Film Review: Excellent Young Actors Carry Rob Reiner’s Nostalgic ‘Flipped’

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Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Rob Reiner’s “Flipped” is not merely nostalgic for an era when life seemed simpler and sweeter but for an age when every minor detail meant the world and love was as simple as looking into the eyes of a new neighbor. We all remember the days when the smallest act of kindness or meanness changed everything and, thanks to two very strong central performances, “Flipped” captures the essence of those times in a gentle, sentimental romance.

Working from a script by Reiner & Andrew Scheinman, “Flipped” is a story of two neighbors destined to fall in love that’s told in near-constant narration. As we learn in the opening scene, Juli Baker (Madeline Carroll) fell for Bryce Loski (Callan McAuliffe) the day that he moved in across the street. Of course, as is often the case, it took Bryce a bit longer to realize that he too would flip for the sweetest girl in town. With a very episodic and unusual structure, “Flipped” is the story of two young people realizing they were meant to be high school sweethearts.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Flipped” in our reviews section.

The structure of “Flipped” works from a “he said, she said” template. For example, Bryce will tell us the story of an encounter with Juli and then the film frame flips and the story jumps back to the beginning of the recent episode but from Juli’s point of view. Then she tells the next story. As much as it may sound like the structure would result in a film that’s constantly starting and stopping, it works to illuminate the themes of the film and is carried by two very, very strong performances from McAuliffe and particularly Carroll. This young actress stole “Swing Vote” a few years ago and completely steals this film as well. Rarely have I felt more confident that a teen star will eventually be a household name. Bet on it.

Sadly, the adults aren’t nearly as well fleshed-out as the teenagers. In fact, they’re painted with the kind of broad strokes that almost feel torn from a parody of the genre. Mom is always wearing an apron and carrying a duster. Dad always has a pointed criticism and a drink in his hand. The dramatic conceit is that we all remember our formative teen years in black-and-white terms and our parents are likely to be more caricaturish in our memories of the days when their given names were still “mom” and “dad” but it’s not developed enough to be dramatically effective. Instead it serves as an odd counterpoint to the realism that Carroll and McAuliffe find in the center of the piece.

Continue reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Flipped” review.

Flipped
Photo credit: Warner Bros. Pictures