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Reviews Counted:122
Fresh:105
Rotten:17
Average Rating:7.3/10
Consensus: Quirky humor, plucky characters and solid slapstick make this family comedy a frenetically tasty time at the movies.
Rated: U [See Full Rating]
Genre: Childrens
Theatrical Release:18-09-2009
Synopsis: 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 (voice of Bill Hader) and brainy weathergirl Sam... [More]
Starring: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Bruce Campbell
Director: Chris Miller, Phil Lord
The animated movie greatly expands on the kids' book on which it's based in a clever and engaging first half. But the second half leaves a foul aftertaste. Slapdash action scenes play against dreary warnings to fear wealth and beauty.
While the mutated food on display isn't always appetizing, the animation is a veritable feast for the eyes.
This is a fresh and clever film, with both wit and heart, a family delight, more fun than a hailstorm of jellybeans followed by pizza flurries.
Hungry for some good old family-friendly entertainment? Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs should fit the bill of fare.
It has a certain amount of imagination and humor, but it seems as if none of this grew organically; every time the movie allows a home-grown, funny little moment, that information is then gathered up and used later on as a plot device.
If the filmmakers opt to make only light statements about junk food, obesity and solid waste, they at least leave the audience sated on a single serving of inspired lunacy.
Top CriticRollicking, hilarious and whiplash smart, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is a sweet, sugar-hyper blast that captures the heart, if not the gentle style of the beloved children's book.
Parental Content Review
I loved, loved, loved this movie! Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is easily the best non-Pixar animated film to come out in our post-Pixar world.
A film that has nothing more on its mind than making viewers laugh for 90 minutes before sending them back out into the streets sporting goofy grins on their faces
Bright (although that brightness is quite diminished if you see it in 3-D), cheery, and at times flat-out hilarious.
Terrific use of 3D, beautiful size perspective, a stunning rendering of the ocean and witty character design make it an eyeful, while the script delights with puns, sight gags and pop culture nudge-winks.
This computer-animated 3D extravaganza is the ultimate food fight, capitalizing on the universal compulsion to play with your food. But like any good food fight, it offers short-lived entertainment.
While the increasingly surreal weather activity could be jarring for some small children, the movie is solid family entertainment all the way -- even while incorporating Public Enemy's still-incendiary anthem "Fight the Power" in its soundtrack.
If you ever thought a marshmallow might make a fine crispy torch, or you've wondered what it would be like to luxuriate in a Jell-O palace, or you've imagined a "snow day" with ice-cream snowballs, you'll find kindred spirits here.
Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have written an engaging and comically absurd story with subtle messages, more sophisticated than what usually is offered in animated fare.
It is often not the case that genuine originality shines through in studio filmmaking, but that feat has been more than achieved here.
Lord and Miller know how to play with their food -- they have a hunger for the whimsical detail
Second-string animated movie makes it to the finish line.
Top CriticEye-popping and mouth-watering in one, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs spins a 30-page children's book into a 90-minute all-you-can-laugh buffet.
Top Critic
November 24, 2009:
Total Recall: Children's Book Adaptations
As anyone who bore witness to The Cat in the Hat can testify, children's book adaptations can be, putting it mildly, quite hit or miss. But sometimes, with the right mix of... More...
September 27, 2009:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Audiences Still Hungry For Meatballs
Turning into the sleeper hit of the fall, Sony's blockbuster 3D toon Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs easily ruled the North American box office posting the second smallest... More...
September 20, 2009:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: It's Sunny Skies for Cloudy
Moviegoers chose 3D fun over Hollywood stars as the animated comedy Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs powered ahead of expectations to debut at number one grossing more than the... More...
September 17, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Jennifer's Body Is Hot, But The Movie Isn't
This week at the movies, we've got a possessed student body (Jennifer's Body, starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried); an oddball snitch (The Informant!, starring Matt Damon and... More...
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