"Kit Kittredge" began well, and I was impressed by the nice sense of period that the film invoked. Then, after about a half-hour or so, everything went awry, and I got too large a dosage of heavy-handed screenplay and direction. Let me hasten to say, however, that any shortcomings are not the fault of little Abigail Breslin, who is wonderful in the title role. Chris O'Donnell, who plays her father, is quite believable too, as is a nicely understated Max Thieriot in the role of young hobo Will Shepherd. On the debit side, Joan Cusack overacts by a wide margin as mobile librarian Miss Bond, and so does Wallace Shawn as newspaper editor Mr. Gibson. I suppose the main weakness, as so often happens in the motion picture industry, is the shallow script. It is way too manipulative and predictable. I could guess most all that might happen, with everything being tied up in a nice, comfy package by the final iris. Nope, that is not life, and it is also not effective storytelling. The "bad guys" are portrayed as buffoons, simply comic relief (complete with cartoonish music), and of course the downtrodden folks in the hobo community come little short of sainthood, one and all. If you want a truly great American Girl movie, go instead for "Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front," which is outstanding in every respect.
Review of Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
