Monday, July 07, 2008

A little bit Apple Dumpling Gang, a little bit Nancy Drew,

Those were the words that Plugged In Online used to describe the newly released movie Kit Kittredge, An American Girl.

We took the entire family to see this movie last week and I have to say it is the best movie I've seen in a very long time. Hands Down.

If your girls are into American Girl Dolls then you probably already know all about Kitt Kittredge and have plans to see the movie. But even if your kids are not into the whole American Girl craze, this movie is still a must-see.

Kit is a girl growing up in the 1930s during the Great Depression. As the Plugged In review goes on to recount:
Kit's placid, semi-pampered life hits a roadblock when her dad loses his car dealership to the bank. Nobody buys cars when they can't afford food. So Dad decides to leave Cincinnati to look for work in Chicago. Mom and Kit turn their quiet home into a boarding house to make ends meet. And that's when things get not only noisy, but colorful, too.

Boarders include Miss Dooley, a dreamy dance instructor looking for a good husband; the timid Mrs. Howard and her son, Stirling, who've been unofficially abandoned by Mr. Howard; Miss Bond, a ditzy mobile librarian; and Mr. Jefferson J. Berk, magician extraordinaire. Along for the adventure are an abandoned dog and a ... pet monkey. See what I mean by things getting loud?

The tale turns on the interaction of these boarders and a teenage hobo named Will. Will and his little buddy, Countee, work around the yard and house for their food, and gradually become part of the family. Then a string of robberies brings further chaos and accusations to the town—and the Kittredge house.
Of course, fingers are pointed at Will since he is a hobo. But Kit knows he didn't commit the crime and she sets out to solve the mystery with her friends. I'll stop there so I don't give away too much, but you and your kids will be captivated throughout the entire movie.

It's a smart, funny, and suspense-filled movie and about the worst Plugged In could say about it was it had a 'darn,' a 'holy cow,' a 'golly' and three exclamations of 'oh my gosh.

The director, Patricia Rozema, had this to say about Kit:

"I loved Kit, this little reporter who wants to write, who wants to express herself, who wants to do good. So many kids' movies are about, 'Oh, I can have love, I am a princess. I own the world now.' There aren't many that show kids and adults trying to hang on when material goods aren't flowing their way, and showing that what's valuable is not material."


You may be surprised to learn that HBO Films produced this movie. I highly encourage you to support Kit Kittredge: An American Girl so we can send a message to HBO Films and other studios that we desire this type of movie for our children. Squeaky clean doesn't have to mean boring and one-dimensional characters. As was shown here, you can have great characters and story lines that touch people without having to use profanity, violence and sexual innuendo.

And take dad with you too! He just might shed a tear at the end...like my husband did.

3 comments:

The Gang's Momma! said...

We're heading there this week with friends. We've been waiting and waiting - as Kit is the doll that LadyBug has. Thanks for the review!

Kelli said...

I took Scarlett on Friday morning for a girl's morning out. I must agree with you, it was fabulous. At the end of the movie, everyone in the theater applauded. When was the last time that happened?

Stephanie said...

We even took our boys. They didn't know it was based on dolls so there was no arguement. They really enjoyed it and I didn't find it "girly" at all. If you are looking for a great kid movie, don't fear taking the boys to this one.