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I went to see this movie at the cheap theater simply because I loved the book as a child. I was well aware going into it that it wasn't going to be very close to the book (which is a short book anyway), so I was somewhat prepared for the insanity that was this movie.

The story is about a guy named Flint (voiced by Bill Hader) who wanted to invent something extraordinary ever since he was a child. Most of his inventions go wrong, one example of which is the fact that he doesn't have to wear shoes because he sprayed indestructible spray-on shoes on himself and has never been able to remove them. Flint's most recent invention is a machine that will turn water into food, but it is a catastrophe that ends up destroying the town's new amusement park and his machine is flung out into the atmosphere. The next day, just as Flint has resolved himself to the idea of working in his father's tackle shop instead of inventing, food starts to rain from the sky. It's a wonderful phenomenon that makes the town, which is a failing old canning town (possibly inspired by Monterey?), a tourist destination. But of course, the threat of mutated food soon follows.

This movie has good messages for kids about following one's dreams, learning to be true to oneself, and the dangers of greed/gluttony. It has some quick references that will appeal to adults, although I noticed that most of the adults in my audience didn't even catch them. Some of those little jokes made the humor more enjoyable for me, since I pretty much wince at things like fart and butt jokes when they're on a giant screen in front of me. I didn't care for things like Earl's tingling chest hairs. That stuff isn't funny to me, but I can get that it may be for kids, but I still think that kids' movies can be a lot classier and still make them laugh.

But there are some strange directions that I never expected the movie to take that left me thinking, "What the..?" There was an out-of-nowhere emphasis on immigration when a heavily-accented cameraman answers yes to the question, "Is anyone here a doctor?" and explains that he was a doctor in his home country but his credentials weren't worth anything when he came to this country. Later on he turns out to be a pilot as well. I could see it being funny for its randomness, but the comments about his credentials seemed very out of place.

And then at the end, there's a giant food and weather phenomenon that grossed me out. Was I the only one who thought that giant organism (for lack of a better word) surrounding Flint's machine looked like it was.. uh.. relieving itself each time it released more food into the sky. Seriously, it disturbed me.

I think all of the gross humor was balanced well by some creative ideas, though. I appreciated the thought that went into creative uses of food, how the town stored leftovers, and how they planned to make money off of it. In the end, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs turns out to be an odd movie with a good heart. It's not even near the same plane as a Pixar film, but it entertains the kids for an afternoon.