Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Year: 2009
Rating: PG
Length: 90 minutes / 1.50 hours
One of the most memorable books of my childhood was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. I was skeptical a short book with no plot could become a feature-length movie. But, just like trying new foods, I gave Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) a chance. The result was something hilarious that both kids and adults could enjoy on different levels. Somehow, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller transformed this beloved book into a fun movie with lots of valid points about life.
For their first film, Lord and Miller knocked it out of the park with their style of humor. It was goofy. It was smart. There’s no doubt that this movie helped catapult them into other projects like The LEGO Movie (2014). Sure, there were the occasional bathroom humor bits, but there were so few of them as to not ruin the vibe. The voice acting fit perfectly with the characters, and the animation style was loose and frenetic enough to match the feel of enormous food falling from the sky.
What’s perhaps overlooked here are the great lessons this movie can teach kids. Flint (Bill Hader) has the confidence to follow his dream of being a scientist/inventor—despite several setbacks. Sam (Anna Faris) overcame her embarrassment of being smart and broke out of her shell placed on her by society. Even Tim (James Caan) could finally connect with his son and tell him how proud he was of him. Similar to eating their vegetables, these are all things kids should learn early so they can develop into emotionally mature teens. Overall, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a full plate of family fun.
A hilarious adaptation with lots of healthy lessons, I give Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 4.0 stars out of 5.
