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Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

tomatometer

86

Average Rating: 7.3/10
Reviews Counted: 136
Fresh: 117 | Rotten: 19

Quirky humor, plucky characters and solid slapstick make this family comedy a frenetically tasty time at the movies.

67

Average Rating: 6.4/10
Critic Reviews: 21
Fresh: 14 | Rotten: 7

Quirky humor, plucky characters and solid slapstick make this family comedy a frenetically tasty time at the movies.

audience

70

liked it
Average Rating: 3/5
User Ratings: 444,027

My Rating

Movie Info

Inspired by Ron and Judi Barrett's beloved children's book of the same name, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs follows inventor Flint Lockwood (voice of Bill Hader) and a brainy weathergirl (voice of Anna Faris) as they attempt to discover why the rain in their small town has stopped, and food is falling in its place. Meanwhile, lifelong bully Brent (voice of Andy Samberg) relishes in tormenting Flint like he did when they were kids, and Mayor Shelbourne (voice of Bruce Campbell) schemes to use

PG, 1 hr. 21 min.

Animation, Kids & Family, Comedy

,

Chris Miller, Phil Lord

Jan 5, 2010

$124.9M

Sony Pictures

Cast

All Critics (137) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (122) | Rotten (19) | DVD (13)

Determined to have their cake and eat it too, writer-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller first invite us to revel in ice cream mountains and nacho cheese fountains, then clobber us with ham-handed nutritional moralism.

September 21, 2009 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comment (1)
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

So what could be better than an endless supply of jellybeans and ice cream? Only a multiplex permanently stocked with smart, sweetly silly family films like this one.

September 18, 2009 Full Review Source: New York Daily News | Comment
New York Daily News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It takes an iron stomach to watch this stuff and not feel nauseated.

September 18, 2009 Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | Comments (16)
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

No comedy should come bogged down with so many Important Life Lessons.

September 18, 2009 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | Comments (3)
Globe and Mail
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Food has never been funnier than it is in the spirited, animated family film Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

September 18, 2009 Full Review Source: Detroit News | Comment (1)
Detroit News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

But it's fun, it has some good messages and what kid won't enjoy seeing pancakes flatten a roof and an ice-cream blizzard that you can eat while you play in it? Especially when it's presented in colorful 3-D splendor?

September 18, 2009 Comment
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The test for a decent family film is whether the kids want to watch it again, and both of mine were ready for a rerun the very next day.

February 26, 2012 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

Grownups will enjoy the witty dialog and zippy script, especially when it makes playful nods to big sci-fi popcorn romps like Twister, The Day After Tomorrow, Armageddon and Star Wars.

September 29, 2011 Full Review Source: American Profile | Comment
American Profile

The humour in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is often anarchic, wicked, random and very funny. This is a fun film with a lot of spirit.

July 6, 2010 Full Review Source: Cinema Autopsy | Comment
Cinema Autopsy

Visually imaginative and ethically rich, the apocalypse has never been as tasty as served in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

July 6, 2010 Full Review Source: Matt's Movie Reviews | Comment
Matt's Movie Reviews

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs might not be as charming or heartfelt as anything from Pixar film, but bar Up, it's the best animated film of the year so far.

April 15, 2010 Full Review Source: Fan The Fire | Comment
Fan The Fire

Spaghetti has never been more terrifying, Gummi bears more menacing, nor the pleasures and perils of exploring the frontiers of science more vivid

February 13, 2010 Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | Comment
Killer Movie Reviews

I'll avoid the meteorological puns, and just say that this animated movie is a real delight -- engaging, amusing and powered by smart writing that isn't needlessly showy.

February 7, 2010 Full Review Source: Shared Darkness | Comment
Shared Darkness

It occurs to me that the pace and tone of the comedy is actually pretty sophisticated -- perhaps too much so for its supposed intended audience.

January 18, 2010 Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | Comment
Window to the Movies

It's rare for a family film to deliver the goods with both story and visuals, but this insanely fun and fast-paced flick doesn't skimp on either.

December 3, 2009 Full Review Source: V Music | Comment (1)
V Music

The superb thing about Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs is that it never once shies away from its ludicrous premise.

November 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Unknown2 | Comment
Unknown2

Writer-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have expanded a 30-page children's book by Judi and Ron Barrett into a 3D animated feature which boasts intricate design and goofy humour.

November 26, 2009 Full Review Source: At the Movies (Australia) | Comment (1)
At the Movies (Australia)

Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs is visually inventive and exuberant, and has some neat running gags. But its characterisations are a little disappointing.

November 26, 2009 Full Review Source: The Age (Australia) | Comment
The Age (Australia)

This 3D cartoon based on the popular children's book is sweet and fun -- not to mention a little trippy.

November 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | Comment
Sydney Morning Herald

The story outlined here is engagingly ridiculous, and the visual opportunities suggested by the book and expanded by the screenplay look stunning when seen in 3-D.

November 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Herald Sun (Australia) | Comment
Herald Sun (Australia)

It all can be swallowed very easily, with the likeable characters, including the policeman Earl (Mr T), ensuring that the adventure serves up a tasty conclusion.

November 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Courier Mail (Australia) | Comment
Courier Mail (Australia)

If Pixar are the modern equivalent of the sweet artistry of Walt Disney's best, then Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is the slightly-skewy offspring of Chuck Jones and his Warner Bros. cartoons.

November 26, 2009 Full Review Source: sbs.com.au | Comment
sbs.com.au

Humorous, fun and sometimes downright odd family flick, that doesn't address some of its thematic implications.

November 24, 2009 Full Review Source: FILMINK (Australia) | Comment
FILMINK (Australia)

The concept might not be as high as alien invasion or mouthy mammoths, nor the art on the level of Pixar or Miyazaki or Selick, but in terms of sheer fun, this is the one to beat in '09.

November 22, 2009 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine Australasia | Comment
Empire Magazine Australasia
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Cute movie. As usual my daughter loved it and I just enjoyed the ride.

September 15, 2009
jmanard52

Super Reviewer

This nicely animated adventure about a scientist who's inventing a machine that causes precipitation in form of food may be a thrill ride for kids. As an adult, I have to say, the premise was a tad disgusting. Maybe I was over analyzing but the thought of steaks raining down into restaurants and streets was not only

August 31, 2009
ironclad1609

Super Reviewer

    1. Earl Devereaux: I'm as mad at Flint as you are. In fact, the minute he steps out of that car, I'm gonna slap him in the face! I know he made the food, but that food was made to order, and now it's time for all of us to pay the bill.
    – Submitted by argion e (5 days ago)
    1. Flint Lockwood: Come on, Steve. We've got diem to carpe!
    – Submitted by argion e (5 days ago)
    1. Mayor Shelbourne: Who needs the approval of one family member when you can have it from millions of acquaintances?
    – Submitted by Jacob D (10 months ago)
    1. Mayor Shelbourne: Now our towns hero and my metaphorical son, Flint Lockwood.
    – Submitted by Jacob D (10 months ago)
    1. "Baby" Brent: Yeah! [rips off clothes to reveal a baby diaper] I'm the best person in the whole town!
    – Submitted by Jacob D (10 months ago)

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Foreign Titles

  • Wolkig mit Aussicht auf Fleischbällchen (DE)
  • Tempête de boulettes géantes (FR)
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