Flipped

As he first did 24 years ago in the excellent Stand by Me, filmmaker Rob Reiner centers his movie on adolescents. In the case of Flipped, asks Kimberly Gadette, are we head over heels?

Upon reflection: if the subject isn't all that involving at first glance, a second peek from the other side of the looking glass may not carry that much more insight.

Director/co-writer Rob Reiner sets up this film as a double point-of-view conceit, first depicting the scene as told by the boy (Callan McAuliffe's Bryce), followed by the same scene, now conveyed by the girl (Madeline Carroll's Juli). Hence the title, with its additional references to a crazy-love infatuation, as well as the changing feelings of attraction between the leads.

The upside to this Rashomon-com: because of Carroll's extraordinary acting skills, we can easily see Juli's feelings mirrored in her reactions to the uninterested neighbor boy Bryce. The downside: because Bryce's side of the story is always told first, when we're in Juli's POV, we don't learn that much more. Resulting in our having to view a fairly dullish movie twice. And no, it's not always better the second time around.

When seven-year-old Bryce moves in across the street from Juli, her child heart leaps in immediate joy. But rather than winning him over, or wearing him down, Juli's all-encompassing puppy love for Bryce is so overwhelming that he reacts by playing a game of keep-away for the next six years.

Sadly, the movie seems to have flipped for itself, the scenes overly precious, peppered with vignettes taken directly from Wendelin Van Draanen's 2001 young adult book of the same name. However, the filmmakers have turned the clock back on Van Draanen's modern tale, choosing instead to revisit Reiner's Stand By Me days of the late '50s. The period switch doesn't always work: when one scene focuses on the "beefcake" auction of 13-year-old boys, with a girl paying $50 to win a lunch date with Bryce and his picnic basket (translating to at least $350 in current times), we are hard-pressed to believe that this school-sponsored event would have ever taken place among a suburban, middle-class community of the early '60s.

The initial scenes between the 7-year-old Juli and Bryce are great fun, passing much too quickly. Morgan Lily's Juli is a force of nature, running at him, throwing her arms around him as if he were an oversized puppy, in need of immediate rescue. The dazzling eyes that Juli refers to throughout the film only happen here, when the comical young Bryce (Ryan Ketzner) reacts in fear, his peepers nearly popping out of his head.

But once the 13-year-olds take over, it's all downhill for the pallid Bryce, who bestows no dazzling smile or eyes meant just for Juli. Rather, she puts up with his sulky discomfort, Bryce averting his gaze, his unsmiling mouth forming words only if he's forced to. Which begs the question: why, Juli, why? Certainly not due to any kindness, wit or intelligence on his part. And though eventually Juli re-assesses her crush, she circles around and around it in a painstakingly slow manner, leaving us to collectively glance at our watch, planning our rush for the exits.

But there are a few bright notes: in supporting roles, both John Mahoney and Aidan Quinn turn in quiet, thoughtful performances. Mahoney is Bryce's lonely, gentle grandfather, a man locked up in sorrow until he finds purpose by helping Juli cultivate her family's neglected front yard. As Juli's dad, Quinn plays another man bowed down by trouble, a frustrated artist who never forgets his role as Juli's guiding light. However, the remaining adults don't fare as well, sketched in a hasty, two-dimension. Juli's harried mother (Penelope Ann Miller), Bryce's mom Patsy, the perfectly flat vision of a mid-century housewife (Rebecca De Mornay) and her mate, the cardboard growling dad (Anthony Edwards, turning in perhaps the least impressive performance of his career). His rendition is akin to the jarring father of A Christmas Story – but while that character, played by Darren McGavin, managed to find some joy when he first laid eyes on his prized leg lamp, Edwards remains rigid throughout.

The expert directorial hand that Reiner used to employ is utterly lost in this film, the emotional lessons unnecessarily trumpeted. When Bryce's dad slaps his child, following by a quick chug of his drink, Bryce's voiceover announces "He looked unhappy." When Juli visits an ailing uncle with her father, her voiceover states, "I thought about my uncle differently."

If not for Madeline Carroll's radiant performance, this Flipped wouldn't warrant so much as a tumble.

Rating on a scale of 5 fervent wishes to revisit any of Rob Reiner's previous classics: 2

Release date: US: 27 August 2010; UK: September 2010 (exact date TBD)
Directed by: Rob Reiner
Screenplay by: Rob Reiner & Andrew Scheinman
Based on the novel by: Wendelin Van Draanen
Cast: Madeline Carroll, Callan McAuliffe, Rebecca De Mornay, Anthony Edwards, John Mahoney, Penelope Ann Miller, Aidan Quinn, Morgan Lily, Ryan Ketzner
Rating: US = PG; UK = PG
Running time: 90 minutes

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