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CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLSMovie Reviews
Animation tale about an inventor whose latest device has food raining from the sky. Cast:Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Bruce CampbellDirector:Phil Lord, Chris MillerRelease Date:September 18, 2009DVD Release:January 5, 2010From:Sony PicturesRating:PGLength:1 hr 30 minIn 3D
JANUARY 5, 2010
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Very Good Reviews
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs played to very good reviews. • Charles Williams wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "...one of the most visually creative movies of the year.... entertaining for everyone." • And Clint O'Connor wrote in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, "...a cute, family-friendly film about a crazed inventor named Flint (voice of Bill Hader from 'Saturday Night Live').... good enough to eat." More Reviews Below...
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Positive Reviews (30 Reviews, reviews below)
Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD(cg) "...goes down easy enough at first. But even at a svelte 81 minutes, this meal drags on too long (you'll be crying 'Basta!' by the time it's raining pasta)."(See all of Chris Nashawaty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 129 words, 09/18/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a surprisingly savory treat, though it doesn't bear much resemblance to the charming classic children's book on which it's based.... appealing family fare worth relishing."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 510 words, 09/18/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (9 Reviews)
Daniel Gold, New York Times: GOOD "If the filmmakers opt to make only light statements about junk food, obesity and solid waste, they at least leave the audience sated on a single serving of inspired lunacy."(See all of Daniel Gold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 09/18/09
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "So what could be better than an endless supply of jellybeans and ice cream? Only a multiplex permanently stocked with smart, sweetly silly family films like this one."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 269 words, 09/18/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...this is the first movie I've seen where the hero dangles above a chasm lined with razor-sharp peanut brittle while holding onto a red licorice rope..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 561 words, 09/17/09
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "The humor targets both kids and grown-ups with equal success... the main attraction is the movie's vibrant 3-D animation and its perfect storm of foodie-friendly sight gags."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 394 words, 09/18/09
Kyle Smith, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "...a clever and engaging first half. But the second half leaves a foul aftertaste. Slapdash action scenes play against dreary warnings to fear wealth and beauty."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 533 words, 09/18/09
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: VERY GOOD(cg) "Writer-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, whose television credits include CBS' 'How I Met Your Mother,' pack each scene with jokes big and small, and the voice cast shines..."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 324 words, 09/18/09
Dan Kois, Washington Post: EXCELLENT(cg) "...any moviegoers possessed of funny bones will laugh their fool heads off... The film's message to kids is blunt but welcome: It's great to be smart."(See all of Dan Kois's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 530 words, 09/18/09
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: WEAK(cg) "A cautionary tale about gluttony, obesity and genetically modified food.... It takes an iron stomach to watch this stuff and not feel nauseated."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 565 words, 09/18/09
Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...it's fun, it has some good messages and what kid won't enjoy seeing pancakes flatten a roof and an ice-cream blizzard that you can eat while you play in it?"(See all of Nancy Churnin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 666 words, 09/18/09
Hedy Weiss, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The most impressive thing about this film is the vibrancy of its world, created by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, veterans of the animated TV series 'Clone High.' "(See all of Hedy Weiss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 598 words, 09/18/09
Kathie Smith, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "Based on the much loved (and gentler) book by Judi and Ron Barrett, 'Cloudy' takes the premise and goes as out of control as Flint's food machine."(See all of Kathie Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 199 words, 09/18/09
John Hartl, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a charmingly quirky feature-length expansion of Judi Barrett's 1978 children's picture book, with 3-D animation and a new set of characters to fill in the familiar gaps."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 456 words, 09/18/09
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a cute, family-friendly film about a crazed inventor named Flint (voice of Bill Hader from 'Saturday Night Live').... good enough to eat."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 341 words, 09/18/09
Charles Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...one of the most visually creative movies of the year.... combines a pinch of morality with a healthy dose of humor to produce a movie that's entertaining for everyone."(See all of Charles Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 326 words, 09/18/09
Mina Asayesh-Brown, St. Petersburg Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...entertaining and funny, managing to retain most of the charm of the book in a fresh way. You'll leave the theater feeling close to full."(See all of Mina Asayesh-Brown's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 434 words, 09/17/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: EXCELLENT(cg) "...animation style is punchy, kid-friendly, and in-your-face.... Gadgets and rat-birds fly off the screen, and we're treated to visually stunning vermicelli tornadoes..."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 440 words, 09/18/09
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a joyful romp, devoid of the tiresome pop-culture references of the 'Shrek' pictures and blissfully ignorant of the story formulas established by Pixar..."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 436 words, 09/18/09
Bob Mondello, NPR All Things Considered: EXCELLENT "...brings some real-world crunch to the story.... the filmmakers have also served up a little food for thought, along with a lot of laughs."(See all of Bob Mondello's reviews...)(Listen to the full review...) 221 seconds, 09/18/09
Daniel Gold, New York Times: GOOD "If the filmmakers opt to make only light statements about junk food, obesity and solid waste, they at least leave the audience sated on a single serving of inspired lunacy."(See all of Daniel Gold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 09/18/09
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "The humor targets both kids and grown-ups with equal success... the main attraction is the movie's vibrant 3-D animation and its perfect storm of foodie-friendly sight gags."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 394 words, 09/18/09
Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter: MODERATE "Although the premise is delicious, and some of the visual gags tickle the funnybone, there isn't enough story to sustain a 90-minute movie."(See all of Stephen Farber's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 453 words, 09/17/09
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "The humor targets both kids and grown-ups with equal success... the main attraction is the movie's vibrant 3-D animation and its perfect storm of foodie-friendly sight gags."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 394 words, 09/18/09
Daniel Gold, New York Times: GOOD "If the filmmakers opt to make only light statements about junk food, obesity and solid waste, they at least leave the audience sated on a single serving of inspired lunacy."(See all of Daniel Gold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 09/18/09
19.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs's reviews are separated by an average 19.2 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (30 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs's reviews cover 54.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 11,773 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 392 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Coverage, Volume & Length (30 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 7.0 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs's reviews on average broke 7.0 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (30 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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