See here for a post on the book.

---

As of today, June 17th, 2021, Flipped the movie is on Netflix.

Who would’ve thought, that Netflix actually has good taste?

So it was about time that I finally talk about this movie, and how it’s my best kept little secret.

The thing about many book to movie adaptations is that they, generally, suck. One is always better than the other by a landslide, and it’s usually the book. This makes sense, considering the story was meant to be in its original medium, which was a book. The author is most likely not a cash grabber, compared to most big time Hollywood producers, and you’re free to imagine the story to your heart’s content.

But Flipped is one of those special films that have done the book justice. Though the story didn’t originally take place in the 60’s, Rob Reiner’s brave decision to intentionally set the film during that time period to emphasize innocence, says a lot about how serious he wanted to convey the core values of the story.

The result was a comforting setting. The movie takes place in what looks like your average suburban town, the characters decked out in classic 60’s fashion. It’s no Mad Men, and is instead much more subdued, but that is the charm of the film.

In the book, Bryce has blue eyes that Julie finds herself swimming in every time she sees him. In the movie, his eyes are brown and not quite as exceptional. But the casting was still good for a book adaptation. Teenagers were actually casted to play teenagers, and everyone, well, seemed real. It played well with the book, and that is all a lover of the book could ever ask for.