FLIPPED
(PG)
MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
In the 60s, Bryce (Callan McAuliffe) has a complicated relationship with the girl next door Juli (Madeline Carroll). She seems smitten with him, but he’s letting too many outside influences dictate how he acts to her. Her family is poor, and his family looks down on them. However, as they grow older and find themselves becoming teenagers, they start to discover they actually have feelings for each other.
WHAT I LIKED
“Flipped” is cute. That’s the best thing I can really say about it. It’s nothing spectacular to write home about, but it’s a sweet coming-of-age story about kids discovering young love.
It’s also a safe movie, one that you can show your tweens at home and not worry about anything too racy getting tossed around. The performances are pretty good, and it’s nice to see Madeline Carroll start to shed her original image as the next Abigail Breslin.
“Flipped” is a quality film on most aspects, from acting to directing to cinematography. It just didn’t particularly click with me.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Ever since I saw “This Is Spinal Tap” and “When Harry Met Sally,” I knew Rob Reiner was a great director. Sadly, he has stumbled over the years, giving us movies like “Alex and Emma” rather than what he was originally known for. Sure, “The Bucket List” was a nice film, but we have fallen back into obscurity with him directing “Flipped.”
In the end, “Flipped” was a good movie, but I expected more from Rob Reiner. Instead, we get the theatrically released equivalent of an ABC Family film that hits too many character wrinkles, too many cliches and too many forced dramatic subplots that try to bust the stereotypes of suburbia.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The Blu-ray comes with three exclusive short behind-the-scenes featurettes. “The Difference Between a Boy and a Girl” takes a look at the young co-stars. “Embarrassing Egg-scuses” focuses on the way the kids worked with the chickens on set. “How to Make the Best Volcano” features Callan McAuliffe showing the viewer how to make a baking soda volcano.
Finally, “Anatomy of a Near Kiss” is also available on the DVD and takes a look at Carroll and McAuliffe sharing a kiss with the cast and crew around them.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
The family film crowd, especially those that like TV movies.