Kit Kittredge: An American Girl

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.