Flipped: Movie Review

From the acclaimed director of the boyhood friendship classic Stand by Me, comes Flipped, a new film that takes on first love with the backdrop of the early 1960s. It's an adorable story of a girl falling in love with a boy brought to life by talented filmmaker Rob Reiner.

With just a few offenses, Flipped is a fairly clean movie most in the family can enjoy. Though it’s a movie about kids, it’s not a kids movie. Adults will find it engaging as they think back to their first-crush days.

The Movie in a Minute

Bryce’s first encounter with Juli (Madeline Carroll) isn’t a magical first-love moment, but it is to her. Forming a strong crush, Juli tries to woo Bryce (Callan McAuliffe) out of his shyness, while he attempts to keep her at arms length. Graduating from grade school to junior high, the game changes – Juli doubts Bryce is worth her love and Bryce begins to recognize something special in the girl he’s tried to avoid since he moved to the neighborhood.

Flipped: The Good and the Bad

Strong messages of family before prestige and wealth and the importance of one’s character move this movie, giving it a backbone as it explores the awkwardness and thrill of a first crush. Author Wendelin Van Draanen book’s couldn’t have found a better director to turn her work into a feature film than Rob Reiner, who is most famous for directing The Princess Bride, A Few Good Men, and When Harry Met Sally. Reiner’s talent for creating films about real life allows him to make movies that resonate with audiences. With each scene told from both Juli and Bryce’s perspectives, Reiner does well to keep the momentum flowing.Though Flipped lacks the emotional depth as seen in Reiner’s Stand by Me, this new movie does well in giving moviegoers a fun look back at how silly and real love can be at that tender age.

The cast didn’t let the famous director down either. The two young actors, Madeline Carroll and Callan McAuliffe, carry the film with relative ease, as they fill the shoes of these two incredibly adorable, yet complex characters. Carroll caught the eye of Reiner when she starred opposite Kevin Costner in Swing Vote. Based on her performance in Flipped, it's assured moviegoers will see her work for years to come. McAuliffe, who hails from Australia, got the part after proving he could lose his thick accent and transform into the handsome young Bryce. The supporting cast reinforces Van Draanen's story with John Mahoney as Bryce's grandfather, Anthony Edwards and Rebecca De Mornay as Bryce’s parents, and Penelope Ann Miller and Aidan Quinn as Juli’s mom and dad.

Caution is advised with regards to the foul language in Flipped. Though the film is only rated PG, it does contain a few obscenities and profanities (vain uses of God’s name). One of the father’s also slaps his child during an emotional scene in the movie.

In the End

Though Flipped is not likely to rank with some of director Rob Reiner's finest work, it is a likable film of which the cast and crew can be proud.