Kit Kittredge (2008)
(G)
Kit Kittredge is based on Valerie Tripp's stories which take place during the Great Depression in Cincinnati, a time where the jobless roamed the streets and the middle class put up a happy and worry-free façade. A time which we are now perhaps seeing glimpses of in light of our current economic pickle.
In the eyes of 9-year-old Kit (Abigail Breslin) the conditions present opportunity as they highlight a variety of subjects that help satisfy her ambition to be 'in print' for The Cincinnati Register.
Kit's exciting summer is suddenly threatened when her beloved father (Chris O'Donnell) loses his car dealership and heads to Chicago in search for work.
As her friends' homes are taken from them in foreclosure, Kit's mother (Julia Ormond) does all in her power to keep the home by opening her saintly arms to a collection of borders. These borders provide the film with needed comedic relief, while adding twists in the plot throughout.
Despite the disapproval of onlookers and the family's extreme circumstance, Kit's kind-hearted mother still finds room to allow a couple of young 'hobos' to do chores around in the place in exchange for food. The friendship and trust between the workers is all but destroyed when their money for the mortgage goes missing and the borders' jewels, along with the two working hobos.
Kit takes it upon herself to prove her friends' innocence and investigates the matter with pen and paper in hand. Upon a visit to the 'hobo jungle' Kit is amazed by the moral decency displayed by these unfortunate poeple. She sets out to bring light to that fact by writing about these good-hearted hobos who are consistently blamed for the local crimes.
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl does a marvelous job of showing a tiny glimpse into what it was like during the great depression, for those of us who didn't live through it anyway. The film only touches upon scenes that would have happened during the Depression and rather lets the 'can-do' American spirit shine through. It shows that even without the latest and greatest toys, clothes or iPod, a child can still survive - and even have fun. A lesson that somehow skipped today's generation of 7-12 years olds.
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl is available on DVD in most US outlets.
