Alice Upside Down
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Movie Reviews of Alice Upside Down
Movie Review: A cut above!
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
"Alice Upside Down" is the movie version of The Agony of Alice, the first book in Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's popular series. I had not read the book but I watched the DVD with a girl who vouched that the movie true to the story.
Alice is starting sixth grade as the new kid at school. Her mother has been dead for years, so Alice is looking for a female role model to guide her through adolescence. Her widowed Dad and older brother are sweet but have their own issues. At school, Alice finds a mentor where she least expects it.
The movie plays a bit like "Junior High School Musical" at times, given that Alice is trying out for Drama Club and her brother is played by Lucas Grabeel (Ryan from High School Musical). But this movie is refreshingly real and down to Earth. The issues are centered on the genuine agony of feeling that you don't belong, and that everything you touch turns into an embarrassing mess--and worst of all, thinking you are the only one who feels that way. No one in the movie is a true villain, and Alice makes her own share of mistakes such as spreading gossip without really meaning to. Alice is shown in fantasy sequences that show the difference between how she sees herself and how others see a situation--a cute way to illustrate that stage that all sixth-graders and most American Idol auditioners seem to go through.
Actress Alyson Stoner does a great job as Alice. She's all dressed up in the movie poster, but her Alice is a realistic kid. Lucas Grabeel's role as the brother is definitely more than a cameo. Though I personally didn't need to see him play his guitar with his shirt off in the band "The Naked Nomads," that might be a plus for some fans.
Finally, when I saw Luke Perry on the DVD case I thought maybe he'd play a cool teacher. Imagine my shock that he was the Dad. Yes, GenX parents reading this review, we're officially old. (Guess that happens fast to a guy who played a high schooler on Beverly Hills, 90210 well into his 20's.)
I would recommend Alice Upside Down for 9 to 12 year olds. Any girl who is ready to be clued in about the complications that come with the tween years would enjoy this movie.
Movie Review: Family film uses humor and warmth to deal with young girls' problems
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This is a direct-to-DVD movie based on The Agony of Alice, the original installment of the Alice series of books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. It's pitched at the same audience as the book, girls about 12 or younger. It focuses on some of the issues girls face in a not-too-heavy, often humorous, direct way. Nothing harsh, no swearing, no drugs, no sex, entirely "family-friendly."
Alice (Alyson Stoner), whose mother died six years ago, enters the 6th grade at a new school, in a new city, with no friends. Her father (Luke Perry) is supportive, her older brother (Lucas Gabreel) is basically OK for a brother, but she has to deal with insecurities, embarrassments, the beginnings of boy-issues, Dad dating, and a knack for flubbing things up once in a while. She seeks a mother-figure, and possible match for Dad, in one of the teachers at school. Meanwhile she's stuck with a teacher she doesn't like (Penny Marshall). And there's a school play to try out for. Alice often speaks to the camera, and there are also fantasy sequences in which she imagines things much better than they are. There are plenty of moments likely to strike young girls as hilarious. Not everything gets solved or works out as hoped, but it's all treated in a positive way.
The special features are brief-but-long-enough interviews with Stoner and Gabreel and, showing the producers know what matters, an interview with the costume designer about Alice's clothes. Outtakes run with the closing credits.
This is too well intentioned and good-hearted to nit-pick much about. It's a low-budget film with limited production values, noticeable especially in the score, but I don't think any of that will matter to most of the target audience. The acting and script are effective enough. Stoner plays Alice in an engaging, low-key way, easy to empathize with. Perry and Marshall (who must have taken far less than their usual fees to participate) play their roles sensitively. Gabreel is fun. Girls already into Anne of Green Gables or the like might not be impressed, but I think most 12 and under will find it fun and will identify with some of the issues.
Movie Review: Great cast but a bit slow
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This is a movie about a girl who has to start life over again in a new town just as she enters the most awkward time of life -- middle school. Her mother passed away when she was five and she doesn't have any maternal role models.
The cast has a lot of potential to put together an outstanding movie. I have watched Alyison Stoner grow up on Disney as "Mike's spunky (and smarter) sister" on the quickie "Mike's Supershort Show". She has developed into a fine young actress and obviously has a lot of talent in terms of acting, singing and even dancing. Lucas Grabeel of High School Musical fame is given a better opportunity to be a likable character and show his talent.
In a way, this movie reminds me of a tragic version High School Drama Queen with Lindsey Lohan. You watch as everything goes wrong for Alice and after awhile, you just wish SOMETHING would go right... And if the stuff that went wrong was somewhat funny, it would be easier to take. But very little of it is funny... just sad.
It tries to involve too many themes and does none of them justice. You find yourself feeling like you came in in the middle and missed critical pieces. Like what happened to her mom? Who is the lady they left behind in Chicago and why does the dad want to get away from her when she clearly was a help to Alice? Lucas' character gets caught dating 2 girls at the same time but we didn't even realize that he was dating one of them so that scene just seemed out of place. The dad starts dating an old high school friend but once again, that never gets fully fleshed out and doesn't really seem to be relevant.
Despite the shortcomings, I would still recommend the movie -- particularly if you have a tween-ager. I started watching this movie with my son who just started sixth grade today and his experience was pretty similar to Alice's. Kids won't be bothered by the continuity stuff but they will be able to relate to the awkwardness and the feeling that nothing ever goes their way. And, in the end, Alice does finally find her way so the movie ends on a high-note.
Movie Review: Alice Upside Down
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
ASIN B00180OU7U - I'm not much of a movie fan and am always more likely to choose a Disney flick than anything else. Alice Upside Down sounded like a good fit for me and the fact that it's tied to a book series is an added attraction. I watched it with a nine year old girl, just in case there were things I was simply too old to understand; besides, watching kids' movies with kids is always more amusing.
Alice is in middle school, which is a pretty insecure place to be to begin with - it's made worse by the fact that she seems to be compiling a stunning list of embarrassing moments and she's got THE nightmare homeroom teacher in Mrs. Plotkin. From the first day, things are not looking good and Alice copes by living a rich fantasy life in which she is, of course, popular - and not at all the embarrassing moments queen she seems to feel destined to be.
Moms will probably enjoy getting to see Luke Perry... or maybe it'll make them feel suddenly old. I think the casting there was great, since most parents of 11 year old girls now were close to that age when Perry was at the height of his heart-throbbiness; it's hard to watch the movie and not remember who you were back then, making it easy to relate to Alice and, through her, to your own daughter. Unlike many currently and recently popular movies for the age group, where kids lack manners, have a tendency to spew swear words as if they were born truck drivers, and the stories tend to revolve around more grown-up themes, Alice Upside Down strikes me as a realistic look at the life of a middle school aged girl who's going to turn out fine - if she doesn't just die of embarrassment first.
My nine year old viewing companion absolutely loved the movie and thinks my 4 stars is insufficient. (I'm taking one away because DVDs usually come with some good "extras" and I'm not seeing that here.) She hadn't read any Alice books, but she's eager to now - a major positive! Any movie that leads a kid to put their nose in a book is a fine thing.
-AnnaLovesBooks
Movie Review: Getting right-side-up
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This is a family friendly film about a young girl named Alice (Alyson Stoner) who is struggling to "fit in" at her new school. Her confident older brother, Lester (Lucas Grabeel) lacks her difficulty in coping w/her new surroundings. Perhaps Alice's biggest impediment is simply that she's well....clumsy. And dis-organized too!
Alice frequently reverts in her mind to fairy tale scenes of how she hopes things will turn out. Problem is, reality tends to not match her fantasy world. Sadly, her mother has passed away, and she only has her father Ben to lean on - at least @ first. {Ben is played by Luke Perry; seems like just yesterday he was young enough to portray a HS student in Beverly Hills, 90210 - The Complete First Season & now he is playing the father of a girl in Jr High}
We all feel for Alice in her pitfalls because, truth be told, we've all been there. When I was about her age, I tried out for the basketball team. I was mortified when I found out that I was on the last string! Her's is the age where we begin to figure out that life has a tendency not to work out the way we think it will or want it to. Children who are 10-15 will relate to this film even more than adults as they're going through this stage.
So, if you're looking for a family friendly flick, this one is worth a look. We also get to see Penny Marshall as Alice's teacher, and this is the first thing I've seen her in since Laverne & Shirley - The Complete First Season way-back-when. That made the movie even more nostalgic for me!