Review of Harriet the Spy (1996) by Kyle G — 22 May 2012
A brave, funny, not unintelligent treatise on growing up as a quote-unquote "writer," Harriet the Spy manages a well-developed and mature examination of obsessiveness: both negative (martyrdom, self-loathing) and positive (endless curiosity, occasional joie de vivre).
The movie's Marxist undertones and queasy kinderpolitik, depicted rather shakily by the "stuck-up bitch" villain character, are both a little overcooked and unnatural, but there's a lot to love in the relentless kitsch of funky, free-spirited tween life. That's of course not mentioning the face-punch-able twerpiness of Rosie O'Donnell's unwelcome performance, but the less said about that the better.
This review of Harriet the Spy (1996) was written by Kyle G on 22 May 2012.
Harriet the Spy has generally received mixed reviews.
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