‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’ is Colorful, Genuine, and Fun
-----Coming from the pages of a children’s book, ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’ seemed a perfect fit for the modern animation format. The only questions left were whether or not the children’s book could be expanded into a feature film, and whether or not that would make for a good, or even great, film. Thankfully, ‘Cloudy’ follows through in what is the year’s premiere animated film to date.
-----‘Cloudy’ follows the story of hack inventor, Flint Lockwood. A failure his whole life, Flint seems destined to end up working at his father’s bait-and-tackle shop. He lives on an island famous for its sardines, until one day the world realizes “sardines are super gross.” With the whole town now sick of sardines, Flint decides to invent a machine that can convert water into food. And when he accidently rockets it into the sky, the town is suddenly raining cheeseburgers. Everyone loves his food, and Flint finds himself a celebrity. Then things go bad.
-----The frequently hilarious Bill Hader (‘Adventureland’) plays the voice of protagonist Flint Lockwood. Hader’s voice is almost unrecognizable, but perfectly fits the character, providing impeccable comedic timing. Among others in the all star cast is Anna Faris, with a quality performance as Sam Sparks. Also present is the hysterical Andy Samberg as Baby Brent, with a disguised voice and some solid laughs. Mr. T gives what is perhaps the funniest vocal performance of the already excellent cast, as a loving father and the town’s law enforcement, Earl Deveraux. Rounding out the major players is Bruce Campbell, who is brilliant in the role of the gluttonous Mayor Shelbourne. The whole lot of them is obviously having such a good time that audiences can’t help but join in on the fun. All in all it’s some excellent casting, with a rarely seen blend of veteran actors with some of today’s younger comedic talents.
-----‘Cloudy’ has the gift of telling cheesy jokes, but selling them as such, making them absolutely hilarious. Many of the blatant puns and gags are handled perfectly, leading to tons of shameless humor that consistently coerces laughs form the audience. With bold jokes and plot explanations like the aforementioned “sardines are super gross,” and a superb self-aware enthusiasm, few will be able to resist the undeniable charm of ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.’ The sentimental morals are handled in a similar light, coming off as funny and genuine rather than cliché and preachy. It all combines to make ‘Cloudy’ a warm, thoughtful experience that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
-----The animation is fresh, providing a very bold and distinct environment for the characters. Whether it’s the glum grays of a deprived sardine town, or the pinks and purples of a food-flourishing rain, the art direction is unique and entertaining throughout. The characters are smooth and cartoony in an intentional and fun way, with some of the facial expressions and physical nuances providing the films greatest laughs. Unfortunately, the film’s one glaring issue is also birthed from behind the camera. In what is no doubt an attempt to stretch the children’s book into a feature length film, the climax runs for a tiring 30 minutes. It’s not necessarily boring during this long haul conclusion, just a bit repetitive and occasionally exasperating. With the 20-30 minute pinnacle taking up about a third of the short movie, one has to wonder if the first two thirds were made, realized to be too short, and so the ending took the fall, acting as an enormous third act.
-----Having already ventured into the theater for a second viewing, I can vouch for the film’s lasting humor. It had been about three weeks since my initial viewing, and the jokes held up just as well, and maybe even better than they did the first time. Many of the character nuances I referred to above are brought to the foreground during a repeat viewing, and Mr. T’s voice work only gets funnier. ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’ is an authentically unassuming, fun film. The premise is simple, but fleshed out with a consistent energy. The underlying themes here are played out beautifully, walking the line between sappy and genuine in ways that Pixar’s ‘Up’ could not. For the first time in a long time, being spoon-fed father-son relationship values is entertaining and heartfelt. Indeed, the morals are present, but the laughs are also consistently strong. It’s just a good time through and through, no doubt made even better by the 3-D transformation that my theater did not offer. Colorful visuals, an all-star voice cast, unique characters, genuine morals, and plenty of laughs make ‘Cloudy’ the year’s best animated feature yet!
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