Girl falls in love with boy. Boy ignores girl. Girl gets tired of waiting and ignores boy. Boy falls in love with girl.
The basic premise of "Flipped" is nothing we haven't seen before, but the age old story of first love is told with enough charm to make it worth watching again.
Based on an award-winning book by Wendelin Van Draanen, "Flipped" has been adapted by Oscar-nominated director Rob Reiner ("When Harry Met Sally," "Stand By Me"), who says he was struck by such an honest and realistic depiction of young romance.
The saga begins when second-grader Juli Baker (Madeline Carroll) first meets her new neighbour Bryce Loski (Callan McAuliffe) in the summer of 1957 and instantly falls in love.
Over the next six years, the movie goes back and forth in a "he said, she said" fashion, as Juli fervently pursues the object of her affection, to no avail. Watching the same events play out from both the male and female perspective allows insight into both of the characters and provides much comic relief for the audience.
The first of these examples comes when the two first meet as seven-year-olds. After Juli bats her pretty little lashes at Bryce, he realizes he's in trouble and runs to hide behind his mother. Juli believes he shares her affections but ran away because he's just shy.
It continues like this all the way up to junior high. Juli's love for Bryce remains unfazed -- until one day she realizes he's done a lot of things to let her down and maybe he isn't the guy she thought he was.
Around the same time, Bryce's grandfather Chet (played wonderfully by John Mahoney) tells him once in a while you find someone who is "iridescent" and nothing else will ever compare.
This is when Bryce realizes his feelings for Juli have "flipped."
But will it be too late?
Carroll, whose credits include "Swing Vote" and guest appearances on "Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy," steals the spotlight as Juli, and her irresistible charm will have you rooting for the young heroine over McAuliffe, who is making his American feature film debut in "Flipped."
Through the back and forth between Juli and Bryce, we are introduced to their families and the complex dynamics within each. Class differences, financial tensions and stifled dreams are all interwoven into the main storyline and add depth to the coming of age tale.
Some of the most notable moments of the movie, in fact, come from the interactions between Bryce's parents, played by Anthony Edwards and Rebecca De Mornay, and Juli's parents, played by Aidan Quinn and Penelope Ann Miller, as they try and find a common ground between two very different worlds. And the scenes between Juli and the much older Chet, where he helps fix up her family's shabby front yard, provide some of the most endearing moments of the film.
The book was actually set in the present day but Reiner lobbied to set the film in the late 50s/early 60s, to show a more innocent time before cell phones and text messages. It's a move that definitely paid off.
Rounded out by a nostalgic soundtrack, "Flipped" takes us back to a simpler time -- one that is appropriate viewing for the whole family and something that can't be said about most teen romance flicks.
The movie will leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling, which almost makes you forget you've seen this familiar story play out so many times before.
Three stars out of four.
