Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs [DVD] [2010]

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs won my vote for the best film of 2009. While any review of Avatar (a late runner) has to be qualified with , 'I know it's cheesy/predictable, but...' this movie ticks every box. My three kids laughed and laughed throughout. I laughed and laughed throughout. There is so much STUFF going on - often in the corner of the screen - it's STUFFED with visual gags, subtleties, obscure references, great one-liners, that you miss half of them first time around. The pacing is great, the plotting is quirky, but, more than anything, the characterisation of the two, three, four or even five (I'm including the Salvadorean doctor) leads is really filled out. But not in as much detail as the backgrounds, which are rendered in the kind of detailed textures, tones and depth that prove how much lovingkindness went into the making of this movie. The whole thing's got intelligence and heart without being sappy; it's about greed, it's about sustainability, it's about consumerism, it's about obsessive science geeks wanting the approval of their parents. It's great. You can watch it again and again. I'm not making any culinary gags. Go get it.

Wow thought it was going to be trash, was I wrong. Where to start, the picture quality burns your eye's, the colours are outstanding, the sound great and the story is original which is a bit of a rarity these days with sequels and prequels.Yes the story does take a few strange turns near the end, like food that can think for itself but hey it's a kids film.I've watched it twice with my 7 year old and he loved it both times,he still laugh's at the same scenes.Keep an eye out for the rat birds and the remote controlled TV and the ice cream birthday,and so to finish it's colourful,it's funny,emotional and ya kids will love it,take a chance with CLOUDY but don't bother with your umbrella.

I liked it.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs deliciously makes for a three-course animated meal. Sitting. Thinking. Noting. Researching. Motivating. Reviewing! Lettuce take the thyme to digest the cheesy grate-ness that sub-lime-ly makes time fries at an up-beet pace. Tackling two relation-chip dynamics with clumsy scientist Flint Lockwood, an un-raisin-able son wanting to become an inventor and his less than grilled father who wants him to relish in assisting at the family tackle shop, with the other being two friendly loafers whom share the same loaf for celery-brating all things science. Leaving plenty of mushroom for Flint’s latest invention, a diatonic super mutating dynamic food replicator, going bananas and dipping the townsfolk of Swallow Falls in a weathering pickle. “You have seen a meteor shower, but you have never seen a shower meatier than this”, meteorologist Sam Sparks, and main love interest, reports as juicy hamburgers descend from the sky. Flint must savour the world before it’s caked with viscous syrup. Bon appetite! Orange you glad corny food puns were used to desc-rye-be the feature’s plot? It was hard wok! Anyway, Lord and Miller’s directorial debut, an adaptation of Barrett’s children’s book, is a colourfully inventive animation that balances its diet of fast-paced action, witty sight humour and heartfelt familial reconciliation. The screenplay on offer showcases the energetic buoyancy that cements Lord and Miller’s talent as capable screenwriters. Not all the jokes land with grace. For example the constant inclusion of “Baby” Brent, the town’s former mascot for sardines, was nothing more than dim-witted slapstick humour. Conversely, the characterisations and mannerisms of Lockwood, his sugar-addicted pet monkey Steve, Sparks, athletic officer Earl and the greedy mayor, all host a wide array of memorability to them. Whether it be participating in an ice cream snowball fight, literally obliterating all of the neighbours on a rampage, or Flint frustratingly trying to navigate his technophobic dad around a desktop to send a simple email with an attachment. The vast majority of scenes, whilst moderately zestful as children slowly develop diabetes as they constantly digest jelly beans and chocolate cake, impact towards the central character development of Flint and the fractured relationship with his father. As unsuccessful as Flint’s inventions are, he believes he owes it to his deceased mother to pursue his lifelong ambition, forever determined to become the best of the best. His fisherman father, concerned about change and the welfare of his son, never expresses his belief. Therefore, there’s a communicative breakdown that is only emphasised by Earl’s eternal love for his son Cal. Putting aside the gigantic steaks and mustard-covered hot dogs falling from the suspiciously ominous clouds above, this story is about familial appreciation. No matter the end result. Lord and Miller consistently revert to this central theme through several scenes of sincerity. The barrage of fishing puns to accentuate that malfunction in communication between them. Transforming a relatively inevitable conclusion into a transcendental explosion of love. Spaghetti tornados launching meatballs and a colossal avalanche of leftovers could not replace that poignant sentiment. Naturally, the food meteorology acts as an exercise in creative animation, granting the feature a personality of its own. Its style incredibly digestible, yet pleasantly tasty to glance at. Whilst the character models were somewhat simplistic in comparison, the animation remained vividly colourful and fluid throughout, with plenty of attentive detail for the backdrops. Food is constantly raining down, subconsciously forcing viewers to examine the entire frame to see what tasty item has descended onto the town. Voice acting was appetising, with Hader and Faris commanding the cast through precise dialogue execution. Faris especially, digesting a burger and exclaiming “I love it”, challenging such method actors including Bale and Day-Lewis. In all seriousness, she was succulent. Mr. T shouting “Flint Lockwood” never fails to conjure smiles, as does Bratt’s Guatemalan committed line “he is in...a food coma”. Samberg was the rotten egg of the bunch, shouting the vast majority of his dialogue with no expression or range. The anchoring father relationship powers the narrative, unfortunately Flint’s love interest with Sam, more often than not, overwhelms the former bond with forced development that diminishes the fragility with his father. The jelly castle distraction being an acute example of this. Removing the adoration between them would’ve centralised Lord and Miller’s direction with Flint’s father, creating a banquet rather than a main course. Still, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs digests its source material and spits out an inventive animation boasting with aesthetic originality and developed characters that will have you screaming for more ice cream. The chest hairs weren’t always tingling, but the sumptuous aftertaste was worth it, leaving you hungry for more.

When this first came out, I dismissed it as a kid's film with a stupid name. That mindset lasted for three years, then a friend yelled at me to watch it and wouldn't stop until I had. I think I owe them a kidney now, that's the only way I can hope to repay them. Everything about it is brilliant! I could make a case for every single character being a favourite, the visuals are amazing, the jokes are genuinely funny even to a 28 year old man and the cast is amazing. Bill Hader alone would normally be enough, but when you add Mr T and Bruce Campbell, it goes to another level entirely. Even Anna Faris was brilliant and I'm not keen on anything else she's done really. I can't stress enough how much I like this film, it's like injecting happiness directly into your face.

Was going to give this 4 stars but I thought id be fair and give it 3 stars only due to the story line. If I was just reviewing this on the 3D content only I would give it 5 stars, The 3D content and effects in this film are amazing it really showed off my 3D TV and showed me how good 3D content really is using a 3D Blu-ray player and 3D TV but I gave this film 3 stars because the story line is not that good specially the ending but kids will love it, Not really for adults unless your watching them with kids. Some animation films shouldnt just be aimed at kids with any old story lines, Adults also watch animation content. I loved Finding Nemo, Cars, and Over The Hedge they had great story lines but this film was a bit stupid in terms of a good story but the 3D quality was great. GOOD 3D FILM IN TERMS OF THE EFFECTS, QUALITY AND CONTENT STUPID STORY LINE UNLESS YOUR A KID

Ordered under the demand of my son, arrived in great time ( next day ) under Prime trial. Great not to have to wait long delivery times! Perfect way to spend some quality time indoors! Great movie. Funny Characters. Great for a young boy into invention and science.

This is a very enjoyable comedy animation film in 3D. A 3D TV is required together with a 3D blu-ray DVD player and a pair of 3D glasses for each person. We watched it as a family with grandchildren and all of us found it very funny with a good story line. I would recommend the film and if you don't have a 3D TV or 3D Player it is well worth buying the ordinary 2D version.

This movie is like someone tossed a sci-fi disaster film, a children’s book, and a spaghetti dinner into a blender—then hit “purée” and added 3D glasses. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs on Blu-ray 3D is a feast for the eyes and a workout for the laugh muscles. The food weather? Incredible. The meatball meteor showers? Majestic. The giant Jell-O trampoline scene? Honestly, it changed me. Watching this in 3D feels like you're about to get clobbered by a flying pancake—and you like it. The animation pops, the humor is sharp enough to slice a banana, and there are enough food puns to make your dad jealous. And let’s be real—Flint Lockwood is the chaotic food wizard we didn’t know we needed. Perfect for family movie night, date night, or just when you’re hungry and want to be emotionally overwhelmed by sentient cheeseburgers falling from the sky. 10/10 would recommend, but maybe don’t watch it on an empty stomach.

Très sympa comme petit film, on passe un bon moment, la 3D est très bonne (comme conseillé sur un site internet de test de films 3D "halluciner") et il passe très bien pour ma filleule de 6 ans et moi mais moins pour mon fils de 3 ans qui ne pouvait pas bien comprendre les termes "scientifiques" !! Il posait plein de questions :) Mais bon en VOST c'est quand même mieux !

Great fun, this movie is entertaining for all ages, with lots of cleverly devised gags aimed at older viewers. 'Why are you laughing so hard, gramma?' Also many enjoyable 3D scenes, with overall 3D quality among the best I've seen. Reminded me very much of Roald Dahl's stories, just less 'edgy' than Dahl. No dark undertones in this story.

Excellent aussi bien pour les enfants que pour les adultes.

Got this for my daughter for her birthday. I had not seen it before. Very fun movie! Quite silly, but interesting. It was a very entertaining experience to watch it with her. No problems with the product... everything seems to be fine, though we have only watched the bluray copy.