The Paw Print

movie review
by Aida

If you’re going to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs to see your favorite picture book come to life on the screen, you are probably going to be sorely disappointed. Both the book and the movie take place in the town of Chewandswallow, where it rains food. The similarities end there.

The movie has a hard-core police officer in short shorts (voiced by Mr. T), a mayor who wants to manipulate everyone for his own selfish needs (Bruce Campbell), a Guatemalan camera guy with a mysterious past (Benjamin Bratt) and a monkey named Steve (Neil Patrick Harris). The movie starts on a little island in the Atlantic called Swallow Falls, where Flint Lockwood, an aspiring inventor, is trying to invent the biggest invention of all (Bill Hader). After a number of failed inventions, he decides to give up, but is encouraged to keep going by his mother.

By the time he is a grown man, his dad (James Caan) wants him to give up as an inventor and work at the family sardine tackle shop. But Flint has other plans. He makes a machine that can transform water into any kind of food and launches it into the atmosphere. The people of the town, Chewandswallow, are very grateful to have something to eat besides sardines. The weathergirl, Sam Sparks, (Anna Faris) is excited to have such a great story on her hands. However, soon things go awry. The machine goes out of control.

The movie touches on subjects such as obesity and global climate change. This would be a great film to see with your little brother or sister, but be forewarned: it is very predictable. The animation is very realistic, especially if you get to see it in 3-D. Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, this movie is a box office hit and has a great cast.