It's rainin' meatballs

THIS is a computer-generated cartoon caper that is so ludicrous and pointless that it actually manages to be devastatingly funny.

This film follows the adventures of a nerdy introvert called Flint Lockwood. He is an aspiring inventor with ideas that rarely turn out the way he envisions and often end in total disaster.

Flint has yet to invent anything really useful, but has created such classics as spray-on shoes, which don't come off, and a translator that allows pet monkey Steve to express his minimal thoughts into English.

However, Flint's life suddenly changes when he accidently manages to create a device that uses radiation to turn water into any kind of food he wants. It doesn't have quite enough power to work so being the plucky, creative type, he solves that problem by plugging it directly into the local power station, which results in an explosive catastrophe.

The device is sent flying into the sky where it interacts with a cloud system and creates a rainfall of hamburgers, which excites and slightly confuses the town's residents and fills the mayor's head with grand visions of tourism.

Since everybody is really pleased with the idea of raining food, Flint is asked to use his invention to ensure a variety of delicious food from the sky three times a day at the townspeople's request, and any food that isn't eaten is launched into a huge pile just outside of town.

These crazy events are being studied by Sam Sparks, a beautiful and very smart meteorological intern who happens to be in the right place at the right time. She is amazed by what she sees and develops an interest in the small town and soon develops an interest in Flint too.

However, there is an impending disaster when the invention starts to spin out of control, producing larger and larger food that threatens to destroy the town with spaghetti twisters, massive pancakes, and, you guessed it, giant meatballs.

The only fault I could find with the film was, it kept begging one question "If you created a device that can turn rain into food ... wouldn't you use it to solve world hunger instead of taking dinner orders from the people of your town?" This film is fun for kids of all ages and if you manage to look past the absurdity of the plot and just go with it, it's great for adults too.

Showing in:_Dana Cineplex