Serious teen romances aren't a common breed. Flipped is one, albeit with 14 years old leads, and a modestly simplified plot to suit similarly aged audience. Simplification doesn't, in this case, mean making it stupid. There are plenty of very adult elements, such as the female star Juli (Madeline) meeting her mentally retarded uncle, which is no prettier experience than it sometimes is in reality. The title refers to reversal of roles: first it's the girl who has the crush, then the boy. It may also refer to the way many scenes are shown from perspectives of both, often providing opposite interpretations of the events, which works very nicely.

That I enjoyed the movie so much may, however, be mostly because of Madeline. Her role needs someone very likable and sympathetic, and Madeline fits the bill ridiculously well. Her character Juli has had a crush for the boy across the street ever since she first saw him at the age of seven. Outstanding at fooling herself, she's convinced he's merely too shy; a true feat of self-deception. That's not her only slight oddity, which combined with her utterly sweet friendliness is certain to win sympathy of anybody. The same can't be said for the male lead, who I found awkwardly acted.

Juli at seven years of age is played by Morgan. The role is quite small, but long enough to establish that Juli's attitude doesn't change much throughout the years. In fact, Morgan is an excellent find for the role of young Juli, with great similarity in her positive energy and adorable wide-eyed naivete.