It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Kit Kittredge is a 10 year old aspiring journalist who lives in an upper middle-class suburb of Cincinnati in 1934. Through a family connection, she boldly calls upon the publisher of a major Cincinnati newspaper and asks him to publish an article she's written. Somehow I was thinking that it might have been more interesting if the plot had gone in a different direction from the beginning. Instead of being turned down and not getting her article published until the movie is just about over (and that's the way the plot actually plays out), it might have been more interesting if somehow Kit enlists an adult to get herself published and then her articles become a sensation. Kit becomes a young "Cyrano" with her adult friend (perhaps the 19 year old gopher who Kit was put in contact with by her brother at the beginning of the film) attempts to keep the ruse going, with the publisher and the co-workers at the newspaper in the dark until the film's climax. In my 'alternative' scenario, Kit is found out at the end and 'exposed'; she falls from grace but is redeemed after her final article exposes a team of con men who have been preying upon the good members of the community.As it turns out, The Kittredge 'First Act' is replete with politically correct, anachronistic ideas. The 'hobos' are nothing more than a stand-in for today's immigrants while the kids whose families are lucky enough to escape the ravages of the Depression, mouth platitudes in school about the hobos not working and getting "government handouts". The rich kids are equated with the conservative, right-wing Republicans of today.The film's second act begins when Kit's father loses his car dealership (it's interesting that he was still able to have a thriving business as late as 1934!). The father decides to pack his bags and go to Chicago to find new employment. Kit's mother is forced to take in boarders much to Kit's chagrin. Here's where the film really starts dragging. Instead of introducing the antagonist, the plot focuses on introducing us to the collection of oddball characters who inhabit the boarding house. The machinations of these characters are supposed to be amusing but they are merely foolish (there are one too many scenes with Miss Bond, the mobile librarian, crashing her truck in the front yard along with the undeveloped character Miss Dooley who happens to be a dancer of sorts). Then there's Mr. Berk, played by Stanley Tucci, who wows the kids with his magic tricks (another scene that did not have to go on as long as it did).In addition to the boarders, Kit meets two Hobo children, Will and Countee and decides to investigate the Hobo 'way of life'. Implausibly, Kit's mother allows her to go to a hobo camp to do some 'research' for one of her articles, but wouldn't you know it the hobos are a bunch of wonderful people (despite police reports of many robberies committed by various members of their group). Much too late in the story, the Hobo children are accused of stealing all the boarders' valuables which Kit's mother had placed in what she believed to be a 'safe place'.By Act III, we've finally discovered that Mr. Berk, the magician, his associate and Miss Bond are a bunch of con artists who have been victimizing poor boarding house denizens all over the city. Since they are a bunch of clumsy fools (buffoons), Kit easily figures out (with the assistance of her young buddies) that they're the ones who framed poor Will; he's soon exonerated and the police now arrest the magician and his buddy after they are exposed by Kit and company.The denouement is unsatisfying as well. Kit's father returns from Chicago and inexplicably hasn't been able to find one job there. So he reassures Kit that he intends to remain in Cincinnati (despite the fact that there is still no work for him there). Finally, the newspaper publisher arrives and announces that he's published Kit's first article. Instead of becoming an exciting muckraker from the beginning, Kit's new found fame comes a little too late in the storyline.Unfortunately, little Abigail Breslin is once again used by adults for nefarious purposes. In the insufferable "Little Miss Sunshine", she ends up dancing in a sexually suggestive way at the end of the movie (it's supposed to be "cute" but in reality is a cynical attempt by the films' scenarists to promote an elitist agenda—modern day beatniks trumping beauty pageant snobs). Here little Abigail is also used to promote another modern-day form of elitism: the victims of today's economic woes get their shots in at today's fat cats (no doubt Corporate Executive types who get big bonuses). At least here the 'anything goes' philosophy of 'Little Miss Sunshine' is no longer operative but little Abigail once again comes off as overly pushy and aggressive(and certainly not 'cute').In the end, 'Kittredge' patronizes both adults and children alike. The film's scenarists were afraid to expose children to a dose of reality. The Depression here is reduced to a Hallmark Greeting Card with villains who are buffoons and heroes who can do no wrong. What it needed to be was another 'Wizard of Oz' with a wicked witch antagonist who is actually scary and evil and protagonists (such as Dorothy and her buddies) who have real-life, honest-to-goodness, human foibles.

It's the Great Depression, and young Kit Kittredge (Abigail Breslin) has a great life. Her father (Chris O'Donnell) is a car salesman, and her mother (Julia Ormond) is a doting, caring wife and mother. Soon, however, her world is turned upside down as all her friends suffer bankruptcy and foreclosure, and soon it affects her very family.Her father goes to Chicago to try to find work, and meanwhile her mother opens her home for boarders. Kit loves the new company, as everyone has a special story to tell, but things go downhill when her friend Will (Max Thieriot), a hobo, is accused of stealing. Kit and her young friends do some detective work to try and find the real robbers, which leads them on the adventure of their young lives.A poignant, moving, exceptional film...all the more realistic because of what people are going through in their own lives right now..."Kit Kittredge" shows the true meaning of charity, friendship and family. A truly moving piece of cinema, brought wonderfully by such fantastic young acting (especially Breslin, who is poised to become one of the best young actresses of this generation). A truly can't miss family film!

Last year, older audiences were very excited about the Nancy Drew movie. Finally, parents could share their childhood heroine with their own brood. It never came be, though. The film was full of pre-pubescent musings and left many parents disappointed. So if you fall into this disgruntled group, rejoice! Kit Kittredge: An American Girl is the film that Nancy Drew should have been. It is an inspiring story of tolerance and empathy with other human beings with a mystery backdrop. As it is set it the Great Depression, it may have more contemporary significance than intended.The film chronicles the life of Kit Kittredge, a young girl with a strong interest in journalism. It's set in Cincinnati. Kit's family is rather wealthy, but everything changes when Kit's father loses his job at some car dealership. The house is in danger of being foreclosed, so Kit's father, Jack, decides to look for work in Chicago. Kit's life worsens even more when her article concerning camaraderie in the hobo community is rejected by the local newspaper because it doesn't appeal to societal perceptions about the homeless. Meanwhile, Kit's mother, Margaret, subleases portions of the house to help pay the mortgage. Several quirky types come to live with them. The residents include: the sultry dance instructor, Miss Dooley (emphasis on Miss), mobile librarian Miss Bond, clever magician Mr. Berk and his assistant-brother, and Kit's classmate, Stirling. Two young "hobos" named Will and Countee respectively visit the Kittredge house frequently.Several painful scenes of non-plot progression later, the police report a burglary with a single (and extremely obvious footprint) as the only evidence. Whose footprint do you think it is (hint he's one of the only named hobos). Will is later accused but mysteriously not prosecuted (though he is threatened several times). He isn't the criminal, however, as Kit discovers. In actuality, the magician Mr. Berk, his wimpy brother, and the mobile librarian are the perpetrators. They have swindled money from semi-wealthy houses across the Northeast and have framed the local homeless populations for the crimes. Kit coerces Stirling and her other friend Ruthie to help her bring these clowns to justice. They convince Miss Bond that exploiting public disgust of the homeless for personal gain is unethical, and she helps them subdue the Berk Brothers. The movie ends with a heartwarming feast in celebration of Kit's detective skill and her article's acceptance in the paper, and the hobo's innocence. Oh, and Miss Dooley finds a man to seduce in G-rated stylized acting.Kit Kittredge: An American Girl is an unusual film. It begins as an overly-sentimental drama and finishes as a mystery thriller (sorta). The change is welcomed and allows the film to appeal to a wider audience. Abigail Breslin handles the transition well and channels her character's anger at having her article rejected into locating the stolen money. This change is possible due to Valerie Tripp's screenplay which peppers Breslin's dialog with analytical and humanist phrases. The other characters involved in the crime's undertaking and its solving are not as complex as Kit, so they're free to follow her transition. The screenplay does have a hole it never addresses, though. Kit's father goes to Chicago to find work, but is unable to find any prospects. How does he support himself while there? Maybe Margaret sends him money, but I'm unsure. His character leaves the story and reappears when at the end when his presence isn't necessary.The opening half of the film is its weakest portion and, to be honest, is probably unappealing to anyone outside of the intended audience. Kit's father and the poverty of her school friends aren't developed within the context of the plot. One must appeal to his/her own understanding of the Great Depression in order to have sympathy for them. It's a bit pretentious. Give me a unique reason to pity the characters, jeez. Seriously though, how many children understand the cultural and economic implications of that time in history? The theft avoids this problem by allowing someone sufficient screen time to acquaint himself/herself with the hobos and care for them. It's an incomplete film but not an intolerable one. An adult will find something admirable in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl. I suspect the adult appeal is the film's underlying message. The vagrants are not inherently evil and they are not entirely responsible for their situation. This movie reminds one of that. In an age of cynical adult-laden innuendo in children's films (see Shrek…), Kit Kittredge: An American Girl provides a welcome and encouraging divergence.

I was able to see this the other day with my child, and I must say I thought it was a decent little family movie. There were some very good lessons taught about acceptance of others, not giving up, and being happy with what you have in life. When it was over, I overheard a little girl say, "I want to see that one again." My child had the same reaction. The only complaint I have comes in the latter part of the film. Without going into details, it seems that the film unravels a bit during the third act. However, it recovers nicely, and hits the right emotional note at the end. Definitely one I'd recommend to parents and their children (both boy and girl).