Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Based on the 1978 children’s book of the same name, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs never reaches its source material’s potential. With bland characters and an undercooked plot, the semi-impressive list of voice actors had nowhere to take the unseasoned comedy. Flint, a nutty menace to society and failed inventor, never wins you over. Same goes for the constant back-and-forth between Flint destroying the town of Chewandswallow and, alternatively, him being its hero. All the other main characters share the annoying trait of pointing out their every move before they actually do it, setting the stage for even-harder-to-swallow, painfully predictable action. And the love story mixed into the plot is cheesy at best. Luckily, there’s a half-brained, pet monkey and acrobatic cop to save the movie from being completely half-baked. (Nora Heston)