Kiddies will want to go back for seconds and thirds, parents will find this first sitting just enough.

Rating: 7/10 (25 November 2009)

Sony Pictures Animation is slowly building up its resume. First there was surprise hit Monster House followed by the mediocre Open Season, then the solid Surf's Up and the straight-to-DVD Open Season 2. A couple of decent outings but definitely not much to boast about. Meatballs goes a small way in changing that for this new animation production company, but not as much as it should have.
Raining food: what a wonderful premise. And it's made to order no less. Adapted from the novel of the same name, the first half of the movie opens up a terrific world that looks like ours but actually has limitless potential whilst the second half makes you wish the filmmakers exercised more control over the endless possibilities that were clearly available to them. There is a fairly consistent string of laughs across the 90 minutes however when it transitions from the little-movie-that-could to near superhero proportions at the hour mark it feels unnecessary, subsequently detracting from the end result.
Flint is a likable protagonist thanks to Bill Hader's skillful voicing. At times when he could have easily become sooky or self-loathing, Hader's charisma ensures you never forget who you are rooting for. There are a range of hit-and-miss supporting players: Flint's love-interest Sam Sparks (Faris) is delightful, Mr T's energetic copper and Samberg's adult-baby are both humorous whilst Flint's father is over-dramatic, Campbell's Mayor is tedious and the pet monkey that can talk, Steve (Harris), outstays his welcome in a hurry.
Thanks to the vibrancy of the animation and the high-concept story kiddies will surely want to go back for seconds and thirds, although parents will probably find this first sitting just enough.
3 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 - Classic)