It brightened up my day.

Rating: 10/10 (26 September 2009)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a vague title. So much so that its almost off-putting. My first though after seeing the trailer was that this film is strictly for the youngsters; something you might leave them at while the parents go see something considerably more adult. Truthfully, this couldn't be any further from the truth. Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs is no only one of the most entertaining animated movies thus far but it's one of the best movies I've seen all year. Now i know what you're thinking. This guy has lost all credibility, there's no way this could be on par with Pixar's outing. You know what; if I were you I wouldn't believe me either. Honestly though. The film has masterfully written material and production values to die for. Each scene is crafted with care and a keen eye for the obscure.
Inspired by Ron and Judi Barrett's beloved children's book of the same name, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs follows inventor Flint Lockwood (voice of Bill Hader) and a brainy weathergirl Sam Sparks (voice of Anna Faris) as they attempt to discover why the rain in their small town has stopped, and food is falling in its place. Meanwhile, lifelong bully Brent (voice of Adam Samberg) relishes in tormenting Flint like he did when they were kids, and Mayor Shelbourne (voice of Bruce Campbell) schemes to use Flint's latest invention -- a device designed to improve everyone's lives -- for his own personal gain. Mr. T. voices by-the-books cop Earl Devereaux, and James Caan voices Flint's technophobe father Tim.
Cloudy managed to get its fundamentals out of the way rather quickly. While most animated features these day will rely on the cliché, Cloudy braches out in to the vague and at times downright obscure. Don't get me wrong there is a lot for children to enjoy here. The artistry is astounding and the sight gags are constantly amusing but the real hilarity comes from the jokes aimed at adults. Its perplexing but magnificent when 9/10 of every joke told hits dead on. This is an outright guarantee, you'll be laughing throughout 50% of the film. The other 50% you'll be spent in outright awe of the visuals which are unmatched by today's standards. Much like the graphic kids books its based off "Cloudy" certainly has its own art style, whether or not you like it is all down to taste.
"Cloudy" looks phenomenal. Every inch of the film is innovative, and jaw dropping. Though not for everybody. The animation style is extremely over the top and eccentric. If your sensitive to flashing colour, or you though "Speed Racer" was an ugly film your likely to have a similar problem here. No matter your taster there no denying the outright beauty of the final act which sees several unbelievable set pieces made cleverly out of food. It's this innovation that makes me so positive towards this, one of the best films of the year.
Verdict: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is one of the funniest films of the year - a hugely enjoyable, superbly written and brilliantly animated comedy that'll send you out of the cinema grinning from ear to ear. Unmissable entertainment. Modestly, Meatballs opens with the dedication: "A film by . . . a lot of people." Well done, a lot of people. You've made a lot of other people very happy. And hungry. 5/5.