Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs: Gonna Need an Anti-acid Too

Rating: 9/10 (5 January 2010)

I remember when I was five-years-old, going down to my local library with all of the other little children on a class field-trip to get the average gander of what exactly happen in a library. To start off the trip, a stooped and arthritic little figure read us this magical book, where food and drink fell from the sky every day. The idea was glorious, and for all of the little kids around, we were mesmerized. Little did I know that this one story would help spur my way into writing (and being slightly overweight as a child), but it would also help create an interesting little movie some thirty years after it was published
The movie, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, takes the simple concept of food falling from the sky and pushes it to the next level with Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader). Flint is an amateur inventor whose projects just don't seem to work out right in their dying town. Yet when his invention that turns water into food is propelled into the upper atmosphere, Flint becomes the hero of the town and starts filling out orders for everyone's favorite treat. However, there is always a price to these simplistic and harmless looking miracles, and weather girl/love interest Sam Sparks (Anna Faris) has to help Flint before he inadvertently causes the end to his little town, and the rest of the world.
Visually, it isn't anything spectacular. It does have its moments of sparkle; a glass shattering here or water splashing there, but that's all that she wrote. Yet what this movie lacks in jaw-dropping finesse, it brings back in marvelous color. The town of Chewandswallow begins stark and grey, since it's an obvious dying and boring town. Yet once Flint turns on his machine, the hues of red, gold, blue, and everything in between shine through. It's truly a movie to play with if you have a Blu-Ray player and have been desperate to test it out with something with the kids.
And speaking of kids, this is a well-done kids movie that keep anyone entertained. Jokes come fast and come in a manner that leaves you laughing for a minute or two, only to catch your breath and the have another joke thrown in your face. Although half of it is slapstick for the younger audience, it is done tastefully enough that you can at least appreciate the majority of the jokes. They respectfully forgo any and all of the body humor jokes, keeping it upscale (or as much as you can in a movie where the characters gorge themselves), leaving you simply happy by the end of it.
The voice actors did a great job bringing their characters to life. Hader and Faris together create a cornucopia of awkwardness that propels the story and love interest. Hader himself did an amazing job with bringing his character to life, making you almost believe that someone as eccentric as Flint could live right behind you. Faris could have potentially toned down her peppy honestly, yet with the help of the supporting cast like Mr. T (who did an amazing job being himself, small wonder) it was hardly noticeable.
All in all, this is just a nice and respectable movie to watch with the family or with a big group of friends after a long day. I could see myself enjoying this over and over really, without having any problems against it. Unfortunately, the issues of getting hungry as you watch this movie, that doesn't go away in fact it just gets worse as it goes on. By the time the credits roll, you better be planning something for a midnight snack, or you will be kicking yourself for it later.