Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Directed by: Phil Lord and Chris Miller

Starring: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Bruce Campbell, Mr. T, Benjamin Bratt, Neil Patrick Harris

Running Time: 1h 30min

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is one of those rare films that manages to deliver to audience expectations, no matter what age, while also offering something a little extra and unexpected. No, I'm not talking about the plot, which is the least developed aspect of the film. No twists or turns or surprises coming out of this meatball. What I am talking about is a plethora of unexpected sight gags, 80s references, and clever odes to the original source material.

Sony hasn't made that many animated movies, but the ones they have offered (Monster House, Surf's Up) have been original, clever material that tickles the parent as much as it entertains the child. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is every bit as delightful to look at as the original children's book it sparked from. Reading the book is all about gazing at the pictures in awe as streets are filled with spaghetti and a bulldozer modified to look like a dinner plate and utensils picks up mounds and mounds of delicious treats. It's one of those great books that you can read faster than you want to turn the page; the images are that scrumptious. Well, the movie, in glorious 3D no less, is spectacular to look at. The animators chose some excellent angles which are truly accentuated and enhanced in 3D. Thankfully, they didn't go overboard with food flying at your face, as the 3D serves the animation and artwork, and is not used in a gimmicky way.

The voice cast is very adept at comedy, really making some lines pop, while not being too distracting like some animation studio's use of stunt casting (yes, I'm talking about YOU, Dreamworks!). You will find yourself laughing at seemingly run of the mill lines, due to the excellent timing and line delivery of several SNL vets. However, the best element of the film for me was the sly yet very rewarding placement of iconic 80s images. Blink and you'll miss some of them, but there's no mistaking the timeless appeal of Mr. T.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs was a very welcome surprise and deserves a second viewing. This is one of the first films this year that I will probably purchase when it comes out on BluRay; for my daughter of course!

Grade: B+