Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs Review: Here Comes the Sundae

cloudy_with_a_chance_of_meatballsOn its own merits, “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” is easily the best 3-D film in theaters right now. However, that isn’t saying all that much, especially when you consider how rancid a film “The Final Destination” turned out to be. Nevertheless, with its carefree attitude, colorful cast of characters and imaginative world, this is one meatball that you’ll want the recipe for.

While it’s obviously intended for younger viewers, “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” has enough spice to sweeten up to any adult. Bill Hader is more than solid as inventor Flint Lockwood, who uses his wit and drive to butter up the audience. Seeing him fail over and over with all these wacky inventions before hitting it big is a fun endeavor that never leaves you feeling sour. By this performance, Hader may have shown Hollywood he’s much more than a funny supporting character actor and someone who can do voice work.

The same thing goes for the foxy Anna Faris, who’s spunky, syrupy and sweet as meteorologist Sam Sparks. Much like Lockwood, she too hasn’t had an easy go of things and watching their cute crush develop is something that both parents and children will enjoy.

James Caan, Mr. T and Bruce Campbell round out the supporting cast and together, making the world seem real enough for children and believe-able enough for adults. Children will love the world that has been created here [especially because it’s in 3-D], one that in spite of its adult themes, such as commercialism, political corruption and conformity, will be light enough for them to see through and comprehend. Because of this, it’s hard not to recommend the film to a parent with youngsters.

For adults, they may even be surprised at times at how much they like the film, as there are several small, twists that give it enough action and suspense to keep them interested. You almost can’t stop looking at the screen while Lockwood and his pals are out to save the world.

And that has nothing to do with the cool 3-D glasses you’ll be wearing while watching it.

Much like Pixar films, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have created a solid enough script that despite a few hiccups along the way [the lines of Benjamin Bratt’s character, Manny, are horrible and it usually ends up breaking the flow of the film as they usually lack logic and aren’t funny], manages to blend into a warm, funny and endearing concoction.

While it’s not nearly as solid as anything Pixar has put out over the years, “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” is still an animated film that is worth its calorie intake. Far from inducing any type of bloating or heartburn afterward, the film is a 3D treat and a feast for the eyes and totally different from anything else currently in theaters.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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