When I learned that my favorite childhood book, Judi Barrett’s “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” would be made into a film I was overcome by a very strange and unexpected defense instinct, as if a substandard adaptation of an illustrated, 32 page book I last read 20 years ago would somehow sour my romanticized memories destroying the preciousness of my youth, and in effect deconstruct the very fibers of my known existence. I had a similar, though more subdued reaction when it was announced last year that Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” would be adapted for the bigscreen. Spike Jonze’s involvement and the striking, Arcade Fire-scored debut trailer have helped me cope with that news. No such comforts were available for “Meatballs.” Quite the contrary.
Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller are first-timers at the helm, and the trailers featured glossy, exaggerated computer animation, uninteresting slapstick comedy, and a story that seemed to bear little or no resemblance to Barrett’s original work. In other words, I expected nothing less than a bastardization of a beloved book akin to Francis Lawrence’s slaughter-job on Richard Matheson’s seminal 1954 novel, “I Am Legend.” And on the surface, that’s exactly what I got.
Instead of taking their cues from Ron Barrett’s charming and timeless illustrations, the animators string together what look like early concept drawings from Disney-Pixar’s “Up.” And instead of telling the tale of a magical, faraway land that exists only in the mind of a jolly old man cooking breakfast for his grandkids, we get a broad, Shrek-style story that makes use of whatever’s hip in the current news cycle. What’s really strange though, is that despite its utter failure on paper, in practice, it works.
Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader) is a nerdy, wide-eyed but down-on-his-luck inventor that thinks it’s his destiny to invent “something awesome.” We quickly learn, however, that his obsession with developing a world-changing invention is merely a guise for his desperate struggle to win the approval of his father, Tim (voiced by James Caan). Not one to consider safety or health hazards, Flint finally creates his masterpiece — a device capable of transforming ordinary water into any food combination imaginable. The device malfunctions and rockets into the sky where it remains floating amidst rain clouds like a satellite. Supercharged by lightening and fueled by unending precipitation, the device rains down everything from fully prepared cheeseburgers to spaghetti and meatballs. Flint learns to control the machine and soon begins to take orders from the townsfolk. Of course, things go wrong and Flint realizes that popularity and career success is no match for a strong family bond and personal character.
Beyond the cliched narrative and clunky life lessons lie a kind of subtle depth complemented by surprisingly witty dialogue and some genuinely funny material. Anna Faris (“Observe and Report”) offers heartening, strong-willed contrast to the typical animated female lead as the voice of national weather reporter, Sam Sparks. A closeted intellectual, Sam plays ditsy to slide by without ruffling too many feathers. Her transformation is one rarely seen in this type of picture. She actually becomes more desirable to our hero by donning granny glasses, pulling her hair back, and matching wits with the genius inventor. With the mass media’s beauty imperative onslaught filling prepubescent American minds with unattainable standards, I can’t think of a better message for a youth-targeted film.
Rounding out the stellar cast are Mr. T, who voices the hilariously over-zealous police officer, Earl Devereaux, and Andy Samberg, who lends his comedic talents to the town bully and minor celebrity, “Baby” Brent. Their support, coupled with a deceivingly smart script, propel this delectable little movie beyond the expected banal adaptation into the realm of real cinema.
