Customer Reviews

Alice Upside Down

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

"Alice Upside Down," based on the "Alice" series of books from Phyllis Reynolds Naylor explores the ups and downs of being a pre-teen girl. Alyson Stoner ("Camp Rock," "Mike's Super Short Show") portrays Alice McKinley, a young girl who's mother died when she was five and has grown up with her big brother Lester (Lucas Grabeel of "High School Musical") under the guidance of their widowed father, Ben (Luke Perry, "Jeremiah," "Eight Seconds," "Beverly Hills, 90210").

Moving into a new town can be tough for a young girl, especially if she's a tomboy with a wild imagination. Alice feels that she can't do anything right and always seems to end up in embarassing situations. She dislikes her new teacher, has a tough time making friends and doesn't understand why girls think her brother is cute. Lester seems to have adjusted to his new home quite nicely. He's in a band, has a few girls after him and his grades are decent enough. Ben has also adjusted to his new digs. His music shop is a success and he's started a relationship with an old friend.

While this sounds like a typical Disney Channel or Nickelodeon film, there are some tough issues that are addressed. Ben struggles with the loss of his wife. He also battles his relatives over how to properly bring up his children. Alice deals with all of the normal problems that face young teens and pre-teens, but her mother's death weighs heavy on her as well. She is desperate to fit in, but her male-driven upbringing makes her stick out like a sore thumb. She also has a problem of forming an opinion of people before actually getting to know them. This especially comes into play when a supposed villain becomes a best friend.

The cast is excellent. The youngsters in the film do a fine job. There's a slight "Babysitters Club" vibe running through the whole picture, and they convey this with ease. Two of the adults should be easily recognized. One is the aforementioned Perry and the other is the wonderful director/actress Penny Marshall. Marshall's role is a bit limited, but her character is key to the development of the story.

What's best about this film is the fact that the adults face up to their problems without the usual "all is lost" mentality. The kids act like kids, and respond as expected. Alice does act a bit older than she really is, but she's the voice of reason for the young audience. She actually gives some solid advice to younger viewers.

This DVD comes with two brief and very unnecessary interviews with Stoner and Grabeel. They basically answer questions culled from the pages of "Bop" and "Tiger Beat." Also included is a brief featurette on the many costumes that Alice dons during the film and trailers for upcoming films.

While the heavier issues in this film might be depressing, this film is primarily lighter fare. The bond between Ben and his children is nice to see on film and I'm glad that teachers are shown in a positive light. Also, the kids aren't strung out on drugs or having sex every five minutes.

Overall, "Alice Upside Down" is a positive film about dealing with day-to-day issues for junior high kids. It's not the most moving film out there and the humor is primarily geared towards the pre-teen set, but your entire family should enjoy this film. Recommended to anybody with kids aged six and up.

This movie wasn't bad at all. There is so much that's generic and junky about Alice Upside Down that it's hard to pick out the bright spots, though the issues involved in this carries the film for me.

Penny Marshall's appearance as Mrs. Plotnik has a nice resonance--that is, until the script gives her a medical crisis to test Alice's new-found allegiance. Luke Perry looks realistically lost in dealing with his onscreen daughter's dilemmas. But then he turns around and rejects the advances of a successful former classmate because he has "too much on his plate." Huh? Perhaps the most endearing character is big brother Lester. With his Kewpie doll face and slacker shaved head, he comes across as relatively well-adjusted. Sure, he picks on his sister relentlessly and is seen as kind of a womanizing sneak, but he also comforts Alice when she's down and does a good job of being there when the circumstances require. Lucas Grabeel, of High School Musical fame, does a good job of traversing his mandated territory quite well. Too bad everything else about Alice Upside Down couldn't be so casual and carefree. It's the perfect example of forced family fare. Recommend for mild entertainment.

This had some cute moments, but there were a few times when I thought it wasn't age appropriate. It seems geared toward 6th graders. However, there were a few times when there were veiled references to sex (usually in relation to the older teenage brother or dad). Also, for most of the movie, Alice seems to be the exact opposite of a role model - sleeping during class, wanting to stay with the hot teacher, etc. Fortunately, the movie ends well. The relationship with Mrs. Plotkins was a nice twist - it's too seldom that teachers are portrayed as role models, especially older ones. I think for parents it's definitely worth watching this movie over once and making sure it's appropriate. It's probably fine for most kids, but there are some borderline situations.

The main thing I want to get across is that 'Alice Upside Down' is, in fact, a true "family movie," that is actually free of the typical Hollywood over-the-top stuff that a family with tweens can't watch (at least comfortably) together.

This is mostly very light material with a few issues that, while depressing, are handled in a positive light with good role models shown.

There's a positive vibe that sat well the entire film - for this parent.

Alice (Camp Rock's Alyson Stoner) moved to a new town with Her Dad (90210's Luke Perry) and her brother Lester (High School Musical's Lucas Grabeel). Being a new kid in a new area is hard. Being an independant person is harder.

She in her own mind is the coolest kid in school, however in reality she is off center, off key and strange to most. Can she fit in is the point.

Lead by her new english teacher (Penny Marshall, in one the best roles she has had in years), she teaches Alice. And Alice learns she is special even when her world sometime is upsidedown to many.

This is a cute film, similar to ones that Disney Channel runs. One would hope another film comes soon, this small film is one of those films that you don't need special effects to pull on your heart string with good old fashion family values. The humor and warmth is there and the cast is good.

To watch and enjoy this film, You just need a heart to watch and an open mind to what a family film really is.

I would wish there was a commentary, would love a director or cast insight..but alas like alice, this cool feature isnt on this production

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

There's hundreds (if not thousands) of films aimed at the pre-teen and teen markets that aim to provide a valuable life lesson. This is certainly nothing new. But many of those films also suffer from a distinct lack of anything resembling reality, so the target audience often finds the lessons lost or muddled in between all the flash and fantasy. Not so with this one. The lead performers all look and (more often than not) act "real". And with the decent production values and good performances, the message of "Alice Upside Down" comes through loud and clear, and rings true.
Recommended.

I liked this film a great deal. The story follows Alice and her older brother and widowed father as they move to a new neighborhood. Alice faces all the typical insecurities of someone entering their teenage years. Luke Perry plays the father and Penny Marshall appears as Alice's teacher. Alice's adventures are an emotional rollercoaster and the story provides an opportunity for the characters to grow and face the difficult feelings they have held within. Occasionally Alice's character goes into narration mode to reflect on what the character has learned or experienced. The lead actress does a superb job of playing the part in a way that helps the audience relate to what Alice is experiencing. This film is well-paced and contains a number of musical elements. This film is suitable for all audiences.

I just ordered this movie here on Amazon for my husband and myself to rewatch, and we are definitely not "tweens."

The character of Alice is so refreshing; she makes mistakes in ways that are human, not "movie corny." Even more surprising, she doesn't lie to get out of scrapes, she just walks headlong into them and experiences the consequences.

In fact, I found little about this movie actually corny - certainly none of the main characters were. Luke Perry played a great dad, the aunt was portrayed as meddling, but without causing any major blowups to reroute the focus of the story. The brother's role was small, but funny. Penny Marshall was just plain loveable. And Alice was definitely the star.

Teen actress Alyson Stoner (Cheaper by the Dozen), portrays Alice McKinley in "Alice Upside Down," a young girl whose life is disrupted when her father moves her and her brother to a new town a few years after her mother has died. Luke Perry (Beverly Hills 90210) plays Alice's father, Ben McKinley, and Lucas Grabeel (High School Musical) plays her brother, Lester, in a movie that feels a lot like a Disney made-for-TV special. While most of Alice's problems stem from the fact that she has been struggling to figure out how best to behave like a lady without much in the way of a female role model since her mother died several years earlier, she is also unusually challenged by innate clumsiness and tone deafness.

The joy of watching Alice come to terms with each setback and embarrassment is what makes "Alice Upside Down" most fun, and young girls will enjoy the vicarious thrill of seeing someone so smart and pretty bumbling through the kinds of situations that most of us run into much more than we'd like in adolescence. Some of the issues dealt with in "Alice Upside Down" feel heavy at times, as Alice confronts her father about his difficulty integrating poignant memories of the past (in the form of old home movies and pictures of his wife) with the new life he's building in the new house and town.

While the main story line of how Alice can develop her sense of identity in a new town even when things seem to keep going wrong is fairly good, there are some choppy aspects to "Alice Upside Down." The movie's frequent use of voice-over narrative in which Alice looks and speaks directly to the camera kept reminding me that this is "just a movie," and the character development seemed a bit flat and two-dimensional. I would have loved to know more about the other characters than this movie showed... such as why Alice's dad started dating and then suddenly stopped, for example.

One of the strong points of "Alice Upside Down" is that the actors are fabulous and the cast is strong enough to really hold viewer interest, so even predictable plot development and a made-for-TV vibe didn't dissuade me from watching the movie all the way through to the end. I really loved seeing Penny Marshall playing the role of Mrs. Plotkin, Alice's teacher, and I loved the heart-warming ending of the film in which Alice gained an appreciation for true friends in unexpected places.

I recommend this movie for fans of Alyson Stoner, Luke Perry, Lucas Grabeel, and Penny Marshall... and young girls who can handle a movie that deals with serious issues of mortality (death and illness).