Customer Reviews

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" is certainly heartwarming and innocent, but that doesn't mean it's shallow and cloying. I admit that I thought it would be, mostly because I was expecting a virtual clone of last year's awful "Nancy Drew." There are certain similarities: both feature plucky young girls who do a lot of investigating; both have an assortment of colorful side characters; both are based on a series of stories, both feature Max Theroit. Unlike "Nancy Drew," however, "Kit Kittredge" aims to tell a good story with real subtexts; taking place at the height of the Great Depression, we meet characters that are downtrodden and desperate, not only because their financial situations are bleak, but also because they face the scorn and rejection of ignorant people. This adaptation of stories drawn from the "American Girl" doll line mixes childish zeal with some very mature themes, and that alone made it worth seeing.

Abigail Breslin brings enthusiasm, charm, and heart to the title character, a ten-year-old girl from Cincinnati, Ohio who runs a tree house club and dreams of becoming a newspaper reporter. She wants to write stories with fresh angles so that she can finally get into print. A pair of hobos--a helpful teenager named Will (Max Theroit) and his young friend, Countee (Willow Smith)--inspire Kit to write an article on hobo life. The fresh angle is that it will be told entirely from a kid's perspective, which may be needed in this case since many adults feel hobos are good-for-nothing leeches that suck the government dry. Kit has heard this rhetoric from her neighbors and classmates--one especially snotty young boy says that selling eggs and wearing dresses made of chicken feed bags bring you one step closer to the poorhouse.

But Kit is beginning to understand the hobos' plight, not only because many of her neighbors have lost their homes to foreclosures, but also because her unemployed father (Chris O'Donnell) is forced to find work all the way in Chicago. Hoping to make ends meet, Kit's mother (Julia Ormond) turns their home into a boarding house. This is how we meet: Ms. Dooley (Jane Krakowski), a husband-seeking dance instructor; the disapproving Mrs. Howard (Glenne Headly) and her young son, Sterling (Zach Mills); Ms. Bond (Joan Cusack), a slightly goofball mobile librarian; and Jefferson Burke (Stanley Tucci), a magician. When the subject of hobo robberies comes up, Mrs. Kittredge has everyone put their valuables in her lockbox. When it's stolen, everyone suspects Will as the culprit, including the police. Kit takes it upon herself to investigate. Despite what the evidence suggests, she believes her hobo friend is innocent.

It fairly obvious that "Kit Kittredge" is a commentary on prejudice; at one point in the film, Kit tells a cantankerous newspaper editor (Wallace Shawn) that there are good hobos and there are bad hobos, much like good apples and bad apples. She then gets a hard lesson in office politics when it's revealed that newspapers print only what the public wants to read, and the unfortunate truth is that the public is intolerant of hobos. Naturally, those who say this haven't met the people living in a hobo jungle, as Kit has; they're some of the nicest people around, and they willingly let Kit photograph them and write about them for her article. Messages of acceptance and understanding are not new, certainly not for a family film. But unlike a lot of other such stories, "Kit Kittredge" doesn't condescend, and when we leave, we feel both entertained and emotionally rejuvenated.

Aside from Kit, one of the film's best characters is Sterling, who at such a young age has already been beaten down by life. Sterling's father, much like Kit's, also left Cincinnati to find work, and communication with his family has steadily decreased. You see nothing but hurt and sadness in this boy's eyes. He and Kit are practically in the same boat, which is why they form a special bond. Kit is now worried that her father will forget her and her mother completely, even after promising to write them every single week. I remember a scene when Kit types a letter to her father; the frustration and fear she pours into the first draft makes for a heartbreaking moment.

I can't guarantee that adults will be as receptive to "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" as kids will, but I definitely recommend they give it a chance. The doll may be a hollow piece of plastic, but the character is something else entirely--she's kind, spirited, intelligent, and just plain wonderful. Some may criticize the film for being too sentimental, and indeed, it's light-hearted and optimistic, more than would be expected from a story set during the Depression. But it's more mature than it lets on. Even with a childish sense of humor, hopelessness and grief are not spared on the audience. It's always a pleasure to see a family film that was made with all audiences in mind, not just kids. "Kit Kittredge" is such a film, one of the most enjoyable I've seen all summer.

Coming from a 16-hear-old girl like myself, this review may be of little help to some people. But to tell my honest opinion, this movie is a good one. And when I say good, I mean it's good. It's clean, has a fun storyline, GREAT actors, cute moments...and altogether leaves you feeling satisfied. While boys and men may not find much they like about it, I would recommend giving it a try. Little girls, teenagers, and moms alike have all told me they loved it...so why wouldn't you? :)

Kit Kitteridge: An American Girl is based on the best selling American Girl Kit Books authored by Valerie Tripp.
Kit's story begins in the 1930's during the Great Depression. Kit's father, Mr. Kitteridge, owns a car dealership. Her mother, Margaret is the director of the Ladies Garden Club. Kit's brother Charlie, is serving in the CCC, created by President Roosevelt. Kit aspires to become a newspaper reporter and to one day see herself in print with the Cinncinati Register. However due to the events of the Great Depression, Kit and her family's world is turned upside down. Mr. Kitteridge becomes unemployed after the bank forecloses on his car dealership. Due to the umployment situation in Cinncinati he travels to Chicago looking for work. Margaret Kitteridge along with Kit take on the responsibility of turning their large home into a boarding house. The boarders are an eclectic mix of individuals from different backgrounds. Stirling Howard, a classmate of Kit's and his mother Mrs.Howard, Miss Dooley, a dance instructor, Miss Bond, the local mobile librarian who can only stop the mobile library if she runs into something, Jefferson Berk, a magician who has a mystery of his own, and Fredrich, the boarder whose pet monkey is always keeping everyone on their toes. Kit and her mother also befriend Will and County, two young hobos who come to the Kitteridge home looking for work and a sense of family. Of course an American Girl story would not be complete without some excitement which comes in the form of a mystery for Kit and her friends to solve. This movie features a wonderful cast of character actors: Abigal Breslin as Kit, Chris O'Donnell as Mr. Kittredge, Julia Ormond as Margaret Kittredge, Jane Krakowski as Miss Dooley, Max Thieriot as Will Shepherd, Glenne Headley as Mrs. Howard, Joan Cusack as Miss Bond and Stanely Tucci as Jefferson Berk.

I watched this with my 11,9, and 3.5 year olds. We enjoyed it. It was clean and entertaining. My 11 year old said it was not in line with the book, but still enjoyed it. It gave us a lot of topics for discussion. Based on the depression era, we were able to discuss economy, prejudice and family. Two thumbs up from us.

I really enjoyed Kit Kittredge. I thought the film was an important and interesting portrait of life in Cincinnati during the Great Depression. As a Cincinnatian, I enjoyed seeing our city portrayed on the big screen and could relate to a lot of the local references.

The film was not the most fast-paced film I've ever seen, but it more than made up for it with its storyline. This movie is at once a drama, mystery and historical fiction. I walked away from the film still thinking about it, which is the sign of a good film to me.

The acting is terrific and includes acting giants and others I believe will be the acting giants of tomorrow. This is not one to be missed.

Compared to all of these crude 3-D animated movies,the repeated Super hero flicks, and the Rated R movies that have gone too far, there is finally a movie that is good without without the phony glitz and glamor! In fact, this movie teaches kids to be thankful for what they have and forget all of that nonsense. It is educational without being boring. It is interesting and has something for everybody in this movie. I recommend it for the whole family. You MUST go see this.

It's such as shame that A+ film making like Kit doesn't do well @ the box office. I saw it 3 times & there were no more than 5 people each time in the theater. SO SO SAD! I will b buying this on DVD not just because I want it but also to support everyone behind Kit's creation. This will b one dvd you can give ANY young person boy or girl look them dead in the eye & say, 'IT'S ALL GOOD' Everyone behind Kit desirves an Oscar!

What a refreshing change! In a world of increasingly violent, filthy, and vulgar movies, Kitt Kittredge stands tall and proud. In essence, this is a solid story with a splendid cast.
The story revolves around its title character, Kitt (Abigail Breslin), a plucky eleven-year-old who deals with peer pressure, drastic changes in her life-style, rejection, etc., etc.
The movie flows well and has a relatively plausible story-line, which at times prompts audible laughter from the audience. There is a serious side,too, including threats (laughable though they may be) against the children and a visit to a hobo "jungle," or camp. I appreciated how they portrayed the hoboes as honest people who were down on their luck. Kitt puts it quite well.
The movie is full of talented young actors and actresses - Max Thieriot, from Nancy Drew and Zach Mills, from Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium; as well as pleasantly familiar faces such as Julia Ormond and Chris O'Donnell. And that's just dropping a few names; you'll recognize at least three other faces.

Not sure why the other reviewer says that dvd is good enough. What an absurd thing to say. I also read some bad reviews on other websites for the image quality on this blu-ray, which I don't understand at all. The image looks lovely and it's very nicely rendered.

The movie is an above-average film for kids. It's rooted in everyday life harsh realities, without forgetting to be fun. It's not depressive at all, on the contrary, it tries to show the value of keeping your spirits up against adversity. The first half of the movie is more about the drama and it's more "realistic", the second half plays more like a classic old Disney kiddie mistery film. In the end the title character makes some growing up, and there's the happy ending we all want. The movie manages succesfully to have it both ways througout.

This is a good movie for families, and if you have a young girl in your family that likes the American Girl series, she will enjoy it especially. Abigail Breslin nails a performance that carries the movie, and the look and feel of the movie evokes the time period well. As such, this will most likely get multiple viewings in your house and it's just marginally worth purchasing.

The theatrical aspect ratio of this movie was 1.85:1 and this release has the picture cropped down to a widescreen-TV-matching aspect ratio of 1.78:1. While that only represents less than a 4% loss of picture composition (unless it was open-matted to gain extra height from the original negative), I'd prefer it if movie studios didn't modify the composition of their movies on Blu-ray or DVD.

Even though there are trailers for other American Girl movies, there is no trailer for the movie on the disc. I wish that more studios would do this, as it provides a way to see how the movie was marketed at the time and it's something that should be easy to include.

Normally, I'd like to see more extras on a disc to make it worth purchasing. Such extras reward those who choose to purchase instead of rent and it allows them to get more enjoyment from the title that goes past just watching the movie.

If you can get it at a good price, this DVD is worth purchasing if you have an American Girl fan in your house.