Okay, let's dispense immediately with the idea that this film is geared toward teenagers and all of their sap that they go through. I assure you "mature adults" out there that this film will delight you also, unless you are a completely hopelessly lost Scrooge. This film should make sense to all ages. Everyone should identify with it. I don't care what kind of a snob, low-life, big wig, or puritan you are, you should enjoy this film. It's never too sappy when it deals with matters of the heart, nor is it too blunt and insensitive.
The film is told almost entirely in a voice over of one of the two main characters. It's told in a brilliant he-said she-said style where the same scene is often told twice from the two opposite points of view (Juli's and Bryce's). So we see the opening scene twice. The first time as explained by Bryce, and the second time explained by Juli. This sort of formula is used many a time in the unfolding battle of the sexes. Of course this doesn't happen in every scene—that would get boring. Director Reiner gives us the proper dosage of everything in this film. The proper amount of comedy, romance, and the proper amount of sadness. Never is it sappy or indulgent or even presumptuous. It's a perfect film for what it's worth. The screenplay is absolutely the work of a fine craftsman—or craftsmen Andrew Scheinman and director Reiner. I don't know how long it took to write or how much blood went into it, but this film is the result of excellent work in every department. The two child stars are perfect in their roles (although Bryce could have done better), but the strength of the cast are in supporting actors. The cast is full of great actors, particularly Anthony Edwards as Bryce's arrogant, critical, smart-Aleck father, and the ever-welcome Aidan Quinn as Juli's loving, down-to-earth, tree painting father.
I wasn't completely convinced of the excellence of the film until a beautiful scene in which Mr. Baker (Quinn) and Juli go to visit Mr. Baker's mentally retarded brother Daniel, who is so happy with the world and everything in it. But this scene can't be expressed in words, you have to see it. For what it's worth, Flipped is somewhat of a deep film, full of parallels to the real world. All of the characters have the proper amount of development, even the big sycamore tree that Juli likes to sit in and watch the sunrise. Her exploits while up in that tree are so poetic and beautiful when matched up with the pictures on screen. It's a beautiful and insightful scene into the thoughts and feelings of people in general, not just a teenage girl.
In this day when films are almost all big-budget action movies with loud explosions, Flipped has explosions of its own kind. It has explosions of heart and feeling and character, all at the appropriate times. I did not find any ax to grind here. Other than the characters, plot, and screenplay, it's also a technically beautiful film. The camera captures everything so clearly with the proper color timing and excellently framed shots. After the mid-way point of the film, being surrounded by excellence, one starts to look for any reason to criticize the film. I found none. Every nuance of the film is done so genteelly and honestly, who can have a problem with it? This film achieves what movies are meant to achieve. They are meant to reach into are minds and draw us in, to entertain and to move us with fright, emotion, tears, laughs, whatever may be the subject. They are meant to create a world around us, whether in space, in the Wild West, in the future, in Bible times, or in the case of Flipped in 1960s suburbia. This film does exactly what it is meant to do. To touch and make us laugh and to remember. That's what it does. It makes us remember what happened or is happening to us. No one can give this a bad review. I don't see how anyone can pick a fight with the film. But I'm blabbing about nothing.
In short, Flipped is by far the best film I've seen this year. I do hope the Academy doesn't overlook this like they do so many other "family" films. It should at least get a few nominations, if not a win. We'll see what happens. It's only July.
www.colewebbharter.com
The film is told almost entirely in a voice over of one of the two main characters. It's told in a brilliant he-said she-said style where the same scene is often told twice from the two opposite points of view (Juli's and Bryce's). So we see the opening scene twice. The first time as explained by Bryce, and the second time explained by Juli. This sort of formula is used many a time in the unfolding battle of the sexes. Of course this doesn't happen in every scene—that would get boring. Director Reiner gives us the proper dosage of everything in this film. The proper amount of comedy, romance, and the proper amount of sadness. Never is it sappy or indulgent or even presumptuous. It's a perfect film for what it's worth. The screenplay is absolutely the work of a fine craftsman—or craftsmen Andrew Scheinman and director Reiner. I don't know how long it took to write or how much blood went into it, but this film is the result of excellent work in every department. The two child stars are perfect in their roles (although Bryce could have done better), but the strength of the cast are in supporting actors. The cast is full of great actors, particularly Anthony Edwards as Bryce's arrogant, critical, smart-Aleck father, and the ever-welcome Aidan Quinn as Juli's loving, down-to-earth, tree painting father.
I wasn't completely convinced of the excellence of the film until a beautiful scene in which Mr. Baker (Quinn) and Juli go to visit Mr. Baker's mentally retarded brother Daniel, who is so happy with the world and everything in it. But this scene can't be expressed in words, you have to see it. For what it's worth, Flipped is somewhat of a deep film, full of parallels to the real world. All of the characters have the proper amount of development, even the big sycamore tree that Juli likes to sit in and watch the sunrise. Her exploits while up in that tree are so poetic and beautiful when matched up with the pictures on screen. It's a beautiful and insightful scene into the thoughts and feelings of people in general, not just a teenage girl.
In this day when films are almost all big-budget action movies with loud explosions, Flipped has explosions of its own kind. It has explosions of heart and feeling and character, all at the appropriate times. I did not find any ax to grind here. Other than the characters, plot, and screenplay, it's also a technically beautiful film. The camera captures everything so clearly with the proper color timing and excellently framed shots. After the mid-way point of the film, being surrounded by excellence, one starts to look for any reason to criticize the film. I found none. Every nuance of the film is done so genteelly and honestly, who can have a problem with it? This film achieves what movies are meant to achieve. They are meant to reach into are minds and draw us in, to entertain and to move us with fright, emotion, tears, laughs, whatever may be the subject. They are meant to create a world around us, whether in space, in the Wild West, in the future, in Bible times, or in the case of Flipped in 1960s suburbia. This film does exactly what it is meant to do. To touch and make us laugh and to remember. That's what it does. It makes us remember what happened or is happening to us. No one can give this a bad review. I don't see how anyone can pick a fight with the film. But I'm blabbing about nothing.
In short, Flipped is by far the best film I've seen this year. I do hope the Academy doesn't overlook this like they do so many other "family" films. It should at least get a few nominations, if not a win. We'll see what happens. It's only July.
www.colewebbharter.com