a big mega-hit blockbuster... and other things

Rating: 8/10 (18 September 2009)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs took me by surprise. I went in on a near-whim - or, in other words, very positive critical buzz and the word of some specific critics I trust. As it turns out, it's got nowhere near the mastery of storytelling of Pixar's Up, nor the kind of cult-movie ambition of the sleeper 9 by Shane Acker. No, but it is by far the funniest animated movie to come out this year, maybe just as funny as Kung-fu Panda from last year. The directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, treat the source material as a pure jumping off point (a 10 page short story for kids done in a captivating and unusual style for a children's book), and it just get completely crazy from about five minutes (or just minute-one) on. And while it is probably more for kids, if you're an adult- or just a dude in his 20's with fond memories of Rocko's Modern Life and Animaniacs, it will do more than just make you smile. You'll be laughing, a lot.
It just takes absurdism to heights that can't be topped, at least this week. The main idea is that Flint Lockwood is an inventor, usually of stuff that works but not on a grand enough scale (like spray-on shoes and a voice-defibrillator or something that is able to make his monkey Steve express his thoughts like "HUNGRY HUNGRY!"), and he one day invents a device that can use radiation and water to make up any food programmed in the system. It needs energy though, so after a (botched?) attempt at a power station, Flint's machine get launched up in the air to the clouds, and from there weather and purely unnatural events cause perfectly edible Cheeseburgers to rain down everywhere. From there, Flint's semi-career takes off, as well as the courting of a weather-girl, Sam Sparks, who secretly was one (gasp) a nerd.
Oh there's so much craziness here that one can't describe it. That is, unless, you are already on a high of candy or soda and can relate to a scene like when a frustrated policeman (Mr. T - yes, Mr. T) wants Flint to do something special for his son's birthday, and the next day it's an entire neighborhood of ice cream - which then goes into a snow-fight of ice cream, and snow angels of ice cream, and Flint's first ever participation in a snow-fight where he practically slaughters the kids with his hard-hitting ice-cream-ball accuracy. Or that monkey, Steve, or those rat-birds Flint invented years ago that roam the beaches and town like Hitchcock-Bird parodies, or the Mayor (voiced wonderfully by Bruce Campbell, didn't recognize him at all), or just little things like Flint's dad's bushy eyebrows and mustache ("Look in my eyes when you say that," he says at one point). Did I mention the romantic jello mold or the bad puns like when chicken drumsticks rain to with Sam replies, "Poultry in motion!"
There's much more to get into, not least of which the big big BIG climax of the movie, which starts to roll into Godzilla territory with how insane it gets. And, more often than not, the jokes are more sophisticated than one might expect, and flew over more than a few of the kid's heads (not to say some jokes are more squared right at kids specifically, which is fine). One of these, "Let's Diem that Carpe," work almost a few seconds after the joke is told, but a lot of them are just purely visual gags. And even more than Up, which had its share of laughs, 'Meatballs' cashes in on the whole visual cache of raining food, and all of the varieties, and the truly original idea of having a monkey on a flying car fighting evil gummi bears. Oh yes, it's one of those movies, and if you're just after ridiculously hungry imagery, this is the place to go. It's a vibrant and imaginative cartoon, loaded with gags, a little bit of heart, and some predictability. If I had a kid I'd make him/her see it with me twice - even if they were fine with just the once.