Review of Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008) by Mad Sauce — 10 Jul 2008

The first half-to-two-thirds is a wonderfully sweet, sincere, nicely crafted family film with an important (if admittedly very didactic) moral and political message about caring about others and about the Other--and then suddenly it's all completely sabotaged in a totally wrong-headed final act that is something like "Home Alone" for the Nancy Drew crowd, with Joan Cusack. It's nice to see a family movie that at least succeeds for much of its running time in being really praiseworthy though; it's a crying shame so much of its good points are so incredibly undermined. A mostly excellent cast, however (Abigail Breslin is a terrific little actress), and some production values that are almost always competent and sometimes quite lovely. A for Affort.

Note: I was the only one in the theatre with facial hair.