Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

It was nice to see by 2009 that other animation studios were finally starting to pick up on the secrets of Pixar. In truth, they aren’t secrets but rather successful storytelling techniques that have existed for a long time. For example, there are many story archetypes that have been entertaining people for centuries such as “The Hero’s Journey” as explained by Joseph Campbell or the rebirth archetype. Another great story archetype is that of the underdog. We see it in films like “Rocky” and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”. I went to see “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” not knowing what to expect and came out well entertained. Almost everything about this movie is good: the cast/characters, the animation, the design and the story. What I love most about the movie is that everything supports the story.

For a long time now, Pixar has started with a good story and used all the resources at their disposal to support it in the creation of a cinematic masterpiece. It was nice to see a different studio also accomplish this sincerely. Sony Pictures Animation started off with a moderately well reviewed film (“Open Season”) and followed that up with an improvement (“Surf’s Up”). “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” was even better and I believe that is because of the story. It was a perfect mix of heart and humor. The banana flying in during the Columbia logo really took me by surprise. One thing that caught my eye next was the text: “A film by…a lot of people”. Upon multiple viewings, it tells me that this animation studio was able understand the importance of another Pixar “secret”: It is not the tools or a big star cast but rather all the people behind the scenes that make a movie great. Then we hear a great short opening narration. I love how the film establishes a kid with hopes and dreams. When you do that earnestly like on “Kung Fu Panda” or “Speed Racer”, the audience is hooked. I could really relate to Flint personally. Flint’s mother provides the heart that the movie needs in order to be special. Flint is instilled with a drive and so are we. One good thing is that the film establishes its type of comedy from the get go using montages. Another amazing thing story-wise that is done in “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” is yet another tactic that Pixar does very well. Plot points are set up silently and then pay off later in the film in a powerful way. Some examples are the failed inventions of Flint and fishing metaphors from Flint’s dad, Tim. There are other such story plot points that will be mentioned later. The humor in this film is very clever and sometimes, you don’t see it coming. Jokes and gags can come during dramatic moments but they release tension rather than ruin the mood. This is one of those movies that have too many great gags and jokes to mention. One of my favorite gags is the kitten Internet video and its use in the film. I love how Sam and Manny are distracted by it for three hours while Flint can build a communication device. Another great scene that is laugh-out-loud funny is when Flint asks Sam out. We see an exaggerated real-life scenario of a guy nervously asking a girl out and Flint’s character adds even more humor. I also love the scene involving Sam’s back-story. We learn that she was just like Flint except she gave up on her dreams early in life because of same kind of teasing that Flint dealt with. It appears that Sam had no one who believed in her dreams but now Flint can be that person.

Unlike some underdog stories, Flint achieves success beyond anything he could have imagined but what remains to be resolved is the emotional distance with his Dad. Flint’s goal is to save his town but another small desire that he has is to make his father proud of him. Tim is a loving and caring father but just doesn’t understand Flint like his wife did. Also, he has trouble expressing his love to his son. Despite Flint’s success, his relationship with his dad is no better than before as shown in the dramatic scene at “The Roofless”. The climax of the film becomes more epic than we were expecting. This is because of the scene where Flint has given up. The contrast makes for an exciting ending to the film. Flint and those with him end up facing a Death Star-type foe (the shot of the explosion of the giant meatball resembles a shot from "Return of the Jedi" by the way). Also, Earl the cop must save his family and fellow citizens. Another part of the climax that is very funny and lively is Tim trying to send the kill code to Flint’s phone. It is very relatable because we are or we know people who have trouble with computers. Just when we think that the day is saved, the kitten Internet video shows up again. While it gets a huge laugh, it appears that all hope is lost. Then comes the best part of the movie because Flint’s first “failure” comes to make all the difference in destroying the FLDSMDFR. As Flint comes up with this idea, we see a shot from the start of the film that now makes perfect sense at the end. The diminuendo of the film resolves everything in a very satisfying way and I love the song during the end credits. It is perfect. The filmmakers started with a great idea for a movie in the form of a children’s book and then they brought it to life in a fun and epic way.

There are other cinematic elements in this movie that support the story and make it wonderful. First of all “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” has great cast of characters. Bill Hader’s voice is so energetic and passionate. This was the first movie of his where I took notice of him and he has since then done a lot of impressive voice work. Anna Faris did very well, especially in the scene when Sam has the allergic reaction. That scene ends up being very dramatic and romantic despite Sam’s face and voice. How can Faris act that well with that funny voice? This movie was my introduction to her as well as to Andy Samberg. The voice of Earl sounded familiar and at the end of the movie when I found out that it was Mr. T., I was quite impressed. He did so well playing a tough guy with a heart of gold. You believe that Earl loves his family very much. I also love Earl’s backwards Mohawk. I also liked the performances of James Caan, Benjamin Bratt, Al Roker and Lauren Graham. There are other familiar names in the cast beside the ones I have mentioned. The originality of the character designs and animation is also noteworthy. The characters act and move very fast. When it comes to animated movies that are dangerous to watch while hungry, “Ratatouille” takes the gold medal while “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” and “Kung Fu Panda” take the silver and bronze medals respectively. The filmmakers did a great job of studying & replicating food in the computer such as the burgers and even though a number of years have passed since the film's release, the food still look quite amazing. The use of 3D was also impressive. It is another element that supported the story by creating an epic feel. I also like the use of color in the film. The town is quite grey in appearance at the start and once that burger storm approaches, color enters the movie in the form of light. The music for this movie is pretty inspiring also.

“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” was released in the right month of the wrong year. It had no competition in September 2009 and made lots of money but 2009 also saw the release of “Up”. Despite the fact that it was no match against that Pixar film, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” should have at least been nominated for the Oscar because it was better than “Coraline” in my opinion. This movie is fun to watch because of its story and characters. A lot of research and work went into this movie and it shows. Since the release of this film, Sony Pictures Animation has a few hits and misses but the "Hotel Transylvania" franchise is worth noting here. The directors of "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs", Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, went on to make "The Lego Movie" and there is an obvious resemblence between the two films in terms of pace and humor. When I heard wind of a sequel for "Meatballs", I was hungry to see it but it ended up being only okay.

4 Stars