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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 3, 2008

KIT KITTREDGE:

AN AMERICAN GIRL

So at least "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" has a lot more on its mind - and a much more beneficial message for girls - than last summer's candy-coated movie-based-on-a-doll, "Bratz."

That's also precisely why it's such a letdown when this tale set in the Depression rushes to wrap things up with a neat, pretty bow at the end.

It is encouraging, though, to see women in lead roles both in front of and behind the camera. Patricia Rozema ("Mansfield Park") directs a script by Ann Peacock ("The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"), based on Valerie Tripp's stories. And Abigail Breslin stars, again proving she's wise beyond her years but with a childlike innocence that can melt your heart.

Breslin's Kit Kittredge is a 9-year-old aspiring reporter, living comfortably in Cincinnati with her mom (Julia Ormond, weirdly cast) and dad (Chris O'Donnell) even as her classmates' families are selling eggs to get by. Then Dad loses his car dealership and moves to Chicago seeking work; Mom starts taking in borders for cash.

Plucky, big-hearted Kit, meanwhile, befriends a pair of poor, young wanderers - Will (Max Thieriot) and Countee (Willow Smith) - at a time when hobos are suspected of crimes throughout the state. But, being a young journalist, Kit is sharp enough to observe her surroundings and ask the tough questions; she also won't take no for an answer, especially when that "no" comes from the Cincinnati Register's cantankerous editor.

It's impossible to dislike Kit and easy to see the world through her eyes. That's one of the script's great strengths: It tackles tough subject matter in a way that's accessible to young people without ever condescending.

G; 100 minutes

Christy Lemire

The Associated Press

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