Kit Kittredge: An American Girl

Name: Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
Genre: Drama, Family
Released: June 20, 2008
Duration: 101 min
Rating: 63
Cast: Abigail Breslin, Joan Cusack, Stanley Tucci

2008

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 40 Ratings

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8.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 40 Ratings

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Kit Kittredge: An American Girl

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Movie Details & Credits

New Line Cinema | Release Date: June 20, 2008 | G

Starring: Abigail Breslin, Joan Cusack, Stanley Tucci

Summary: 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. WhenBright, 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)… Expand

Director: Patricia Rozema

Genre(s): Drama, Family

Rating: G

Runtime: 101 min

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Critic Reviews

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. Read full review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

A smart, playful, informative pleasure. Read full review

Ruthe Stein

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

Michael Ordona

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

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. Read full review

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. Read full review

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. Read full review

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User Reviews

RebeccaM.

Jul 31, 2008

Great movie, adults and children, realistic to a point, no bad language, etc. great acting.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

SherryS.

Jul 10, 2008

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 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.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

KathrynC.

Jul 11, 2008

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.

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ArtG

Jul 9, 2008

My wife and I exchanged a look early on that said "oh no this is going to be another political hit piece aimed at young skulls full of mush (e.g. Wall-E)", but happily we were wrong. I really liked the film although I must admit I actually took a cat nap somewhere in the middle. It watched My wife and I exchanged a look early on that said "oh no this is going to be another political hit piece aimed at young skulls full of mush (e.g. Wall-E)", but happily we were wrong. I really liked the film although I must admit I actually took a cat nap somewhere in the middle. It watched like a book written for that age group reads. Not to diffucult to understand and a fairy tail like ending will leave the juvinile among us satisfied.… Expand

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RoseD

Jul 19, 2008

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, 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!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

HuckleberryPie

Apr 30, 2012

The film wasn't too engaging or exciting, and had a few flaws in the execution, but it did give out an insight on 1930s history for children and kids-at-heart, without leaning so much into mindless mischief or "Home Alone"-style antics. Abigail Breslin's portrayal of Kit was also just asThe film wasn't too engaging or exciting, and had a few flaws in the execution, but it did give out an insight on 1930s history for children and kids-at-heart, without leaning so much into mindless mischief or "Home Alone"-style antics. Abigail Breslin's portrayal of Kit was also just as flat-out impressive as Bruno Ganz's dramatic performance in Downfall, or more like what Aaron Staton did in L.A. Noire, especially when Kit had to investigate a string of hobo-related robberies in Ohio.

My two-thumbs up to this film.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

ChadS.

Jul 4, 2008

Ten years, give or take a few years, the typewriter as a prop, like the rotary phone and the contraption that plays the vinyl record, will cause a segment of the audience to ask their older chagrined companions, "What the heck is that?" Ten-year-old Kit Kittredge(Abigail Breslin) aspires to Ten years, give or take a few years, the typewriter as a prop, like the rotary phone and the contraption that plays the vinyl record, will cause a segment of the audience to ask their older chagrined companions, "What the heck is that?" Ten-year-old Kit Kittredge(Abigail Breslin) aspires to be a journalist, but that's because the computer hasn't been invented yet. Her modern-day counterpart would start a blog. Concurrent to her ambitious goal of publishing an article about hobos in a Cincinnati newspaper, is the Great Depression, which might be bad for her family and neighbors, but a boon for her path course. Since there's no such thing as search engines, Kit investigates soup kitchens and tent cities to meet the homeless. In the June/July issue of the Atlantic Monthly, Nicholas Carr asks, "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" The question is rhetorical. Most ten-year-old children, not to mention, me, lack the attention span to write a newspaper-length article. The very sight of a pint-sized Lois Lane-wanna-be hunting and pecking at a Remington is nostalgia with a double-edge. In twenty-five years, give or take a few years, the newspaper as a prop, like the typewriter, will indicate that the film you're watching is a period piece. During the course of "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl", the young writer evolves into an investigative reporter when she tries to exonerate the bums from a burglary rap by playing Nancy Drew. No more puff pieces about the Chicago World's Fair for this little girl. Kit's plight to be taken seriously as a journalist is akin to every female who tried to crack the then-male dominated field. Think of Jane Fonda's character in "The China Syndrome", who rises to the occasion during a live feed in the film's final scene, or more recently, the television journalist that Christina Applegate plays in "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy". It's not just age that Kit is overcoming, it's gender, too.… Expand

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