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We live in a jaded culture fascinated with torture
("Saw V") and violence (pick any new film that's come out)
so it's refreshing to actually see a film that has a story
focusing on compassion and that has some heartwarming qualities.
"Kit Kittredge-An American Girl" may not have people torn
apart by torture devices but it has a solid drama at its
heart and its heart in the right place.
Based on the popular series of novels, "Kit" takes
place in the heart of the Great Depression (something that,
sadly, is reflected in our current climate) where there
are homes being foreclosed upon, honest people forced to
become hobos begging for work and children that suffer as
a result of a lack of insight from the adults and government
around us. 10- year- old Kit (Abigail Breslin in a winning
performance) lives a sheltered life with her friends until
her father's (Chris O'Donnell) prosperous car dealership
is taken back by the bank leaving Kit and her mother (Julia
Ormond) struggling to make ends meet by turning their home
into a boardinghouse. Kit who wants to become a great reporter
finds material all around her in the treatment of hobos
and even with the way her family is treated once the Great
Depression touches their life. Determined to share her experience
she continually submits her pieces to the local newspaper
taking each rejection as a challenge. When crime reaches
out and touches her family, Kit uses her abilities as a
reporter to try and bring justice to her young friend Will
(Max Thieriot) who is unjustly accused of the crime. Featuring
winning turns by Jane Krakowski ("30 Rock"), Joan Cusack
and Stanley Tucci, "Kit Kitterdge" is winning, earnest and
an enjoyable family drama that will keep both adults and
kids on their seats.
Director Patricia Rozema never dumbs down the drama
nor does she insult the intelligence of her audience by
reducing this into a simple feel good movie. The script
by Ann Peacock nicely captures the warm characters of Valerie
Tripp's novels without reducing them to simple stereotypes.
This is an all around entertaining and enjoyable film that
got lost in the shuffle of big budget superhero and monster
movies from July and hopefully it will be rediscovered on
home video. ---
Image & Sound:
"Kitt" features a warm, colorful looking transfer with
nice detail and sharp image quality. Flesh tones look terrific
and the period look of the film is nicely captured. ***
Audio sounds extremely good with a nice 5.1 mix that
relies on the surround speakers primarily to provide ambience.
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