After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008): Dir: Patricia Rozema / Cast: Abigail Breslin, Chris O'Donnell, Julia Ormond, Joan Cusack, Max Thieriot: Charming family film about realizing one's potential. Set in 1934 during the Great Depression, Kit dreams of being a reporter but after her father loses his job at the bank, her mother opens her home to strangers. A string of thefts occur and the local hobos are blamed. Although sometimes corny, director Patricia Rozema is backed by superb art direction that captures the period as well as provide creative sets. Abigail Breslin is winning as Kit who observes all who arrive but ultimately sets out to clear the hobos of blame. Chris O'Donnell is seen briefly as her father and the role is a waste for an actor capable of more. When he arrives home in the conclusion, no one is surprised. Julia Ormond plays her mother whose generosity is endless. She will no doubt not have time for Kit's ventures but her resources for the needy are inspiring. Joan Cusack plays a librarian who boards there but thankfully she and another boarder allow the film to cross unpredicted grounds that give the film an appropriate mystery appeal. Max Thieriot is also featured as a young friend who also embarks on this adventure with her. Aimed at families with mystery, humour and adventure plus a theme that regards sticking together when the odds seem overbearing. Score: 8 ½ / 10

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.

Inspired by a popular doll, this film about a family struggling to make ends meet during the depression of the 1930s is entertaining if formulaic and predictable. Everybody is so nice and politically correct that it's enough to induce nausea for adult viewers, which is OK because this one is aimed at tweeners and young teens who read the American Girl books. The filmmakers have thrown in every cliché one can think of and the schmaltz meter hits a pretty high score by the time the happy ending (this should not be a spoiler for anyone) comes around. The cast has a lot of familiar faces and Breslin does look like the doll.

Kit Kittredge (Abigail Breslin) is the only child of a Cincinnati couple in the 1930's. An aspiring newspaper reporter, Kit spends some time in her room, tapping out her stories on an old typewriter. Her father (Chris O'Donnell) owns a car dealership and her very pretty mother (Julia Ormond) takes care of their lovely home, where she often hosts garden teas. But, the Great Depression is gripping the nation and soon Mr. Kittredge is out of work and traveling to Chicago to look for a new job. Meanwhile, Mrs. Kittredge is forced to take in boarders to make ends meet, including a dancer (Jane Krakowski), a magician (Stanley Tucci), a mobile librarian (Joan Cusack), an uptight mother (Glenne Headley) and her young son. Also arriving on the Kittredge's doorstep are two young hobos, teenager Will (Max Thieriot) and pre-teen County (Willow Smith). These latter two youngsters will do any odd jobs in exchange for food and Mrs. K. welcomes them over the objections of neighbors. But, will the Kittredge family save their home? Also, will Kit see her fondest wish and get published, all the while solving the mystery of who took her family's safety box of money and other costly possessions? This is a nice, nice film for American families with young girls. Breslin is enchanting in the title role, exhibiting her sweet spunk and contagious enthusiasm at all times. The supporting cast is likewise wonderful, with O'Donnell very fine as the sensitive father and Ormond, especially, doing a terrific turn as the beautiful, courageous mother. All of the other supporting cast members previously mentioned, along with Wallace Shawn as a stuffy newspaper editor, fulfill their roles handily, too, with special mention extended to young Willow Smith for her nice interpretation of the part of a young drifter with a big secret. The film looks sensational, from the Kittredge's gorgeous home and grounds to the costumes to the wonderful cinematography. As to the script, it is a nice combination of history, intrigue, and the triumph of the human spirit, especially the hope and new possibilities that children bring into the world. Even though the direction could have been a bit snappier, the film rolls along nicely, too. In short, this is a lovely film for young girls and their families, with abundant laughs, lessons, and love. Do skedaddle over to the nearest theater and make time for Kit and company. Then, head to the library as well, for the books which inspired the film are very, very fine indeed.