Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs (yes, that's what it's called...stop scoffing at the back)

With its daft title and modest "never-heard-of-it" presence in the public consciousness, telling people about 'CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS' is always met with the same furrowed brow and up-turned nose response that is typical of the so-called "Dragons" of 'Dragons' Den' (though I'm convinced that none of them apart from that old woman are actually Dragons, even if they do breath fire...or is it smug, self-congratulating wankeriness?).

But having visited my favourite mulitplex last friday and made the last chance decision to choose it, having heard other good things, over 'Surrogates', I can safely say that I would happily sell this film, with all the gusto and nerve of a West End caricaturist, to anybody, anywhere, at any time. I am the new face of this film. And I'll be knocking on your door any day now.

Before then though, here's a quick low down, brief as I can...

Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader) is an aspiring inventor who lives with his father on Swallow Island. The small town is famous for producing sardines, but the industry has gone bust, and the locals now find themselves with nothing to eat but the "really really gross" fish. But Flint has an answer. Having invented a machine that can change water into food, Flint believes he will finally achieve the recognition he has always craved, but then an accident sends the contraption soaring into the sky, where it becomes stuck in the clouds.

Soon though, the machine gets to work changing the precipitation in the sky into delicious meals, and cheeseburgers begin tumbling down to earth. The crowd are jubilant, and when Flint finds a way to control the output of his machine from his home, he is soon inundated with orders, and is the town's saviour. Soon the streets are covered in different foodstuffs; breakfast, hotdogs, ice cream, everything anyone could ask for. Flint also has the pleasure of meeting Sam Sparks (voiced by Anna Faris), a former nerd like Flint who has ditched her glasses and her brains in favour of highlights and a microphone, and is a novice reporter for a cable weather channel.

The story continues as you'd expect; just your average mix of gummy-bear obsessed monkey's called Steve, flying rats, adult-sized babies and nacho cheese fountains. In the end, Flint has to save the day when his machine, now out of control, starts churning out over-sized pasta and meatballs that threaten to destroy Swallow Island (now renamed "Chew and Swallow Land" by the town's greedy, tourism obsessed mayor). What's more, he is still battling to gain the respect and love of his humble fisherman father.

With an innocence and energy that surge from the screen (even though I was watching in the far-preferable 2D format), 'Cloudy...' does everything it possibly can to instil a sense of child-like wonder and fun in every cinema. The jokes are rapid-fire and hilarious, the characters loveable and heart-warming, the comedy reminiscent of Morecambe and Wise or Monty Python, or more recently the irreverent and ridiculous Mighty Boosh. It is an almost tear-inducingly enjoyable and uplifting experience, and I would recommend it to anyone, no matter what age.

What's more, the incredible cast of voices includes - apart from Hader and Faris - James Caan, Mr T, Bruce Campbell (of the Evil Dead series), and Andy Samberg. I couldn't ask for anything more. So I implore you, do the right thing and go and see this movie, if for nothing but to avoid me going door to door.