Flipped wants to be a charming, sentimental look back at the first crushes of childhood, but it never quite gets there. The film, directed by Rob Reiner and adapted from Wendelin Van Draanen’s 2001 novel, follows Juli Baker and Bryce Loski as they grow from second-grade neighbors into teenagers. Juli falls for Bryce immediately, while Bryce avoids her for years until he finally starts to feel something back. The twist is that the story is told twice — once from Juli’s perspective and once from Bryce’s — which should be clever. Instead, it just repeats itself.
The problem is that the film never commits to either voice fully. It splits the narrative between Juli and Bryce, but it never lets either character have a moment that feels truly theirs. Juli’s chapters are warm and funny, but Bryce’s chapters are colder and less engaging. The film wants both to be equally sympathetic, but it can’t decide which version of the story to trust.
Trailer, via Warner Bros. Rewind.
Juli and Bryce
Madeline Carroll plays Juli as bright and unfiltered, while Callan McAuliffe plays Bryce as awkward and closed-off. Their chemistry is real, but the script doesn’t give them enough to do with it. The film spends too much time showing Juli chasing Bryce and not enough time showing why he eventually changes his mind. When Bryce finally admits his feelings, it feels less like a revelation and more like the film reaching for a conclusion.
The supporting cast is solid across the board. Rebecca De Mornay plays Patsy Loski with warmth, Anthony Edwards plays Steven Loski with a weary patience, and John Mahoney plays Chet Duncan with genuine charm. Penelope Ann Miller and Aidan Quinn play Juli’s parents, Trina and Richard Baker, as loving but worn-down figures caught between their daughter’s obsessive crush and their own financial struggles. Kevin Weisman plays Daniel Baker as a younger brother who mostly watches from the sidelines.
The young actors playing Juli and Bryce at age seven — Morgan Lily and Ryan Ketzner — are also good. They sell the early connection between the two kids without the film needing to explain it.
The Tree and the Hens
Two set pieces stand out as the film’s best work. Juli climbs an old sycamore tree in their neighborhood when it’s being cut down, refusing to come down until her father Richard talks her down. The scene is tense and well-shot, and it gives Juli a moment to be brave in a way the rest of the film doesn’t always let her be. Later, Juli raises hens from her school science fair project, selling their eggs to neighbors and giving them to the Loskis as a gift. When Bryce discovers his father has been throwing the eggs away because he fears their quality, Juli is hurt. That moment captures the film’s central tension between Juli’s generosity and Bryce’s family’s insecurities.
Both scenes work because they ground the romance in something tangible. Juli isn’t just chasing Bryce for no reason; she’s doing real, physical labor to win him over. The film’s weakest stretches are the ones where Juli’s feelings are described rather than shown.
What Works and What Doesn’t
| Element | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Juli Baker | Warm, committed performance | Too passive in Bryce’s chapters |
| Bryce Loski | Solid, believable performance | Too cold in Juli’s chapters |
| Young actors | Genuine chemistry | Limited screen time |
| Tree scene | Tense, well-shot | Overstays its welcome |
| Hen scene | Grounds the romance | Too brief |
| Split narration | Original concept | Repeats itself |
The film’s biggest weakness is its structure. Telling the story from two perspectives should add depth, but instead it just duplicates scenes and stretches out the runtime. The pacing suffers, and the film loses momentum in its middle stretch.
The film also leans heavily on nostalgia for 1950s Americana, which can feel like a crutch rather than a strength. The Loskis’ anxieties about social status and reputation are rooted in their economic situation, but the film doesn’t spend enough time exploring that context. It treats the family’s fears as universal rather than specific to their circumstances.
Final Word
Flipped is a film that means well. It wants to be a tender, honest look at first love, and it occasionally succeeds. But the split narration gimmick, the uneven characterization, and the weak pacing keep it from reaching its potential.
The film has found a wider audience through home video and streaming, which is a small comfort. It’s a nice story with a few great scenes, but it never quite becomes the classic it wants to be.
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