Flipped

Movie Summary of Flipped by Michael The Moviegoer.

FLIPPED = ***

“Sugar High”

With no truly big names to help sell the film, the real star of “Flipped” is director Rob Reiner. His accomplishment here is a triumph. Not just the film itself, but the fact that it even exists. In today’s movie business, small period films about a childhood romance simply don’t get financed. So a round of applause, please, for the money men behind this truly sweet and charming little movie. Thank you.

The story is told of two teenage sweethearts in the 1960s wonderfully played by Madeline Carroll and Callan McAuliffe. Each character gets the chance to tell their side of the same story. Kids, as well as adults, will find it easy to relate to the complexities of relationships due to misunderstandings resulting from having different perspectives as the movie flips back and forth between each character’s point of view.

Rob Reiner fills his screen with a fresh innocence that’s as fluffy and sweet as cotton candy. The adults in the film, most notably John Mahoney, Aidan Quinn and Anthony Edwards, keep it grounded in the real world filled with all the challenges, darkness and flaws that our two teens will certainly face as they grow older.

The one misstep here is a scene involving Quinn’s mentally disabled brother who overacts to the point where it reminded me of Ben Stiller’s Simple Jack parody from “Tropic Thunder”. What was Reiner thinking here?

But most of “Flipped” is a real charmer and the movie will undoubtedly become a classic among youthful coming-of-age stories.

DVD Double Feature: Rob Reiner’s strangely diverse filmography does contain at least one title that is a perfect companion piece for “Flipped”. It is 1986’s “Stand By Me” which launched the careers of famous child actors like River Phoenix and Corey Feldman. Based on a Stephen King novella, “Stand By Me” tells the story of four boys in 1959 who set out to find the body of a missing teenager.

Michael The Moviegoer

Also seen on Amazon:

Flipped

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: $19.94

Amazon Price: $7.73