Today’s quick review: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader), an aspiring inventor, hits it big when he invents a machine that makes food rain from the sky. Sam Sparks (Anna Faris), a rookie weathergirl, jumps on the story and turns Flint’s invention into a popular sensation. But when the Mayor (Bruce Campbell) convinces Flint to crank his machine into overdrive, it threatens to bury the town beneath a storm of giant food.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is an animated family disaster comedy about a food machine run amok. Once an outcast for his failed inventions, Flint finds himself a celebrity when one of his machines actually works. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is an adventure that’s packed with over-the-top comedy and colorful characters. The movie scores points for its humor and creative plot, but it can be hard to connect with at an emotional level.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs goes places that no other movie can. The plot is a flight of fancy that kicks logic to the curb and lets imagination run free. Flint’s world is filled with off-the-wall gadgets, super-strong cops (Mr. T), aging child mascots (Andy Samberg), and gullible townsfolk, fueling a unique mixture of food jokes, cartoonish slapstick, and mock-epic situations.
The drawback of all this creativity is that the movie can be a little too much to handle. Even ignoring its outlandish premise, the movie goes out of its way to be ridiculous. Countless jokes clamor for the viewer’s attention, and while many of them hit the mark, the ones that miss miss in a big way. It doesn’t help that the most grounded subplots—Flint’s relationships with Sam and with his father (James Caan)—are also played for laughs.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is an entertaining romp that takes full advantage of an original premise. Its absurd writing and manic style of humor will put off some viewers, but anyone willing to roll with the punches will find that it has a lot to offer in the way of comedy. Anyone looking for a more grounded, emotionally resonant family comedy should approach with caution.
For an animated spy action comedy about an unconventional inventor, try Spies in Disguise. For another hyperactive family comedy from the same directors, try The Lego Movie. For another animated family comedy with plenty of mad science, try Megamind, Meet the Robinsons, or Mr. Peabody & Sherman. For a somewhat weaker family disaster comedy with a father-son relationship, try Chicken Little.
[6.9 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844471/). I give it a 7.0 for quirky fun that may be too far out for some viewers.