On Screen / Linda Cook

Movie review:‘Kit Kittredge’ deserves packed house

By Linda Cook | Friday, July 18, 2008 | () comments

Abigail Breslin stars in “Kit Kittredge: An American Girl.” (Picturehouse) Buy this Photo

“Kit Kittredge: An American Girl”

3 ½ stars

Running time: 96 minutes

Rated: G, with nothing offensive for any audience

Stars: Abigail Breslin, Julia Ormond, Wallace Shawn, Chris O’Donnell, Joan Cusack and Stanley Tucci

Screenwriter: Ann Peacock

Director: Patricia Rozema

There I sat, alone in the dark, trying to figure out why no one else was in the theater for “Kit Kittredge: An American Girl.”

First, I determined, few parents were willing to take their daughters to the after-10 p.m. showing of this adorable movie. Second, it was July 3, so maybe everybody was coming home from the fireworks.

Third, maybe few people had heard of this delightful family show.

Let me try to remedy that third one.

If you don’t know what American Girl dolls are, you probably don’t have a little girl in your life, so you probably haven’t read this far anyway. If you do know what American Girl dolls are, you realize they are a phenomenon. And with their intelligent approach and accompanying books, they enrich the lives of countless girls who love them.

Yes, there’s a Kit Kittredge doll, book and accessories, and, yes, there’s even a Web site (I encourage you to visit it with your children: kitkittredge.com). But you don’t need to have the doll or anything else involved to enjoy this gentle, smart movie that’s set during the Great Depression.

Kit (played by Abigail Breslin, “Little Miss Sunshine”) wants to be a reporter. She taps away on her typewriter and works hard on stories that she hopes will see the light of print in the Cincinnati Register. In the meantime, she and her mom (Julia Ormond, “Sabrina”) and dad (Chris O’Donnell, “Kinsey”) live happily and well, thanks to the success of her dad’s car dealership.

But hard times loom. The dealership closes and Kit’s dad has to go to Chicago to look for work. To keep from losing their house, Kit and her mom work hard to take in boarders (among them Joan Cusack’s enchanting librarian) while they wait for word from her dad. Meanwhile, Kit’s friends’ parents are losing their homes and turning to selling eggs to stay away from the “poor farm.”

Kit and her mother befriend a couple of child hoboes who earn their keep by mending fences and the like. When a mystery presents itself, Kit is the only one who can come up with the real answer and prove the innocence of the accused.

This is aimed squarely at grade school and junior high girls, but adults will love Kit, too.

Take your kids and take your friends. This quality film doesn’t deserve to play to an empty

theater!

Linda Cook reviews movies for GO! and KWQC-TV6. Contact her at (563) 383-2400 or lcook@qctimes.com. Comment on this review at qctimes.com.