'Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs' (2009)

As the long awaited sequel rapidly approaches I felt it was finally time to sit down and watch animated foodie film 'Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs', in all it's moreish and meaty goodness. And I absolutely loved it.
The story starts with adorable young Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) a wide eyed dreamer from the grey and grungy town of Swallow Falls (located under the A in Atlantic on the map) who has spent his life trying to invent a contraption to make life just that little bit better; whether it be spray on shoes, monkey translators or even a machine to change condensed water into food...with the latter causing all the problems. With his town falling into a sardine-filled depression, and his father trying to pigeon hole him into work at his tackle shop, Flint realises that both he and his village desperately need some excitement, need something to change and fast to keep them all moving, and so invents the 'FLDSMDFR'. But, as with every invention walking its way out of Flint's underground lab...there's always one major flaw in his underappreciated genius. So, when Flint tries set up his magical machine at the unveiling of the new hand-me-down sardine-based theme park, he is suddenly interrupted, and the machine flies out of control halfway through construction, destroying the park, shaming his father, and turning both the town, and pretty visiting weather girl Sam against him in a matter of minutes. However, what Flint doesn't anticipate is that when the machine shoots up into the ether...the consequences of Flint's actions begin to rain down on all of them...though perhaps not in the way that he expects.
Now, onto the analysis. This film was brilliant for three very different reasons, with the first being the absolutely perfect characterisation of all characters and cast members involved, from stunning and secretly geeky Sam Sparks (Anna Faris), interning at her local weather station in the hope of fulfilling her dreams of becoming a real reporter, to suspicious and shorts-wearing police officer Earl, voiced by none other than the incredible Mr T, with his aggressively endless commentary of love for his young son Cal. Flint himself is obviously wonderful, of course, if slightly predictable in his perpetual awkwardness and his 'underwhelming hero does good, but it goes bad, but then they fix it again' story line. Despite this, he is still a very watchable, and relatable main character.
                 However, the absolute star of this film, for me personally, would have to be the large and unobtrusive father of Flint, a bemused and long suffering man with a magnificent monobrow and the constant confusion of being a teenage parent, who can never quite say what he feels in regards to his son. With his wife having died ten years previously, comfort and encourage for his hyperactive and gangly son will usually appear in the form of fishing metaphors, which Flint has never quite caught the tail of (no pun intended), all of which make for a complex and heart-rendering between the two, something the film handles incredibly well, creating an ending which is very, very relatable for teenagers and their parents all around the world. Another favourite of mine would have to be Flint's best friend and pet monkey 'Steve' (Neil Patrick Harris), the guinea pig of the 'monkey translator headband' whose one word utterances are absolutely perfect in both the lighter and darker scenes of the film.
                The second prong of my analysis would have to be in the graphic effects of the film, in the towns slick and sheer transformation from dull and dented fishing town to tourist hot spot and foodie heaven. The visuals here are absolutely stunning, from the shining jello mansion, the cheese dip street pools, to the beautifully imagined food cloud framing the town, shimmering and glowing in a way that looks practically artistic. It makes for such an enjoyable and intriguing watch, with even the smallest of details making you gasp in awe.
And finally, my ultimate favourite element of the film; the food. As a person who has always found, with a childish sense of glee, food puns to be the absolute height of humour, the grub-related dialogue in many scenes had me howling, whilst the actual images of the food continued to make me absolutely starving as the film progressed. Tip: do not watch this film on an empty stomach. Or with an empty fridge for that matter. The entire plot of the food wars was brilliantly explained as well, leaving no gaping plot holes, and no dodgy summaries to answer the general questions of 'how' and 'why' in regards to a giant cloud of raining food.
In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed each and every aspect of this film, from the much appreciated low-key romance sub-plot to the lovable heroes journey through fame and back, and I literally cannot wait for the the next part! Bring it on!