Flipped

4 stars out of 5

(note: Neal gave it 5 out of 5 when he saw it)

I was all ready to give Flipped my usual whimpy 3.5 stars out of 5, but my younger daughter, who saw it with me, talked me into upping it to four stars. After some thought, I realized she was right. This is a tender, lovingly told coming of age stories of two 8th graders who met in second grade, and their performance in the adolescent dance of love. Madeline Carroll and Callan McAuliffe are supported by a fine cast of adults, but it is really their film. The "flipped" in the title refers to the alternative point of view in the narration; half the film is narrated by the boy, half by the girl.Director Rob Reiner and writing partner Andrew Scheinman crafted the screenplay from a novel by Wendelin Van Draanen. The film is so touching that I am almost tempted to find the novel, except for this five-foot stack of reading next to my bed. In any case, watching it is a wonderful way to while away 90 minutes in a theater. After a summer of disappointing (and in some cases downright dreadful) romantic comedies, it is lovely to see one that is sweet, even if Reiner, in the end, cuts away before the film-ending first kiss.