In this 3D animated chuckler, based on the children's book by Judy and Ron Barrett, giant pancakes, pasta and hamburgers start to fall from the sky as an ambitious scientist (voiced by Bill Hader) tries to solve world hunger. However, things go terribly wrong when excess amounts of food overload cities and towns.
As well as being a contender for best title of the year, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is also surely one of the most entertaining kids' movies of 2009. Right from Columbia Pictures' statue being bowled by a giant banana, writer-directors Lord and Miller keep the action coming at a frenetic pace. Chunky style character animation (available in 3D in certain cinemas) blends neatly with some fantastical, near photorealistic backdrops, while the rendering of the food comes with a warning that this shouldn't be viewed on an empty stomach.
Laced with plenty of wit (“you might have seen a meteor shower, but you've never seen a shower meatier than this”) and visual gags, the script makes good use of comedic character actors like Faris, Hader and Samberg (as well as giving Mr T a terrific cameo as an overzealous cop).
And, although the source material is more than 30-years old, Lord and Miller have done a great job of updating the story so it can be seen as a metaphor for the dangers of super-sizing, climate change or genetic modification. As with Happy Feet and Finding Nemo, however, this will provide the fishing industry with more evidence that Hollywood has an agenda against them.
By James Croot, Flicks.co.nz
There is clear definition between closer and further elements. I've seen a lot of 3-D recently, and in terms of technical quality, this is the best.
Bright, silly and a good shout to entertain the whole family.
The splashy animation is well-executed but again a bit monotonous for a full-length feature.
The movie's humor targets both kids and grown-ups with equal success, but, even with the presence of a mustache-fixated monkey, the main attraction here is the movie's vibrant 3-D animation and its perfect storm of foodie-friendly sight gags.
If the filmmakers opt to make only light statements about junk food, obesity and solid waste, they at least leave the audience sated on a single serving of inspired lunacy.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 26th Nov 2009.
Release date: November 26th 2009.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
