Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Directors:

Phil Lord
Chris Miller

Writers:

Judi Barrett (book)
Ron Barrett (book)

Release Date:

18 September 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family

Tagline:

Prepare to get served

Plot:

The most delicious event since macaroni met cheese. Inspired by the beloved children's book, the film focuses on a town where food falls from the sky like rain. |

Plot Keywords:

Food | 3 Dimensional | Computer Animation

US Showtimes:

Culver Plaza Theatres

12:00pm | 2:00 | 4:00 | 6:00

(personalize)

Cast

Bill Hader	...	Flint Lockwood (voice)
Anna Faris	...	Sam Sparks (voice)
James Caan	...	Tim Lockwood (voice)
Andy Samberg	...	'Baby' Brent (voice)
Bruce Campbell	...	Mayor Shelbourne (voice)
Mr. T	...	Earl Devereaux (voice)
Bobb'e J. Thompson	...	Cal Deveraux (voice)
Benjamin Bratt	...	Manny (voice)
Neil Patrick Harris	...	Steve (voice)
Al Roker	...	Patrick Patrickson (voice)
Lauren Graham	...	Fran Lockwood (voice)
Will Forte	...	Joe Towne (voice)
Max Neuwirth	...	Young Flint (voice)
Peter Siragusa	...	Rufus (voice)
Angela Shelton	...	Regina Devereaux (voice)

Also Known As:

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: An IMAX 3D Experience (USA) (IMAX version)

MPAA:

Rated PG for brief mild language.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Japan:G | Argentina:Atp | USA:PG | USA:PG (certificate #45404) | Ireland:G | Singapore:G | UK:U | South Korea:All | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Brazil:Livre | Netherlands:AL | Australia:G | New Zealand:G | South Africa:PG

Company:

Sony Pictures Animation

Trivia:

Based on the best selling children's book of the same name.

Quotes:

Flint Lockwood: It's okay... it's just pain.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs "The Twilight Zone: Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (#5.3)" (1963)

Soundtrack:

Raining Sunshine

Possibly the funniest animated movie I've ever seen

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.