Now Playing
Critics & Publications
Archives: A-Z Index
Advanced Search

Upcoming Release Calendar
Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Film In Our Forums

sort by name

sort by score

53 Australia
41 Beverly Hills Chihuahua
57 Body of Lies
68 Bolt
63 Burn After Reading
59 Cadillac Records
58 City of Ember
82 Dark Knight, The
43 Eagle Eye
36 Fly Me to the Moon
41 Four Christmases
28 Haunting of Molly Hartley. The
57 High School Musical 3: Senior Year
35 How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
57 Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
52 Longshots, The
61 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
85 Milk
35 Mirrors
39 Nights in Rodanthe
45 Pride and Glory
xx Punisher: War Zone
58 Quantum of Solace
36 Righteous Kill
59 Role Models
19 Saw V
57 Secret Life of Bees, The
49 Sex Drive
49 Soul Men
36 Space Chimps
51 Transporter 3
56 Twilight
70 Vicky Cristina Barcelona
56 W.
93 WALL-E
56 Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

sort by name

sort by score

64 Appaloosa
69 Ashes of Time Redux
68 August Evening
54 Battle in Seattle
76 Betrayal - Nerakhoon, The
xx Black Balloon, The
55 Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The
50 Breakfast with Scot
63 Changeling
47 Choke
84 Christmas Tale, A
41 Cthulhu
81 Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
xx Dostana
62 Duchess, The
46 Dukes, The
63 Eden
xx Extreme Movie
69 Fear(s) of the Dark
26 Filth and Wisdom
28 Fireproof
71 Frost/Nixon
82 Frozen River
43 Gardens of the Night
73 Girl Cut in Two, A
54 Good Dick
30 Guitar, The
84 Happy-Go-Lucky
31 Hounddog
26 House of the Sleeping Beauties
47 How About You
68 Hunger
72 I Served the King of England
70 I.O.U.S. A
40 Igor
78 I've Loved You So Long
63 JCVD
27 Lake City
82 Let the Right One In
xx Let Them Chirp Awhile
xx Local Color
89 Man on Wire
84 Momma's Man
51 Morning Light
34 My Name Is Bruce
xx Nobel Son
40 Other End of the Line, The
34 Otto; or Up with Dead People
75 Pool, The
77 Pray the Devil Back to Hell
82 Rachel Getting Married
56 Religulous
32 Repo! The Genetic Opera
53 RocknRolla
57 Sixty Six
85 Slumdog Millionaire
57 Special
79 Stranded: I Have Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains
67 Synecdoche, New York
82 Tell No One
83 Trouble the Water
43 Tru Loved
83 U2 3D
59 We Are Wizards
55 What Just Happened?

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
Picturehouse


8.6

based on 27 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 15 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: G

Starring Abigail Breslin, Joan Cusack, Glenne Headly, Jane Krakowski, Chris O'Donnell, Julia Ormond, Wallace Shawn, and Stanley Tucci,

Bright, inquisitive and generous, Kit is a natural born leader. But her happy childhood is abruptly interrupted when her father loses his care dealership and must leave to Cincinnati to look for work. Kit and her mother Margaret are left to manage on their own, growing vegetables, selling eggs and even taking an assortment of boarders. When Kit’s mother and the boarders become the latest victims in a string of robberies, the Kittredges face losing their house to foreclosure. Determined to recover the stolen money, Kit recruits her friends to help her track down the culprit. Together they uncover plot that goes gar be yond Cincinnati. (Picturehouse)

GENRE(S):	Comedy \| Drama \| Mystery
WRITTEN BY:	Valerie Tripp (Kit Kittredge stories) Ann Peacock
DIRECTED BY:	Patricia Rozema
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: October 28, 2008 Theatrical: June 20, 2008
RUNNING TIME:	minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

Preteen girls – and not just those who are already American Girl fanatics – should be entranced. And why not? Not many movies for that audience are as respectful as is this one.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

One of the 10 best American movies released so far this year, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl is the surprisingly satisfying first theatrical film inspired by a long-running series of historically themed dolls.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Just about perfect for its target audience, and more than that. It has a great look, engaging performances, real substance and even a few whispers of political ideas, all surrounding the freshness and charm of Abigail Breslin, who was 11 when it was filmed.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

A smart, playful, informative pleasure.

Variety Lael Loewenstein

Anchored by a fine performance from Abigail Breslin, this wholesome, engaging entertainment offers something for viewers ages 7 to 107.

The Hollywood Reporter Sheri Linden

Offers solid, kid-friendly storytelling.

TV Guide Ken Fox

It's fun, fast-paced, educational entertainment that's fit for the whole family -- American boys included.

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

Much as she did in "Little Miss Sunshine," Breslin imbues Kit with joy.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

The period ambience, comforting yet urgent, is the best part of Kit Kittredge - that and Breslin, who never once gets actressy.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

A thoroughly satisfying and engaging children's picture that never forgets those kids probably didn't get to the theater by themselves.

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

A crime wave gives the heroine a mystery to solve and provides most of the comedy, but the film is stronger in its dramatic stretches.

The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis

In Kit’s world the absent father (a familiar theme from girls' novels including "Little Women" and "A Little Princess") is an epidemic, and the picture makes this the impetus for children's resourcefulness and emotional development.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

It's not only fresh and unassuming, but a film that serves, very nicely, the severely underserved audience of young girls.

Los Angeles Times Michael Ordona

This can be strong stuff for kids, but the film's humanistic approach preaches tolerance and hope.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Paula Nechak

It's an unashamedly old-fashioned and richly visualized evocation of a time when values were key, trust in your neighbor complete, and a way of life that should be simple is made unfathomably complex because of economic hardship.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

While the film starring Abigail Breslin as a resourceful 10-year-old is faithful to the Kit books, it's pokey where it should be perky.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Sure, this is marginal, but it's precisely in the margins that the movie excels.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

Has its heart in the right place and its head shoved well down into a box of clichés.

USA Today Claudia Puig

This sweetly enjoyable family film stars the endearing Abigail Breslin as Kit. And, refreshingly, it's actually about something -- the Great Depression -- and tackles such serious issues as prejudice, poverty and homelessness.

Chicago Tribune Jessica Reaves

Strictly a kids' movie--brimming with easy-to-swallow life lessons.

Village Voice Ella Taylor

Based on several American Girl stories about a 1930s cub reporter in Cincinnati, this dull theatrical debut especially disappoints because I'm usually fond of square, sepia-toned, period-costumed kids' movies (like Fly Away Home) that go nowhere at the box office.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Roughly speaking, the characters in Kit Kittredge may be stereotypes, but they're stereotypes with soul. And they live in a very real place.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

It's certainly been a while since we've seen a movie this resolutely old-fashioned. But while the script feels a little stiff and moralistic at times, it's hard to fault a film with such an intelligent, good-hearted heroine.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

With all the good will in the world, I couldn't warm up to Kit Kittredge. The movie is like a 1930s or 1940s short about Americans pulling together, stretched out to feature length.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

By the time it reaches an action-packed finale that's choreographed like an ancient Keystone Kops short, Kit Kittredge has cornered the market on bland.

Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones

Kit Kittredge is a dutiful bore. Still, I couldn't help but wonder if, in the face of all-out market collapse, it might serve a dual purpose as primer for kiddies on economic depression – because food stamps always taste better with a side order of spunk. Or is it pluck?

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

The director, Patricia Rozema, has a rare talent: She gets third-rate performances out of first-rate performers with almost startling efficiency. All are bland, some hardly exist at all, and as performance, the whole thing seems a waste.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 15 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Pamela W. gave it a9:
Absolutely adorable, even for grown ups!

Jay H. gave it a7:
A very sweet and entertaining film, Abigail Breslin is terrific, Julia Ormond as well. It's a feel good and fun film. Nice attention to period detail, sensitively directed. Quite good.

Rebecca M. gave it a10:
Great movie, adults and children, realistic to a point, no bad language, etc. great acting.

Tpny B. gave it an8:
What a pleasant surprise this one turned out to be. Feeling obligated to take my three granddaughters to see it, I enjoyed it at least as much as they did. Abigail Breslin, no surprise here, delivers a lovely and effective performance that was well supported by an excellent cast. (I should have taken my grandson as well; this is more than "a picture for girls.")

Rose D gave it a9:
What a fun time! This movie was a great treat for parents, grandparents and kids. The story itself was honest and open, giving kids a great glimpse into the past. It was funny, sweet, touching and exciting - and our whole theater clapped at the end. This is no whacked out, imaginary fluff, this is actually storytelling. A perfect summer treat!

Kathryn C. gave it a10:
This is a great movie to take all children to for a really good history lesson and a wonderful time of sharing what the "good old days" used to be about. I had to explain the typewriter and the record player to my granddaughter. Wonderful movie. We are going again with more friends.

Sherry S. gave it a10:
As a mother and teacher, I found this movie to be one of the best combinations of entertainment, education, character building and inspiration that I've seen. I was awed at the deep questions my 7 year old was asking about the depression, poverty, homelessness and honesty on the way home from the show. Wow! I didn't know she was ready to discuss these serious issues. Congratulations to the director, writers and actors of Kitt Kittredge. This movie is sure to be a classic. I've read some of the negative reviews of this movie. It is unfortunate that some indivuduals just don't get it. Apparently they don't have experiences with children or grandparents. This movie is pure, heartwarming, and tells a story that people my age as well as children need to hear. Let's not forget the struggles that individuals who lived in this time period lived through. The theatre I sat in had just as many elderly couples as young girls. This movie had a different meaning for them than my girls no doubt. Let's face it, there aren't many movies that can positively touch the lives of people from ages 6 to 86. Definately a classic.

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Picturehouse

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
Picturehouse