Movie review in the Friday, Sept. 10 Oregonian....
"Flipped" is something I haven't seen since about 1992: a charming Rob Reiner film that more or less works as intended. (Seriously: I mourn what happened to that man's filmography after "A Few Good Men.")
This surprising late-career tiptoe back to form is a sweet, simple story about young crushes -- adapted from Wendelin Van Draanen's young-adult novel, which Reiner has for some reason transplanted from the book's modern-day setting to around the same nostalgic era as "Stand By Me."
Bryce and Juli meet as second-graders. Juli has an instant crush on Bryce. Bryce ignores her for years -- until she finally gives up on him. Reverse and repeat. Enjoy the period rock songs on the soundtrack. This exceedingly modest, narration-driven little tale (fewer than 90 minutes long if you don't count the end credits) is stretched by the movie's storytelling conceit: Each chapter is told twice, from both Bryce and Juli's perspectives.
"Flipped" is pretty low-key stuff that occasionally flirts with rose-colored schmaltz, and there's one brief scene in which Kevin Weisman plays a mentally challenged man flipping out in an ice-cream shop that probably doesn't work. But its slight, simple charms still worked on me -- mostly thanks to solid performances by Callan McAuliffe and (especially) Madeline Carroll as Bryce and Juli. Carroll nails several small moments, especially when a fed-up Juli completely freezes out Bryce while remaining in his presence.
The kids provide an earnest emotional through-line to a tiny story, and I sort of hope it kicks off a new mature period for Reiner as a filmmaker.
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(90 min.; rated PG for language and some thematic material; playing in the Portland area at the Fox Tower, Clackamas Town Center, and City Center 12 [Vancouver] ) Grade: B
'Flipped' (The Oregonian, Sept. 10, 2010)
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