probably the best looking 3D I've ever seen, the image looking very sharp from background to foreground. I also found the score by Mark Mothersbaugh to be amazing and exceptionally memorable.

If there's one bad thing I have to say about the movie, it isn't as good as Pixar's storytelling. However, CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS should be a movie you should watch in theaters because it's unlike any movie you have ever seen. There's a lot of ingenuity and inventiveness and cleverness that is warped around the movie. The film is entertaining for both the kids and the adults to enjoy, so there's no need to worry. But wow, was this film a spectacle. If you have the chance to see this in 3D, see it but I'm sure the 2D version works just as well. If you're iffy about the trailer, I guess that's a good thing because the movie surpasses the trailer by ten times. Prepare to get served...literally.

There seems to be a trend in children's movies to borrow the intense action scenes from "grown up" action flicks and animate them. This film keeps up a frenetic pace. This is good for today's under 14 viewers who have been exposed in equal doses to blockbusters like Spiderman, Transformers, X-Men, and even the Die Hard movies as they are to "cartoons". The field has grown so that it's not only Pixar as the only game in town.

My daughter wanted to see it because she remembered it as one of her favorite books that my mother read to her. But also, as she said, "How can you make a feature length movie out a slim little book?" I'm glad, actually, that I hadn't read the book first. I'm glad I didn't really see the trailers first. I'm glad because then I would have had preconceived notions. I did think, however, that it was going to be a silly movie that appealed to my daughter but was slight torture for me. I was pleasantly surprised that it was entertaining enough for me. What kept it from being rated higher for me were some, "Ew, gross" moments and some things I was surprised made it into a children's movie. It wasn't quite non-stop hilarious like "Over the Hedge", but I think they did make a true effort to appeal both to the kids and to the adults that would be bringing them.

One thing the Barretts can be thanking this movie for is that, hopefully, their classic book will be flying off the shelves now. I know I went to the bookstore right after the movie to seek out and read the book the movie was based on. What is pleasant is that, surprisingly, a lot of the elements were retained in the movie, even the clever in-jokes that the book had, like the stores' names. Of course, A LOT of elements were added to flesh out the story but there were some elements I wish they would have added in like the followup story in the second book, in which they found a good use for all that food and the fantastical grandfather narrator.

These days, all that matters is that at least one of us enjoys the movie. I hate when we sit through a turkey that neither of us enjoys.

Although - as many people do - I generally prefer Pixar films to the animated fare created by other companies, I can't deny that a film like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is very hard not to love. Although it isn't particularly complex, thought-provoking, beautiful or masterful, it's a very entertaining, funny, cute-as-hell and effective animated film. Children with definitely love it, and adults... well, that actually depends on the adult in question. Although I certainly enjoy all kinds of movies, there's always - for me - some satisfaction to be had when watching something so obviously goofy and kiddy. Meatballs is kiddy, and that's precisely what I loved about it. It may not be this year's best animated movie - that honour goes to Pixar's Up - but it certainly is better than the likes of Monsters vs. Aliens.

The film tells the story of Flint Lockwood (voice of Bill Hader), a young inventor who dreams of, someday, creating something that will be loved by everyone and make him more popular and, most importantly, improve the lives of everyone in town. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to do so, and his technofobic father (voice of James Caan) doesn't really help at all. One day, though, he manages to invent something that will change the lives of everyone in town forever: a machine that makes food fall from the sky. Everybody seems to be happy with him now - including mayor Shelbourne (Bruce Campbell) and the by-the-book police offer, Earl (Mr. T) - but, predictably enough, something goes wrong: excess amounts of food start to overload the island where the town is located, and now Flint, along with TV reporter Sam Sparks (Anna Faris) has to try to solve their problem.

Yes, the plot is pretty predictable, and it certainly won't make anyone above the age of 5 be shocked with surprise or anything of the sort, but it certainly is very imaginative, and it should work in a very "oh, it's sort of nice" kind of way. I liked the way Flint was portrayed - Hader's wacky and not-so-recognizable voice is perfect for the character - and the fact that, although most characters are either archetypes or stereotypes - consider, for the example, Bruce Campbell's greedy and - eventually - obese mayor - they are all voice so professionally and characterized in such an naive and cute kind of way, that one just doesn't care. I rooted for Flint the whole way, and I actually thought that the romantic sub-plot between him and Sam was cute and funny.

Visually, I don't think the movie is on par to the likes of Wall-E or Up, but I think that comparing it to those productions would be a bit unfair. Wall-E had a sort-of realistic kind of look, and Up, while a little more cartoonish, had a very realistic flair to it. On the other hand, there's something very old-fashioned in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs' look and the way it is animated. Characters behave and move the way old TV cartoons behaved forty or more years ago, and I like that. They jump a lot, are very "agile" and are just... cartoonish. Clearly, the animators didn't want the movie to give a palpable sense of realism; in a way, they were trying to craft an old-fashioned cartoon with the latest technological tools, and they have done it very successfully.

What else can I say about the movie? It certainly is very naive, and it doesn't explore any deep themes or moral problems, but that's just OK. While this year's mediocre Monsters vs. Aliens was terribly simplistic, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is just simple, and there's nothing wrong with that. Of course, there's nothing wrong with movies like Wall-E having very significant messages and complex love stories and such, but if a parent wants to go with their toddler to see a movie that isn't very complicated but that isn't stupid or boring either, then Meatballs is an excellent choice. After all, even if there isn't much beneath the surface, I can't imagine a single adult maintaining a straight face throughout the film's runningtime. The movie is hilarious, - just remember Flint's father's eyebrows! -, it's inventive, it's imaginative; it's also pretty gorgeous and it features some effective voice acting and interesting, wacky characters. It's not dumb and it doesn't pander to the least common denominator. Most interestingly, though, it made me hungry. That's not a quality many movies posses.

Based on the popular children's book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Sony Pictures takes a stab at the Pixar dominated world of CGI animation. Despite some flaws in the narrative, it's a solid hit for the company.

With the voice talents of Bill Hader, Anna Faris, and James Caan, this light-hearted comedy is well worth the watch. Perhaps it's too light. There's no deep powerful message to be learned that you haven't heard before. It's very aesthetically pleasing as some of the other animated films this year. The land of ice cream scene was especially appetizing. And there is a terrific love story at the core of the film. Flint (Hader) and Sam (Faris) are the cutest of cute in terms of geeks in love. Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were very clever in the execution in the beauty of their relationship despite being based on the book.

Is this the Oscar frontrunner for Animated Feature film? Absolutely not. With Up, Coraline, and Ponyo so far ahead of the game, the film is quite forgettable when placed amongst other contenders. Give it a taste however, it'll satisfy the craving.

***/****

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was (thankfully) one of those films that both parents and children can enjoy. It contains both slapstick humour and more subtle satirical jokes. The writing is superb as is the directing. The animation, on the other hand is unremarkable and the voice-work was mediocre, as well. This is, however, overshadowed by a fantastic plot and great jokes.

First of all, just because the people who do the voices are famous, does not mean they are necessarily good voice actors. With the exception of Mr. T, the acting ranges from mediocre to weak. This is really my only complaint and I think it's time we get back to actually hiring real voice-actors as opposed to random celebrities. Bill Hader did a rather poor job, I'm afraid.

The story, however, is excellent, brilliantly expanding on the original book. The dialogue is funny and often very witty as well. There are very well-done dramatic scenes and also some very humorous ones. The film starts out strong and keeps the viewer interested. Slowly, as the problem with the food escalates, the film becomes darker and more emotional. The main romantic story is handled very well for a children's film and has a great (albeit not very original) theme of individuality. The film also incorporates Flint's conflict with his father in a clash of technology and old-fashioned values.

The animation I am divided on. Unlike most films viewers, the visuals are of secondary importance to me. The directing was excellent and most of the animation was actually really good- that is, the setting, the background, the food etc. The only part of it that I disliked were the characters- I'm not sure why, but.... meh.

I definitely recommend this film for both children and adults as it contains plenty of entertainment for both. Its flaws are steamrolled by an excellent script and great humour.

7/10