Rated PG for language and some thematic material.
Directed by Rob Reiner (The Bucket List, A Few Good Men, When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride…)
Starring Madeline Carroll, Callan McAuliffe, John Mahoney, Aidan Quinn, Rebecca De Mornay, Anthony Edwards…
And I thought movies like this were extinct. Flipped brings good storytelling back to life!
A beautiful film… the type I’d bring the whole family to!
In the spirit of The Wonder Years or My Girl, Reiner takes us back to yesteryear when kids rode bikes to school, climbed trees and played outside.
When 7-year-old Julie met Bryce, it was first love. When 7-year-old Bryce met Julie, it was nothing close. Fast forward to junior high. Flipped follows Bryce and Julie from grade school to junior high, showing us their different perspectives along the way. The story is a journey through love, family-drama, and heartache.
The film is as hilarious as it is touching. My 12-year-old probably has a sore leg from how many times I hit it during the film (I have a bad habit of slapping the knees of my family during funny parts).
Reiner has always had the gift of bringing good writing to the screen. From Stand by Me to Misery, Reiner has proven his range. Flipped is as innocent as Reiner’s The Princess Bride, but with the relational depth of When Harry Met Sally. An amazing film from start to finish.
This one will definitely be in my BluRay collection.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Amish kids could see this. There is a cussword or two… and that’s it. Nothing objectionable at all.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
Q: What was the theme (or the message) of this movie?
A: This message has numerous themes: the importance of “family,” the pain caused by gossip/slander, and even values like courage and honesty.
Q: How should we – as serious Christ-followers — react to this movie?
A: I think many of us were probably challenged by Julie’s courage and honesty throughout the film. Julie was kind, but at the same time she was honest enough to share her feelings. Contrast that with Bryce who repressed the truth at times, hurting those around him. An example would be when his buddy was talking trash about Julie in the library and he didn’t speak up to defend her. She overheard and was devastated.
One of the greatest lessons from this movie was that of the eggs. I don’t think anyone in Bryce’s family knew the impact of their decision to throw away the eggs that were given to them by Julie each day. That decision hurt the feelings of Julie’s entire family. We need to think through the ramifications of how we respond to our “neighbors” …literally.
Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
A: We need to not be so quick to judge others. Consider how we treat others. Not just our friends, but people that are different from us… even those weird neighbors. Have we ever taken the opportunity to get to know them? Have we ever taken the time to ponder our own needs?
Jesus gives us good counsel in Matthew 7:1-5.1″Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3″Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.It’s not exactly the old adage of “walking a mile in someone’s shoes,” but Jesus’ point is a great one. When we look at people who are different from us, we must do so mercifully.
