Flipped

Rob Reiner has completely lost his touch, and his slump continues with this period piece/adolescent romance set in 1963. Madeline Carroll plays Juli Baker, a sixth-grader in love with Bryce (Callan McAuliffe), the new boy across the street. We see their budding friendship through both of their perspectives, with scenes often repeated as the performers trade places and describe the events through their eyes. This is all fine; the two, especially Carroll, are appealing and engaging performers. But when it comes to the adults, Reiner completely botches things, making actors like Anthony Edwards, Aidan Quinn and Penelope Ann Miller look like lost amateurs. (Only John Mahoney, as Juli’s sweet granddad, emerges unscathed.) The strange pacing is a big problem, and I got the sense that Reiner steered the actors in ill-advised, stereotypical and melodramatic directions. Too bad, because the kids show great poise and keep their side of the story tolerable.