Alice Upside Down

I suspect it will be straight to DVD. And for good reason. It's choppy and the story line is empty. Why is there a problem with Lester and the young women in his lives? Nobody really knows. It's suddenly an issue. Why is it that Dad begins dating and suddenly stops? What really prompted the change? It would have made a good Disney channel series. Fluffy, not requiring any intelligence or thought. I wouldn't be surprised to see it on the fall lineup.

The acting wasn't bad in the least. But the script was full of holes and not much character development. Every one of them was flat on both sides. The actors did a fine job and it was delightful seeing Penny Marshall on the big screen again. She reminded me of my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Hustavet, in one segment. Creepy.

Sandy Tung undoubtedly did the best he could. (He's cute, in that middle aged, slightly rumpled way so many women find attractive.) I just don't think there was much substance with which to work.

I remember the dvd cover of this film same as the offical poster for the film. I liked it as a kid but now as an adult not so much as i cringe when i see the "fantasy" scenes where alice wishes her life would be. Penny marshall is still believable as a tough teacher. She is honestly carrying the film. Alyson Stoner well Im biased because I did have a crush on her as a child. I remember coming home from third grade and playing LPSO with my sister and we would watch this movie mutiple times along with alvin and the chipmunks, my girl and a polly pocket film we picked up at a local store named Cardenas. Also I hate that the sub plot is the rock band brother in the garage Its so cliché.

I only got this movie to watch Luke Perry. I went on a 90210 binge last year and ever since then I've been watching anything he's in, just trying to recreate the lost 90210 feeling, I guess. Perry has this way of acting that is similar in everything he's in so every time I watch one of his performances it is always like going back to Dylan, as much has he is trying to broaden his types of roles.

Anyway, about the movie, depressing. I wouldn't recommend this for a child because the themes are way too rough, I almost cried. Dude, harsh. Girl loses everything and embarrasses herself in the process, that's basically the tag of this flick. I wouldn't want my 10 year old to watch it and then wonder who she's going to lose, God forbid. And then on the other side, I wouldn't recommend this to an adult either because the acting, music, and story plays out for a children's audience. So, it make sense that this went straight to DVD. There's no audience left.

The acting itself, if you look past the mandatory made-for-children silliness part of everyone's role-playing, was pretty decent. These people are all pros so they took whatever they had to work with and did it well. The main character of Alice is pretty likable, as are the rest of the cast, but their acting and story lines were sill pretty typical.

Luke Perry was Luke Perry and that justified me sitting through the film. His acting was exactly what it was supposed to be and I loved every second of it. Such a contrast to the gunfighter character he played in the movie that came out a week before this one was released, but at the same time he has his trademark nuances that will never leave him in anything he is in and that's what I came to see. And being that I'm always just really only trying to find Dylan McKay in every role he plays, I melted in 90210-nostalgia the second Ben McKinlay met his love interest in this movie, Kelly. Hearing him say her name each time was incredible, except for the fact that he didn't once call her "Kell," that would have made this whole experience perfect! The rest of the cast were just there doing their thing, the music was also just there doing its thing, nothing too terrible, but not something the Grammy committee will be looking at anytime soon. It was a nice touch that the actors all sang their respective songs, though. They all have pretty good voices. Perry's musical talent was also a pleasant surprise.

So, all in all, if you're a huge fan of any of these actors, you won't be disappointed, as they do their thing as they should. However, if you are strictly looking for a good movie, look elsewhere. It's less feel-good than heartwarming, but even the attempts to warm the heart turn into more of a wrench in the gut.

PS -- (cough coug) *Zack Morris Wannabe* (cough cough)

I'm giving this a 10 not because it was Lawrence of Arabia or some earth-shattering, life-altering drama, but for two reasons: 1) to counterbalance the snobs who gave it a low rating, and 2) because for what it is, it was really good. Yes, it could be a Saturday morning Disney Channel show. Yes, it reminded me of Lizzie McGuire or That's So Raven and other programs of that genre. But folks, that's what it's supposed to be! Why are you trashing it when it is so obviously not trying to compete for an Oscar? I'm a middle-aged father and watched this with my son. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. Penny Marshall was a an unexpected delight.I've never seen the Stoner girl before, or most of the cast for that matter, but thought they were all very talented. No--I haven't read the book that people mention on the boards, so I don't know if was faithful or not. Does it really matter? It had well-defined characters, good interaction and lots of momentum. I'm a professional musician and I even liked the soundtrack. This movie presented a believable story about commonly shared family circumstances (okay...for middle-class white kids) treated with humor and respect. Funny, good acting, cute kids, no cursing or stupid sexual jokes, and valuable messages for teens. So, I guess I had more than two reasons for giving it a 10!

My daughters used to watch "Alice Upside Down" all of the time, which means so did I. I watched it again last night for the first time in years. It's a solid little family movie. The cast is very likeable, especially Penny Marshall. Marshall gives a very nice performance. "Alice Upside Down" is a satisfying watch.