Flipped is by far the best movie I’ve seen in years.  From the very first scene to the closing credits I was captivated by the movie, and I’m still taking about it.  This movie didn’t have any intense graphics, special effects, or any A-list celebrities; it didn’t need them.  Flipped was incredible because of its simplicity.

The movie is based in the late 1950s when a new family moves into town and their son, Bryce Loski (Callan McAuliffe), catches the eye of the neighbor’s daughter, Juli Baker (Madeline Carroll).  This connection would stick with Bryce for years to come, well into junior high school.

Juli Baker is a strong-willed girl, whose mature vision of the world starts off at a young age, intimidating most of her school mates.  Falling for Bryce, she chases this immature boy for years, who wants nothing to do with her at all.  This changes, however, when Juli catches Bryce in a lie.

After seeing his lies, Juli realizes how shallow Bryce is, finally understanding how horrible he treated her all those years.  On the flipped side, Bryce’s eyes are opened to Juli’s inner and outer beauty, realizing how deep and special she really is.  Her strange habits throughout school now made sense to him, causing his heart to ache for this social outcast.  Do they ever get together?  That’s for you to watch and find out.

What I love about the movie is how they take a specific incident and give you both Bryce and Juli’s perception of what happened.  The movie points out the fact that girls mature faster than boys, as you see when each one tells of the incident and how opposite their perception is.

My favorite quote of the movie came when Juli’s dad realized his daughter had feelings for young Bryce, and she knew he really didn’t have the same feelings back.  He said “Juli, you got to see the whole picture sometimes.  For instance, a sunset is just a sunset, a field is just grass, and a cow in that field is just a cow.  However, when you blend them all together, you get a magnificent picture showing the depth of that moment; the true beauty.”

Flipped also personifies the hypocrisy of the ’50s way of life, and how everyone had to be same, or instantly become an outcast.  The same hypocrisy was brought to life in the Monkey’s smash hit, “Pleasant Valley Sunday.”

Warner Brother’s did an amazing job with this movie.  The script was well thought out and well written.  The musical scores were a blast from the past rocking some of the ’50s and ’60s greatest hits.  The acting was supurb, and photography was top notch in my opinion.  It was reminiscent to the blockbuster hit from the ’90s, Forrest Gump. Flipped wouldn’t surprise me if it wins numerous Academy Awards next year.

If you only see one movie this year, make Flipped the one to see.