Flint Lockwood has made the world’s worst mistake. In the first Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, his machine turned the sky into a downpour of spaghetti, meatballs and hot dogs. Now the sequel has him chasing a machine that doesn’t just cook food — it breeds it. The result is a film that trades the wonder of falling spaghetti for a jungle of living pickles, tacodiles, shrimpanzees and apple pie-thons, and it mostly works.
Trailer, via Sony Pictures Entertainment.
The Machine That Wouldn’t Die
The premise is simple. Flint, Sam Sparks, Manny, Earl Devereaux and Brent McHale have been exiled from Swallow Falls since the food storm. Flint joins Chester V’s Live Corp Company, which has been hired to clean up the island. But Flint discovers the FLDSMDFR — the machine that caused the storm — is still running, and it’s now producing sentient food creatures he calls “foodimals.”
Chester sends Flint back to Swallow Falls to shut the machine down. Flint reluctantly brings along his pet monkey Steve, his girlfriend Sam, her cameraman Manny, the police officer Earl, the former Swallow Falls mascot Brent, and even his widowed father Tim. The plan is to find the machine, insert a BS-USB device and stop it. What they find instead is a jungle of food, populated by creatures that walk, talk and eat with alarming enthusiasm.
The Voices Carry the Weight
Bill Hader returns as Flint Lockwood, and his deadpan delivery remains the engine of the film. Anna Faris plays Sam Sparks, the meteorologist whose camera work gets her caught up in the adventure. James Caan voices Tim Lockwood, Flint’s father, who tags along despite himself. Will Forte voices Chester V, the company boss who sends Flint on the mission. Andy Samberg voices Brent McHale, the former mascot. Neil Patrick Harris voices Steve, Flint’s pet monkey. Terry Crews voices Earl Devereaux, the police officer. Kristen Schaal voices Barb, the orangutan with a human brain who serves Chester.
The casting is a highlight. Terry Crews replaces Mr. T as Earl, and Kristen Schaal’s Barb is a delight — a talking orangutan who wears lipstick and has a human brain, voiced with pitch-perfect timing. The ensemble chemistry holds together even when the plot slows to let a strawberry named Barry steal a scene.
The Foodimals Are the Stars
The film’s best moments come from its creatures. The living pickles are adorable. The tacodiles are terrifying. The shrimpanzees are absurd. The apple pie-thons are, well, a pie that walks. Each creature is designed with care, and the animation lets them move like living things rather than cartoons.
The film spends too much time explaining the plot and not enough letting the foodimals roam free. A sequence where Flint and his friends chase a Cheespider through the jungle is far more engaging than the scenes where they argue about Chester’s motives. The Cheespider, which previously attacked Chester’s employees, chases the group before Chester arrives to scare it off and join the mission. It’s a small moment, but it’s the kind of pure fun the film needs more of.
Chester V’s Motive Problem
Chester V is supposed to be Flint’s idol, the man who runs Live Corp and offers to help clean up Swallow Falls. But his motives are murky. He hires Flint to work at the company, then publicly humiliates him when Flint’s Celebrationator invention goes wrong. He sends Flint to Swallow Falls to fix the machine, but he follows behind with his orangutan assistant Barb and a team of employees.
Sam becomes suspicious of Chester’s intentions as the film progresses, and the audience is meant to share her doubt. But the film never fully explains why Chester wants the machine stopped, or what he plans to do with it afterward. The mystery is left hanging, which weakens the stakes. We’re told the machine is dangerous, but we’re never shown what it can do beyond making food grow legs.
The Plot Stalls in the Middle
The middle stretch drags. Flint and his friends spend too much time walking through the jungle, arguing about Chester’s motives, and waiting for the machine to reveal itself. The pacing sags, and the jokes slow to a crawl. The film is at its best when it’s moving, and at its worst when it stops to explain.
There’s a moment where Flint’s father Tim stays on the boat and befriends some living pickles. It’s a small, charming aside, but it’s the kind of quiet humor the film should have leaned on more often. Instead, the film keeps circling back to the machine and Chester’s plans, and the payoff feels thin.
A Sequel That Doesn’t Measure Up
The original Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was a surprise hit. This sequel is competent, but it lacks the spark of its predecessor. The foodimals are memorable, the voice work is strong, and the animation is polished. But the plot is weaker, the pacing is slower, and the mystery of Chester’s motives never gets resolved.
The film is fun in fits and starts. The foodimals are the stars, the voice cast is excellent, and there are moments of pure joy. But the middle stretches are sluggish, and the mystery of Chester’s motives never gets resolved. It’s a solid family comedy, but it doesn’t reach the heights of its predecessor.
Key Facts
- Title: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
- Year: 2013
- Director: Kris Pearn, Cody Cameron
- Writer: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Erica Rivinoja
- Runtime: 95 minutes
- Genre: Animation, Family, Comedy
- Budget: $78 million
- Worldwide Gross: $274 million
The Running Order
| Moment | Time in Film |
|---|---|
| Flint discovers the machine still runs | Early plot setup |
| Celebrationator fails publicly | Midway through |
| Cheespider chase | Middle stretch |
| Flint and friends find the machine | Near the end |
| Chester arrives and joins the mission | Late in the film |
The film is a pleasant ride, but it’s a smoother, safer version of what made the first movie work. The foodimals are the draw, and the voice cast delivers, but the story doesn’t match the ambition of the creatures it creates. It’s a good sequel, not a great one.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
