Flipped is a sweet coming of age movie from Rob Reiner. Set back in the early 1960s this is the story of Juli and Bryce, two 13-year-olds who have been neighbours for years. The movie starts when Bryce moves into the neighborhood only to instantly find himself the object Juli Baker's desire. As the next five years roll around, Bryce does everything he can to discourage her affections but nothing convinces Juli to leave him alone.
But now in sixth grade, Juli discovers that Bryce Loski may not be the perfect boy she has always imagined. And the story gets ‘Flipped‘ when she stops liking him but he then starts to like her. It's easy to assume that we've seen this plot in plenty of movies before. However, what makes Flipped work is that the story is told by both Bryce and Juli as the narrative swaps back and forth. It's a great example of how two people can see the same thing in very different ways.
Added to the mix are the parents. Clearly Bryce's father, played by Anthony Edwards, has quite a low opinion of the Baker's and doesn't shy away from airing it. Extremely condescending, it's a familiar scenario of ‘judging a book by its cover'. That is despite knowing almost nothing about them. In fact, the Bakers are a lovely family and Aidan Quinn does a great job as a caring and compassionate father who just sees the world in a different way.
Flipped is a beautiful film that makes for great family viewing. It has a timeless quality mostly due to the era it is set in but the messages are as relevant today. The characters have real depth and when Juli overhears Bryce talking trash about her your heart genuinely breaks for her. Flipped takes a teenage crush and turns it into an original and emotional and relatable story about first love. It is a gem and all credit to Madeline Carroll (The Spy Next Door) and Callan McAuliffe for bringing it to life.
