Fun, light, best seen in 3D

Rating: 6/10 (19 September 2009)

As a film, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs is merely 90 minutes of harmless escapism. The animation is simple and most of the jokes are aimed at the 12-and-under crowd. Still, in IMAX 3D it's a fun ride. While most of the jokes are for kids, there are a handful aimed at tickling adults and there are some really silly sight-gags (enhanced by the 3D) anyone will enjoy. While the animation never reaches far, there is one spectacular scene involving a spaghetti-tornado that stand outs, especially in 3D. The thing that surprised me the most about this was the voice acting. Sure you've got known stars such as James Caan, Neil Patrick Harris, Andy Samdberg, Lauren Graham, Will Forte and Bruce Campbell lending their voices, but only Caan and Campbell really have characters with any substantial amount of dialog (I couldn't even tell you who Graham and Forte played). Mr. T, however, has some fine lines and his celebrity is used effectively as a throwaway joke. As for Bill Hader and Anna Faris, I was pleasantly surprised at how well their voices lend to animation. Hader has a nerdy-goofy voice that makes his character sound anywhere between 16 and 30 years old and he can twist it around between completely silly to awkward and sincere in a way that feels natural (for a cartoon at least). Faris, who to me has a more recognizable voice, is able to transcend that crutch that most celebrity-voice-overs have: she is able to make the character own the voice. Her "Sam Sparks" character looks and sounds like her own character. I rarely, if ever, had that nagging image in the back of my head of Anna Faris acting this role because her voice lends it self so wonderfully to the film. Faris' comedy relies heavily on her physical performance, and she doesn't hesitate in contorting her face in all manner of outrageous and silly expressions, yet her voice is also a major element in her work. Here, we get that beautiful voice but a character that doesn't act the same way physically. Sam Sparks' physicality is toned-down here, but Faris delivers silly, bizarre and delightfully off-center lines that keep her character unique and enjoyable.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs isn't a must-see film by any means. If you do see it, see it in 3D, and enjoy Hader's and particularly Faris' voices.