Flipped (2010 film)

Flipped is a 2010 American romantic comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Rob Reiner, and based on Wendelin Van Draanen's 2001 novel of the same name. Starring Callan McAuliffe, Madeline Carroll, Rebecca De Mornay, Anthony Edwards, John Mahoney, Penelope Ann Miller, Aidan Quinn, and Kevin Weisman, the film tells the story of two eighth graders who start to have feelings for each other, despite being total opposites. Flipped was released in theaters in the United States on August 6, 2010, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It garnered lukewarm reviews from critics, and grossed $4.3 million against a $14 million budget. It has since garnered greater appreciation for its realistic portrayal of teenagers and a wider viewership via home-video and streaming services, so much so that it is now considered a cult favorite.

Plot
In 1957, 7-year-old Bryce Loski moves in next door to Julianna "Juli" Baker. Looking into each other's eyes, Juli knows it's love, but Bryce is unsettled and avoids her.

Four years later Juli is still completely enamored, rarely leaving Bryce alone. Desperate to get rid of her, he pretends to date Sherry Stalls, a popular girl Juli dislikes. Bryce's best friend Garrett tells Sherry the truth, so she dumps him. Embarrassed, Bryce hopes that in upcoming seventh grade Juli will finally meet someone else. The following year, Bryce's grandfather Chet Duncan moves in. Juli adores an old sycamore tree in their neighborhood, so when one day they start to cut it down she tries to protect it by climbing it, refusing to come down. After much attention from the town, her father Richard talks her down and it is removed. Juli is inconsolable until he gives her a painting of it, which calms her. An article is printed about it in the local paper.

Juli starts raising chickens in their backyard using chicks from a school project and they soon start laying eggs, which she sells to their neighbors but gives to the Loskis as a gesture. She is hurt upon discovering Bryce has been throwing them away because of his father's fear of salmonella. Referencing their yard's poor state, Juli is embarrassed, so decides to fix it up.

After reading the article about Juli, Chet helps her with her yard work. He grows fond of her, as she reminds him of his late wife. When Bryce's father Steven criticizes the Bakers' seeming lack of pride in their property, Chet points out they rent. Most of their finances go into caring for Juli's mentally-disabled uncle Daniel, so it's the landlord who should maintain the yard. As Chet spends more time with Juli and encourages Bryce to open his mind, Bryce realizes he has feelings for her.

Meanwhile, as Juli is encouraged to broaden her mind by Chet, she starts to question if she actually likes Bryce. Going with her father to visit Daniel on his birthday, they have a difficult but ultimately positive interaction. Afterward, Juli is told by a classmate that Bryce has been admiring her, but she overhears Bryce agreeing with Garrett as he makes fun of her and Daniel, causing Juli to completely lose interest. Unbeknownst to her, Bryce is disgusted with Garrett's attitude and distances himself from him, but they remain friendly.

Feeling bad about their apathy towards the Bakers, Bryce's mother Patsy invites them over for a family dinner. Bryce is excited to see Juli, but Juli confronts him privately and tells him that she overheard him making fun of her and her uncle, calling him a coward for not defending her. Dinner starts awkwardly, but is a success. Afterwards, Juli apologizes to Bryce for her behavior, and he realizes she feels completely indifferent to him, leaving him confused and hurt.

As the annual school basket boy auction charity event approaches, Bryce discovers he has been selected as a basket boy so will be auctioned off to the other students along with a homemade lunch. Juli discovers Sherry's plans to bid on him, but acts uninterested. Bryce hears a rumor that Sherry and another girl are going to bid for him and Juli is seen with a lot of cash, but out of sympathy she bids on rejected boy Eddie Trulock instead. Sherry wins Bryce.

During the lunch, Bryce is completely uninterested in Sherry's conversation, and instead watches Juli with Eddie. Overwhelmed with jealousy, he gets up and tries to kiss her in front of everyone, but she runs off, humiliated. Bryce runs after her, and Garrett confronts him for abandoning the prettiest girl in school. When he makes fun of Juli, Bryce definitively ends their friendship. He tries to talk to her and explain, but she won't see or speak to him.

Two days later, with Richard's permission, Bryce plants a sapling sycamore tree in their front yard to show her how he truly feels. When she sees this, she joins him and realizes that after all these years, they have never really talked. As they plant the tree, their hands touch, they look into each other's eyes and share a knowing smile.

Cast

 * Madeline Carroll as Julianna "Juli" Baker
 * Morgan Lily as young Juli
 * Callan McAuliffe as Bryce Loski
 * Ryan Ketzner as young Bryce
 * Rebecca De Mornay as Patsy Loski
 * Anthony Edwards as Steven Loski
 * John Mahoney as Chet Duncan. This was Mahoney's final film before his death in 2018.
 * Penelope Ann Miller as Trina Baker
 * Aidan Quinn as Richard Baker
 * Kevin Weisman as Daniel Baker
 * Cody Horn as Lynetta Loski
 * Gillian Pfaff as young Lynetta
 * Shane Harper as Matt Baker
 * Michael Christopher Bolten as Mark Baker
 * Stefanie Scott as Dana Tressler
 * Israel Broussard as Garrett Einbinder
 * Ashley Taylor as Sherry Stalls
 * Matthew Gold as Eddie Trulock
 * Jake Reiner as Skylers

Reception
Flipped has received lukewarm reviews. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has garnered a 55% approval rating based on 76 reviews, with an average rating of 6.00/10. The consensus reads: "While not without its nostalgic charms, Rob Reiner's sometimes awkward adaptation of Wendelin Van Draanen's childhood novel doesn't reach the heights of the director's earlier work like Stand By Me." On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 45 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Home media
Flipped was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 23, 2010.

Soundtrack

 * 1) "Pretty Little Angel Eyes” – Curtis Lee
 * 2) "One Fine Day" – The Chiffons
 * 3) "He's So Fine" – The Chiffons
 * 4) "Chantilly Lace" – Big Bopper
 * 5) "There Goes My Baby" – The Drifters
 * 6) "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" – The Miracles
 * 7) "Devoted to You" – The Everly Brothers
 * 8) "A Teenager in Love" – Dion and the Belmonts
 * 9) "When" – The Kalin Twins
 * 10) "Let It Be Me" – Phil Everly
 * 11) "What's Your Name" – Rob Reiner, Michael Christopher Bolten, and Shane Harper [Org: Don & Juan]
 * 12) "Flipped Suite" – Marc Shaiman