Rob Reiner has made some classic movies, including “Stand By Me”, “When Harry Met Sally…” and “The Princess Bride”. “Flipped” isn’t a classic, but it’s a worthy addition to his list of accomplishments as a director.
“Flipped” is adapted from a popular young-adult novel about young love written by Wendelin Van Draanen. The book is set in modern time, but Reiner decided to set his film in the early 1960’s.
Bryce Loski and his family move into a new home that’s across the street from the home of Juli Baker. Both kids are in the 2nd grade. Juli instantly has a crush on Bryce. He, however, thinks she’s a little odd. Flash forward to the 8th grade, when Bryce (Callan McAuliffe) begins to think that Juli (Madelline Carroll) is kind of cool. But she’s now changed her mind about him. Or has she?
The story is mostly told in narration from the two characters. We get the same event from two different points of view. Things are “flipped” (get it?) Often, it’s even the same footage, but from a different camera angle. I’m not sure this a great way to tell a story. Many of the scenes are predictable the second time you see them. And I’m not a huge fan of narration throughout a film, but at least in this case the voice-overs give us more than just facts. Both characters share opinions and emotions about what’s happening so it’s not so bad.
The performances in “Flipped” are all very good, especially John Mahoney, who plays Bryce’s grandfather, who ends up playing a major role in the lives of both families. Aiden Quinn, Penelope Ann Miller, Anthony Edwards and Rebecca De Mornay star as the parents.
“Flipped is rated PG for some brief adult language and situations. A few of those scenes are a little tough to watch, but they add to the dramatic level of the film, which is appropriate for kids 10 and up. Adults will really enjoy all the 1960’s touches, especially if they grew up during that time.
On “The Official Kid Critic Report Card“, “Flipped” gets a B. It was only out in limited release in theaters this past summer, but should get some nice attention on DVD.
Reiner says he decided to set the movie in the 60’s and not in modern day because he didn’t want to have the characters dealing with things like cell phones and computers. And because it was the time he grew-up. That was a smart decision.