Review of Flipped (2010) by Stuart B — 04 Oct 2011

Rob Reiner is a funny one. To go from being one of the directorial kings in the 80s with Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, Stand By Me and Misery, he seems to have spent the last couple of decades traipsing through the realm of indifference. And while I am by no means proclaiming this a return to form, it was nice to see some of the charm and nostalgia from his earlier movies return with this very pleasant coming of age adolescent love story.

Delicately balanced between Stand By Me and the schmalz of some of The Wonder years, the movie is elevated greatly due to the two young actors in the lead roles as a couple of kids who live opposite from each other but have maintained this tantalizing tension between one another for many years. It's a nice twist to alternately give a point of interest to each character and then flip the same story from one to the other, though after a while it feels a little gimicky. But what really helps prevent the movie from veering into daytime tv territory is the marvellous performances from the two young leads, with Madeline Carroll in particular delivering a performance with sincerity where so often it could come across sugar coated.

The film does have its drawbacks, however, with the direction at times feeling rather clumsy and forced, and the ending is a little bit of an anti-climax, but for a feel good movie with heaps of charm, it's good to know Reiner can still show the new boys a few tricks.