Time to Chew the Fat

Rating: 6/10 (22 November 2012)

Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs is a awesome classic children's book, but it's doesn't chew right as a good movie. It's rainy cheese and it's somewhat smells bad. Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) is a inventor whose contraptions end up not working as plan. His newest item accidentally unleashed on the world, turns out to be his biggest success. Flint Lockwood is able to turn the weather, into a food raining frenzy. The people quickly loves it, making friends out of enemies with overprotection cop Earl (Mr. T) and town mascot local hero 'Baby' Brett (Andy Sanberg) and slowly grew to like Flint for it. No one was as huge as a fan as the Mayor (Bruce Campbell) whoms seeks to make Flint's town of Shallows Falls into a tourism destination with help with weather girl Sam (Anna Faris). As the Swallow Falls residents become greedier with their daily meal requests, Flint's invention becomes more and more overheated -- until it leads to a culinary disaster that could destroy the world. In which in the end kind of does. In the end, Flint Lockwood does bring chaos and damage across the world, not counting the countless numbers of death cause by this doomsday machine that creates the hurricane of pasta and avalanche of leftovers. This age-appropriate 3-D food adventure doesn't fully satisfy at all. Parents need to know that this adaptation of the classic children's book is bound to attract the10-and-under set as show by it's lack of depth in the character development department. There's no emotional attachment to the main characters, the way you feel about others. The characters seems cookie cut, over the top cartoons and is a tad unengaged for adult and young adults audiences, who are by now used to more sophisticated animated films. For a character supposedly smart, most of the movie treats its viewers with stereotype common popcorn arch story lines, audiences see in other rush movies with boy meet girl, boy create chaos and fix it . Not every, main female character should end up liking the main male character. The movie seems quickly producted without looking for key things to stand out. The relationship between Sam and Flint was a bit disturbing in a stalker type of way. Yes, they are socially-awkward, smarter-than-you-might-think type of characters, but this film formula would be suite for films of PG or PG13 standards than young childs who doesn't know about relationship. Talking about relationship, although no grand life lessons are offered, the movie does center on a son's need for fatherly encouragement and the idea that you shouldn't compromise who you are just to be popular. They never really explain why Flint's father (James Caan) couldn't understood Flint, when its clearly in the opening shot that he approved of his work, and commonly helps Flint with his work. It's doesn't help that Flint doesn't want to get to know more about his father by trying to understand his life. We don't know what made Brett chances his opinion on Flint so much toward the end, when in the first quarter he clearly acts like a jerk as well. The movie, by comparison, seems like a cautionary tale about dependence on genetically modified "techno-food" -- a science experiment gone amok. There's nothing overtly age-inappropriate in the movie, expect a bit of salty language, some potty humor and and the occasional mild insult. The few tense/slightly scary scenes are weather- and giant food-related -- which could upset little kids who are sensitive to fears about natural disasters. The animation is mediocre at best. The food doesn't stick to people's clothing in some scenes, yet others it does. The leftovers don't grow old or look like it's smells. The body types don't match well with the animation. It's not that great, but the film seems like a step backward in serious sophisticated cartoons, even though it's an obvious transition into the profitable 3-D genre. The movie's plot is very different than the book's, so anyone expecting a straight adaptation will be disappointed. Give it a watch. If you can like the taste, you can eat it up, if not-- just spill it out.