![\"\"](\"http:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Coudy-Metballs-2.jpg\" "\\"Coudy")
<\/p>\nBy Bob Garver<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The original \u201cCloudy with a Chance of Meatballs\u201d was one of my favorite movies of 2009. The film was based on a book that I absolutely loved as a child, it gave the lead role to the awesome Bill Hader (though surprisingly it was Mr. T who stole the movie), and it was sweet and funny at every turn. Now comes this ill-advised sequel with no connection to the book, voice performances with no personality (and no Mr. T!), and humor that\u2019s decent but not on the level of the original.<\/p>\n
The film takes place minutes after the end of the first film. Flint Lockwood (Hader) has apparently destroyed his food\/weather machine, but the small fishing island of Swallow Falls has been badly harmed. In comes science magnate Chester V (Will Forte) to evacuate everybody and offer Flint a job as an inventor. Flint tries his best to impress Chester V, but falls short and embarrasses himself. No matter, Chester V has important mission for Flint: return to Swallow Falls and finish off his resilient machine, which is now churning out food\/animal hybrids. Along for the adventure are Flint\u2019s girlfriend Sam (Anna Faris), his fisherman father (James Caan), his loyal monkey Steve, Sam\u2019s multi-talented cameraman Manny (Benjamin Bratt), tough cop with a sensitive side Earl (Terry Crews, replacing Mr. T), and bully-turned-friend-also-turned-chicken Brent (Andy Samberg).<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 First the good news: the film has plenty of parts that are funny. It\u2019s hard to not fall in love with the food animals, especially a baby strawberry. The best gags seem to center around Flint\u2019s father, with his charismatic eyebrow, his affinity for teaching watermelons how to fish, and a trophy catch that is hardly a trophy. Steve the monkey is welcome as always, and admittedly Earl\u2019s macho act still holds up with Crews doing the voice<\/p>\n
But I wouldn\u2019t be saying \u201cFirst the good news\u201d if there wasn\u2019t bad news to come. Flint is less likeable this time around, with bossiness as his defining trait. Chester V is a predictable, underwhelming villain whose ulterior motives can be sensed way too early. The film goes to great lengths to argue that the food animals are actually friendly, only for the argument to fall apart ironically at the film\u2019s climax. Most unforgiveable is that a lot of the humor is just subpar. Bathroom gags fall flat, as do bits about Flint\u2019s useless inventions. The idea of food animals is funny at first, but there are only so many times you can hear hybrid names like \u201cShrimpanzee\u201d before the act gets old.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also something off about the voice performances. They\u2019re so clearly read off a script and drained of life. I didn\u2019t see much chemistry between the characters, and I was very aware that the roles were recorded separately. The Flint\/Sam relationship, so touching in the first film, is now useless and forced. The relationship between Flint and his father fares a little better, but again falls short of its predecessor.<\/p>\n
\u201cCloudy with a Chance of Meatballs\u201d was just fine as a standalone film. It didn\u2019t feel like a commercial for anything except maybe the book, whereas this one seems like it\u2019s trying to sell toys of the food animals and Flint\u2019s inventions. Sure, some of the humor works; though it seems like the good original ideas started and ended with the food animals. Once we get used to them, we\u2019re left with a pretty lame movie. There are plenty of fruits and vegetables in \u201cCloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2,\u201d but that doesn\u2019t stop the film from being cinematic junk food.<\/p>\n
Two Stars out of Five.<\/p>\n
\u201cCloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2\u201d is playing at Hershey Cocoaplex. The film is rated PG for mild rude humor. Its running time is 95 minutes.<\/p>\n