Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
Release Date:
June 20, 2008
Wide Release July 2, 2008
Limited release
Movie of the Day for Sunday, August 5, 2007
See other Movies of the Day
On the Big Board |
Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
73/98 |
David Mumpower |
She's just too spunky for me. |
In a world where Bratz dolls are all the rage, Mattel’s American Girl division has gone an entirely different way. Rather than dress up dolls in slutty attire and make them look like Vegas waitresses, this brand has created a unique looking series of toys intended to teach kids a history lesson. These dolls are given a back-story with the intention that girls might like them enough to want to read more about the time period in which their dolls are based. The fact that such a marketing strategy is successful is amazing to me, but the American Girl collection is such a huge success that Picturehouse Entertainment has adapted one of them into a theatrical release.
The doll in question is Kit Kittredge. I will let Mattel’s sales copy do the heavy lifting in describing who she is. “Kit Kittredge is determined to help her family through America’s Great Depression. As a girl growing up in 1934, Kit sees her dad lose his business overnight. Now her days are filled with worry about whether her family can save their house. Kit pitches in at home all she can, struggling with an endless list of chores that keeps her constantly busy. To escape the hard times, Kit loves to write. Seated in front of her typewriter, she fights the Depression with words. But are words enough to keep hope alive? Can she help her family find a happy ending?”
While I suppress the urge to make roughly 700 jokes about the above, let’s focus on the positive. Little Miss Sunshine herself, Abigail Breslin, has been cast in the title role. She won BOP’s heart in that movie to the point that we named her Best Supporting Actress last year. Also, unlike the Bratz movie adaptation, a storyline for this Kit Kittredge pretty much writes itself. We already know who she is, what she’s about, and we have cause to root for her. Can her writing ability win back daddy’s farm? Shirley Temple, Little Vicky and I all say yes! (David Mumpower/BOP)
Vital statistics for Kit Kittredge: An American Girl |
Main Cast |
Abigail Breslin, Stanley Tucci, Joan Cusack |
Supporting Cast |
Chris O'Donnell, Julia Ormond, Glenne Headly, Jane Krakowski, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Wallace Shawn, Josette Halpert, Max Thieriot, Madison Davenport, Zach Mills, Willow Smith |
Director |
Patricia Rozema |
Screenwriter |
Ann Peacock |
Distributor |
Picturehouse |
Trailer |
Click Here for Trailer
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Official Site |
http://www.kitkittredge.com/ |
Rating |
G |
Screen Count |
1,843 |
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Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture |
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