American Girl Hits the Big Screen in Kit Kittredge, Hopefully Not for the Last Time

When I was about ten years old, I fell in love with the American Girl company. First I read the books, and then I sent away for the catalogs, which I would rapturously peruse for hours, studying each of the dolls from various historical periods and marveling at all the intricate props and costumes available for purchase. My level of obsession was high enough that when Christmas arrived, I received Samantha, a Victorian orphan living with her wealthy grandmother, along with the glasses meant for World War II-era Molly and the Santa Lucia dress belonging to Kirsten, a Swedish immigrant living on the frontier in the mid-1800s. At that time, those were the only three girls in the collection. Now that number has increased to nine. One of the newbies is Kit, whose books take place during the 1930s. Though I hadn't read any of the stories pertaining to her, I trust the quality of the American Girl franchise and was looking forward to watching Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, the first American Girl movie to be released in theaters rather than on television.

Kit, a plucky ten-year-old who dreams of being a reporter, is played by Abigail Breslin, and she's only one of the big names in this charming piece of historical fiction. Others include the dashing Chris O'Donnell as Kit's doting dad Jack, who leaves town to search for work after he is laid off early in the film; the explosive Wallace Shawn as Mr. Gibson, a newspaper editor who sees reporter potential in Kit but isn't about to print one of her stories unless it genuinely wows him; Joan Cusack as eccentric mobile librarian Miss Bond; Stanley Tucci as Jefferson Berk, a charismatic magician with a ridiculous mustache; and Colin Mochrie of Whose Line Is It, Anyway? as a kindly hobo Kit and her friends encounter in a settlement just outside of town.

The context of the tale is the Great Depression, and the situations may ring all too true for many of the children watching. Job loss is rampant, and many of those accustomed to extravagant living find themselves having to drastically alter their lifestyles in order to scrape by. Kit's compassionate mother, Margaret (Julia Ormond), copes by opening her home to boarders. She also hires on Will (Max Thieriot), a teenage transient with a strong work ethic, in exchange for food. Kit's home becomes a place of constant activity, and she and her loyal friends, wealthy Ruthie (Madison Davenport) and destitute Stirling (Zach Mills), are always on the lookout for a promising lead that could win her that much-desired publication.

There's adventure aplenty in this wholesome tale, which encourages generosity, determination and tolerance. It's rare these days to see a G-rated movie, especially a live-action one; Kit Kittredge feels like a throwback to the glory days of family-friendly films. I would certainly consider it appropriate for children and adults to watch together; the movie is likely to entertain as well as educate viewers of all ages. Ann Peacock's script, based in part on the books written by Valerie Tripp, is full of fun little twists that keep even adults guessing. All the clues are laid out so that the audience can draw the correct conclusions, but they are subtle enough that if you'd rather just go along for the ride and be surprised, the solutions to various mysteries won't necessarily jump right out at you.

I was impressed by every aspect of this movie, from the excellent cast to the clever plotting and the attention to detail with the costumes and props. I especially loved Kit's tree house and the cart that she uses to sell eggs later in the movie. Although I've been a fan of American Girl for many years now, I found this movie even better than I expected. Nothing about it suggested to me that it should have been put on television like its predecessors; if anything, it made me wonder if perhaps the earlier films should have gotten the theater treatment as well. I'm eager to investigate that matter, and I hope that, although Kit didn't make much of a splash at the box office, she won't be the last of the American Girls to hit the big screen.