Movie Review: 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs'

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If, as a child, you were a fan of the fanciful picture book “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” about a tiny island and giant food that falls from the sky, you might be a bit bewildered by the new animated film adaptation of the story.

For viewers loyal to childhood stories, this antic movie might feel like a betrayal of the book’s simple pleasures. But any moviegoers possessed of funny bones will laugh their fool heads off.

It’s true that any film that crams so many jokes into its brief running time risks making audiences feel as
overstuffed as if they’d just eaten a school-size pancake. That’s why it’s a lucky thing that so many of the jokes are great.

Writer-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller populate the island of Swallow Falls with wacky characters and let them loose in inventive ways.

Take scientist Flint Lockwood (voice of Bill Hader), who wears the indestructible spray-on shoes that made him a laughingstock as a child.

Stuck eating sardines every day, the residents of depressed Swallow Falls are saved by Flint’s latest invention, which makes it rain cheeseburgers.

And bacon.

And ice cream.

The machine puts  the town back on the map, with help from the enthusiastic reporting of weather intern Sam Sparks (Anna Faris), whose love of meteorology is hidden behind her perky airheadedness.
But when Flint’s device goes haywire and Swallow Falls is menaced by a perfect storm of enormous food, it’s up to the colorful characters to save the day.

Hottie Sam reverses the nerd-transforms-into-sexpot trope from every teen comedy when she puts on her glasses and fixes her long locks into a ponytail.

The film’s message to kids is blunt but welcome: It’s great to be smart. And with scenes as funny as those in any adult comedy released this year, it reminds parents that the lesson holds true for movies, too.

“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”

3 stars

Rated PG for brief, mild language

Running time: 1 hour, 21 minutes

Written and directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller

Starring the voices of Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Mr. T, Bruce Campbell