A lumpy stew of weak characterization, lame gags, ADD-afflicted storytelling, and dazzling visual invention, this computer-generated kid flick (2009) concerns a nerdy young inventor (given voice by Bill Hader) who accidentally unleashes technology that turns rain into pizza, burgers, etc. Determined to have their cake and eat it too, writer-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller first invite us to revel in ice cream mountains and nacho cheese fountains, then clobber us with ham-handed nutritional moralism. The imagery takes a jarring Cronenberg-esque turn (puckered sphincters and squirming intestinal prolapses) in the last reel. The 3-D is deployed more subtly and effectively than the product placement. Additional voices by Mr. T, Benjamin Bratt, and James Caan.
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