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"Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" Review

by Jane Boursaw on July 6th, 2008

There’s no doubt that Kit Kittredge: An American Girl glosses over the nitty-gritty dark days of The Depression. But for a G-rated family movie, it offers kids a glimpse into an era when we didn’t have so much “stuff.”

Based on the American Girl doll franchise, this movie stars Abigail Breslin as Kit Kittredge, a plucky, 10-year-old aspiring journalist living in Cincinnati with her family during The Depression. But times are hard. Banks are foreclosing on her neighbors’ houses, friends are moving away to live with relatives, and her dad’s (Chris O’Donnell) car dealership has hit the skids.

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When her dad travels to Chicago to look for work, Kit and her mom (Julia Ormond) take in a group of eclectic boarders to make ends meet: a mobile librarian (Joan Cusack, doing the ditzy librarian role she does so well), a magician (Stanley Tucci), a dancer (Jane Krakowski), and Kit’s classmate Stirling (Zach Mills) and his mom (Glenne Headley).

Kit would love to write for the Cincinnati Register, so she shows up at their office with story after story, but they’re just not fresh enough, says the burly editor. But when her hobo friend Will (Max Thieriot) is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, Kit and her friends search for clues, and she just might have the story she’s been looking for.

I love all the little details of this film – the hand-made clothes (or so they seem); colorful, flimsy fabrics so prevalent from that era; and vintage cars with so much steel and glass they make our tiny cars look like toys. Even those life-saving soup kitchens make an appearance, available to feed anyone without a job. I love how everyone works together to make the best of a bad situation.

What I didn’t like: most of the characters seem one-dimensional – Ormond as the quietly-suffering mom, Tucci as the knows-more-than-he’s-saying magician, O’Donnell as the upbeat dad. And I really wish they’d choose someone else for the ditzy librarian role – Joan Cusack is getting tiresome in those roles.

All that said, though, Breslin manages to carry the movie on her small shoulders, and this is still a charming story with some good lessons about life, love, family, and friendship.

NOTE TO PARENTS: This movie is great for kids ages six and older who like the American Girl dolls and appreciate a good story that revolves around family and friends. Language is mild, with “moron” the worst offender. Violence includes some bickering, bullying by school-kids, and a chase through the woods. Very little innuendo, except for mild flirting between adult characters.

Images: Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, New Line Cinema, 2008

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