Alice Upside Down
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Movie Reviews of Alice Upside Down
Movie Review: Well . . . my girls liked it.
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I watched this with my two girls since I'm obviously not the target audience. My 6 year old lost interest pretty quickly, but my 9 year old liked it a lot. When I asked what she liked most she said in particular she liked the theme of finding your mentor right in front of you. There are good doses of humor in the film, and while most adults will have as hard a time sitting through this as my 6 year old did, for girls in the 8 to 12 range it's good entertainment.Movie Review: Probably would have worked better as a TV show, but okay.
Summary: 3 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Alice is an introspective 11-year-old girl struggling to deal with the awkwardness of growing up without a female role-model in her home. Having lost their mother years before, Alice and her teenage brother Lester are being raised by their father, Ben. Together, they've moved to a new town where Ben owns a music store and Alice will be starting junior high. The film takes us through Alice's first semester as a 6th grader as she deals with her constant feelings of inadequacy, making friends, her father's return to dating, a new teacher she idolizes and another she has misjudged.
"Alice Upside Down" is, not surprisingly, based on a book series aimed at preteens and written by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. The movie plays out just that way, too. It doesn't really tell a specific story, but rather follows the lead character through a portion of her life for the benefit of viewers who might relate to her feelings and experiences. For me, that works a bit better as a TV series than a movie. It CAN work for movies, but I think it would require more exciting experiences to do so. "Alice Upside Down" is successfully realistic (for the most part) and probably would work well for its very specific target audience of 6th grade girls, if they don't find it too drab, but I think as an overall "family film" it falls a little short, or at least wouldn't serve well for more than one viewing. To achieve the level of seriousness the film shoots for, it has to sacrifice the liveliness and cutesiness that made Lizzie McGuire (the series) so charming, so I'm not even sure most 11 and 12 year olds will be captivated by it. In addition, I just never found the lead character of Alice to be very likeable. At times she is a sympathetic character, but not really as often as she should be. Alice is a character who gets herself into trouble, and in the silliest ways, and though she is constantly embarrassing herself or being embarrassed by others, she never seems as believably mortified as the aforementioned Lizzie would, despite cowering a lot. And while I and surely others will appreciate that Alice is less snooty and sassy than most characters in kids' movies or shows, kids kind of are like that nowadays, so I'm not sure I'd say that adds to the realism any.
Disney Channel alumni Alyson Stoner and Lucas Grabeel star as Alice and her big brother Lester, Luke Perry (of TV's Beverly Hills 90210) plays their dad, Penny Marshall is the underappreciated Mrs. Plotkin, and Ashley Eckstein the adored and adorable Miss Cole. The acting is actually very good all around, though I have to be honest and say that Allyson Stoner doesn't really have the spark to draw me into her world. Not as bad as that dreadful young actress on Nickelodeon who can't seem to convey emotion (I'll let you guess who I'm talking about), but still not appealing enough for me to care for her Alice character in the moments that aren't tearjerkers over mother-loss or what have you. By the way, she does that thing where she talks directly to the audience in this film, and I really don't think it works here or is necessary at all. Lucas Grabeel does a pretty good job at playing the opposite of his High School Musical character here, and I'm sure both those Disney actors will draw loyal Disney Channel fans. I'm a little more old-school Disney myself, only liking a very small portion of what the channel currently runs. The highlight for male viewers in "Alice Upside Down" will undoubtedly be Ashley Eckstein, a gorgeous young actress whom I was surprised to see playing a teacher when I know she was very recently playing Disney Channel high school students herself, but I think she got those gigs with her very youthful appearance. She certainly gets the mouth watering in this film, but I've always enjoyed ogling her onscreen, even on Blue Collar TV. Definitely my favorite aspect of the movie.
Overall, "Alice Upside Down" is just an okay film, unless you are a girl in or around 6th grade who needs very little excitement or story. I realize it is intended to be a "coming of age film" as such, though more likely the first in what is hoping to be several, but I can't shake the feeling that it's just kind of TOO bland. The low-budget quality of the whole thing (something that is usually all the more evident in the music and how it is used), which looks to be lower than a Disney Channel movie's budget (probably much lower than the most recent ones), doesn't help much either. I also wasn't very big on the fantasy sequences, which felt a bit clunky in their presentation. If you or your kid is a fan of the book series though, that would surely add some excitement to seeing this film. Hey, I understand, I grew up with "Superfudge" and all that stuff (though I was more into "Bunnicula" myself). Who knows how the fans will like it though. From what little I've read about the book series (notably, one that has been praised for its coverage of the topic of sex, which makes the non-reader wonder just how the topic is handled in the books), there are some differences to be sure. The anamorphic widescreen DVD boasts a trailer, an interview with Alyson Stoner, an interview with Lucas Grabeel, and a little vid about Alice's costumes for the film. The interviews surely make nice little treats for the hardcore fans of the stars.
Movie Review: Your standard Fare
Summary: 3 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. I expected this to be a silly version of a Disney show. I have five boys, so in our house "Hannah Montana" and "The Suite Life of Zach and Cody" aren't exactly standard fare. While reading one of the many parenting magazines I subscribe too, I ran across a short blurb about this movie, and I admit I wanted to see it because Luke Perry (Dylan Mckay....He's soooo dreamy!!) played the father. While the storyline was pretty standard stuff, we knew what was going to happen well in advance, the interaction between Alice (Alyson Stoner), her older brother Lester (Lucas Grabell of High School Musical fame) and their father Ben (played by Perry) was believable. It was nice to see a somewhat realistic portrayal of sibling relationships on screen. Often times the older sibling either ignores the younger one in favor of over the top drama, or the interaction is left off screen, but for the most part Alice and Ben seemed to get along. Yes, there was some teasing, but I think their relationship was very realistic and I liked seeing that. Ben was there for his sister, or he tried to be as best he could, and I think in reality that is how most siblings behave.
Perry was a treat as well. I fondly watched 90210 'back in the day' and enjoyed his tormented portrayal of Dylan McKay. Over the years he has done some ok work, but it was nice to see him in a role more suited to his age. He seemed lost in dealing with the 'anguish' his daughter felt at being the new girl in school, and his relationship with Stoner was surprisingly touching.
Penny Marshall put in a nice turn as the 'mean teacher with a heart of gold.' Again, the interaction between Marshall and Stoner was truly believable.
I could see this as a very popular series, and I think the movie showed there was so much that could be explored regarding this family. I liked that the family wasn't dealing with silly over the top drama and were simply trying to get through things one day at a time. I even found myself choking back a bit when Ben was talking to his crying daughter.
This won't win any accolades or be nominated to any awards, but it was a nice wholesome family movie, one this mom very much appreciated.
Movie Review: Clean family film
Summary: 3 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
While some of the dialogue and situations seemed to be contrived to fit the teenage experience (the awkwardness of meeting someone, the mean or "cool" teacher, etc) , the best elements of the film were the acting of Alyson Stoner (who plays Alice) and the moments between Alice and her family.
The experience of being a teenager and the difficulties of having to pick up and move to a new place or a new school without any friends is something that many teens have to deal with, so it is good how they handle this theme. Alice spends part of the time bumbling through real experiences, part of the time imagining a better outcome, and part of the time narrating her frustrations with an aside to the audience. What she comes to realize is that we all have "growing pains" that we have to deal with, and to look for others who will support her through these tough times.
The film also focuses on the father's (played by Luke Perry) issues, such as learning how to raise kids on his own. He wants to be a good father, but sometimes isn't sure what the right answer is, and has to struggle through this.
While this is a clean family movie, it is probably best suited for the younger kids. It isn't above average filmmaking here, but Alice Upside Down has some important morals that hit close to home, and they do a nice job presenting these.
Movie Review: Great Tween Stuff
Summary: 3 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Okay, who better to watch a movie about teens with than....(drum roll please)teens? So, I got two of my three teens and we plopped down and watched this movie. It's about a girl named Alice at a new school. Her brother and her dad don't understand her and her mother is no longer living. She feels the need for a mother figure, or at least someone cool to help her be more fashionable. It's a mostly believable plot line with some cute soliloquies thrown in here and there. I usually disdain this sort of twaddle because invariably Hollywood loves to make the dad look like an idiot. This new attack on fatherhood is offensive to our family views. But, Alice Upside Down does not attack dad. Actually, dad is a likable kind of guy that you really feel for. He's trying to raise his kids without a mom around. The story is pretty cute and has some humorous moments, great for around ages 8-12 set. My 13 and 15-year-old even enjoyed it (though my kids are a little less jaded than the average. They aren't allowed to watch R movies and Pg only after we have previewed them).
The only criticism I had was that not one character in the whole movie ever thought of helping Alice learn to comb her hair. Oh well. You can't have everything. All in all, good G rated stuff for kids.