Review in a Hurry: This coming-of-age rom-com from director Rob Reiner (When Harry Met Sally, Stand by Me) charts the on-again, off-again crush between two tween neighbors. Will you like it? Meh. Flipped is sweet but unsubstantial, kinda like puppy love itself.
The Bigger Picture: If you haven't read Wendelin Van Draanen's young-adult novel Flipped, don't worry. In this big-screen adaptation, much of the book is read to you anyway. The pic's reliance on this wall-to-wall narration—and dual-POV storytelling—frequently bogs down the pacing.
When Bryce (Callan McAuliffe) meets Juli (Madeline Carroll), it's the late 1950s, and 7-year-old Bryce has just moved into the suburban 'hood. His smart, headstrong neighbor Juli is immediately smitten, but Bryce wants nothing to do with his wannabe girlfriend. Which means, of course, he really digs her.
And so it goes for the next six years with these two crazy, confused kids. Bryce avoids Juli's stalking by flirting with other girls and by refusing to participate in any of her interests, such as fighting to save a beloved sycamore tree.
Eventually, Bryce comes to appreciate Juli's pluck and idiosyncrasies and even develops serious feelings for her—oh, those hormones! He also gains insight into her unconventional bohemian family, which is so unlike his own.
The pic unfolds through several sequences, or chapters, many of them presented twice—first from Bryce's perspective, then Juli's, and photographed and edited accordingly. It's a nifty device, but when combined with the already-episodic structure and sometimes-redundant voice-over, it interferes with the narrative momentum and emotional impact.
The young leads are appealing and sincere—if not too fresh-scrubbed and bathed in golden light. But Flipped fumbles in scenes involving their family drama. ER alum Anthony Edwards is too affable to play Bryce's bitter, alcoholic father, and the sequence involving Juli's mentally handicapped uncle is wincingly contrived.
Ironically, as the film teaches that people/things/experiences can be greater than the sum of their parts, you realize Flipped—despite its charms and good intentions—doesn't add up to more.
The 180—a Second Opinion: The delightful John Mahoney turns the cliché role of wisdom-spouting grandpa into the film's most genuine character. Who wouldn't want this lovable geezer around?