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Alice Upside Down (NR, 2008)

common sense media says

New-girl story with appealing Disney cast.

parents & educators say
See all 10 reviews | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie is about an 11-year-old girl whose mother died five years earlier trying to negotiate a new school and find the right role model. A cherished teacher must leave school for heart surgery, but recovers. The tween heroine suffers what she considers incredible social embarrassment, repeatedly.

Positive messages: Positive messages about the need to discover one's talents and gifts, and not feeling discouraged if you are not always the star of the show. A close and supportive extended family is depicted.
Positive role models: Alice lies to her teacher and is sent to the principal's office, and is
rude to her father at times. Siblings snip but are generally supportive
of each other.
Violence & scariness: Not applicable.
Sexy stuff: Mild innuendo from teen son to widowed father about his "needs." The same teen sings in a band called Naked Nomads and is pursued by female fans. Adults talk to kids about someone being "hot" in high school, and the father and his new girlfriend share one romantic on-screen kiss.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Build-A-Bear boxes and bears are heavily featured. Gateway computers show up in a few scenes.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on Alice Upside Down

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about Alice's efforts to get assigned to a new classroom. Why is the choice of her teacher so important to her?
  • Discuss some of the events that Alice considers humiliating -- are they really so bad?
  • Have you ever had a teacher like Mrs. Plotkin, and was there anything you appreciated about her afterwards?

What's the story?

What's the story?
In ALICE UPSIDE DOWN, 11-year-old Alice McKinley (Alyson Stoner) has a double challenge: to adjust to life as the new kid in school in Silver Spring, and to find a female role model who can help negotiate the mysteries of growing up in the absence of her deceased mom. Her father (Luke Perry) and brother Lester (Lucas Grabeel) are well-meaning but clueless about Alice's inner turmoil, which reaches a fever pitch as the curtain rises on the school play. Will Alice learn to value her true gifts instead of coveting the successes of her classmates?

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

The movie, based on the book The Agony of Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, strikes the right note about the trials and tribulations of the middle school years. Girls from age 10 to 13 will relate not only to Alice's anxieties, but to her rich inner fantasy life in which she is rich, popular, beautiful, and favored by her teachers. It's nice to have a movie aimed at tweens where the pining is not for a cute boy, but for a friendly teacher.

The studio put together a cast sure to tap into Disney's audience, combining High School Musical's Grabeel with Camp Rock's Stoner. Both are appealing in their roles, and Grabeel gets a chance to sing again, albeit shirtless as part of his band's shtick. Alice's evolving relationship with her tough-as-nails teacher Mrs. Plotkin (Penny Marshall) rings true. Perry acquits himself nicely as the father dipping a toe in the dating waters again, though he doesn't quite seem old enough to have a teenaged son.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment
Director: Sandy Tung
Cast: Alyson Stoner, Lucas Grabeel, Luke Perry
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 90 minutes
Theatrical release: July 25, 2008
DVD release: July 28, 2008
MPAA Rating: NR
This review was written by Nancy Davis Kho
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members

vrumayo90210
teen, 17 years old
 
THEY RUINED THE BOOK!
This is the stupidest movie in the world! I have read the whole Alice series and this is nothing like it!! This is the worst adaptation from a book to a movie! Read the books! Don't watch the movie, it's nothing like it!!!
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kwajkid1
parent of 9 year old
9
 
Serious issues regarding death of parent -- not sleepover material
We chose this movie for a sleepover, not the best setting for watching it! I was unprepared for how heavily the movie deals with issues relating to Alice's mother's death 6 years ago. Issues are handled in an age-appropriate manner, but I was not expecting to encounter them. My daughter said "this is a sad movie" and snuggled with me much more than usual -- as she is 9, I guess I will take y snuggles when I get them ...
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MovieLover4Lyfe
adult
9
 
Fans of Disney will recognize many of the people in the film. Fans of the book series might enjoy this movie version although the books were, I think, far better. The death of Alice's mother is a heavy topic throughout the movie.
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tangled
teen, 14 years old
5
 
The only reason I added the extra star is because I LOVE the songs. When I watched it I kept on fast-forwarding it just so I could watch the auditon for the school play.
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pinkzebra97
teen, 14 years old
8
 
Another Disney Movie
It's a fluffy disney star movie about a girl who has big dreams (: Okay for anyone eight and up, I didnt find much wrong with it at all!
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kehsnickers
teen, 15 years old
13
 
Great Movie!
The movie is great! Build-a-bears are heavily featured, though it was filmed in Saint Louis. Alice sets an overall good role model for girls as she overcomes some rough times and learns some important lessons.
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AlinaW.
teen, 16 years old
8
 
The movie was good, but the book was BETTER . . .
Although this movie was based on the series "Alice" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, I honestly thought the book was MUCH better. The movie was good of course, but I didn't enjoy it as much as a 14 year old then I would have reading the book again. The Disney cast was well known, but not who I "imagined" while reading the book, so that was kind of a let down. I'd definetly reccomend the books to anyone who has seen this movie, would like to see this movie, or thinks this movie could have had a "little bit more" in the way of plot line, because the book definetly makes up for it! I'd also reccomend the Alice pre-quels to anyone age 9 and up!
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CatLover123
kid, 12 years old
8
 
Not bad
Nothing wrong with it! I Love it
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TeamEdward
kid, 12 years old
5
 
Why do you have to wait till you're 8 to see this?
This movie was...incredibly stupid. I'm not a big fan of any of the stars in it and it wasn't really funny as I expected it to be. Was this a Disney movie? One thing is that the parents share a 'passionate' kiss. Otherwise, this movie is totally appropriate.
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lexalolu
teen, 14 years old
7
 
Good
Not the best movie, but interesting. I enjoyed, but i'm not picky. May appeal to little girls because of alyson stoner and Lucas grabeel. 9+ P.s wow, i just sounded a freakish amount like those brief kid reviewers on here whos reviews i hate to read. I will never do that again.
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