Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 *** (2013, voices of Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Will Forte, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Benjamin Bratt, Neil Patrick Harris, Kristen Schaal, Terry Crews) – Movie Review

Flint Lockwood (voice of Bill Hader), his dad Tim (James Caan), spunky meteorologist Sam Sparks (Anna Faris) and Steve the Monkey (Neil Patrick Harris) are back in directors Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn’s modest but good-natured 2013 sequel to the 2009 surprise hit animation.

After the first film’s disastrous giant food storm that destroyed their island town of Swallow Falls, young scientist Flint Lockwood (voice of Bill Hader) now works at The Live Corp Company for his idol Chester V (Will Forte).

With the world’s best inventors in its employ, Live Corp has a mission to clean up the island and improve the world with new technologies.  But Flint is forced to leave the job after he finds the machine he invented – the Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator – is still churning out menacing food-animal mutants like living pickles, hungry tacodiles, flamangoes, shrimpanzees, marshmallow creatures and apple pie-thons. Flint and his friends must try to save the world.

The film is cute and nice enough, but invention is flagging this time and there is not enough story or imagination or laughs to fill a long-seeming 95 minutes. All the food puns do get a bit boring after a while and some of the jokes seem strained and fall flat.

Based on a book written and illustrated by Judi and Ron Barrett, the first film was brilliant, a breath of fresh air. But fresh air gets stale, and this is a rather lame successor. It is very amiable and harmless but, with the charm factor much lower this time, some adults are going to wonder what they are doing in the cinema.

Still, the characters are still appealing, with some new and likeable characters, the animation is strong and the quirky spirit of the original is honoured.

The film features the voices of Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Will Forte, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Benjamin Bratt, Neil Patrick Harris, Kristen Schaal, and Terry Crews.

© Derek Winnert 2013 Movie Review

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