Based on the famous children's book of the same title, animation feature Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is perhaps not Pixar genius but is none the less an entertaining, creative gem that will provide both grown-ups and children with 90 minutes of non-stop fun.
Young 'loser' inventor Flint (voiced by Bill Hader) dreams of creating something that will improve everyone's lives and hopefully be loved in return.
When he finally finishes a groundbreaking machine that turns water into food and tests it, it misfires and takes off into the sky. To his surprise, the machine works. It starts to rain cheeseburgers and ice cream, turning the once dull and cheerless town to a colourful tourist hotspot where food falls from sky.
Unfortunately, the greedy villagers overload the machine with too many orders, and things start to go terribly wrong. Spaghetti tornadoes and giant hot-cake storms sweep the town and the world is facing a new kind of threat - being crushed by all the food. With the help of bug-eyed weather girl Sam (Anna Faris) and some friends, Flint decides to fly up to the machine and stop it.
This mouth-watering movie is fast-paced, cohesive and easy to follow. The underdog saves the world plot may seem predictable, but the hilarious gags and smooth action scenes compensate for any flaws.
The film is obviously targeted at children, with plenty of slapstick humour. But there are also some subtle and satirical jokes, as well as funny references to pop culture and previous blockbusters. The 3D effects are jaw-dropping in the food-from-sky scenes, and will definitely leave cinema-goers hungry for more culinary disaster movies.