“Mansfield Park” director Patricia Rozema delivers a prudently nostalgic depression-era dramedy about 11-year-old Kit Kittredge (well played by the irrepressible Abigail Breslin) of the American Girl book series.
Kit wants to write editorial essays about the Great Depression from a “kid’s-eye-view” for her local Cincinnati newspaper.
The dire 1934 economic crisis comes home to roost when her father (played by Chris O’Donnell) loses his car dealership and leaves his family to look for work in Chicago.
Kit befriends a couple of child hobos named Will and Countee who take her on a tour of their homeless existence, while Kit’s mom (well played by Julia Ormond) opens the family’s house to boarders in order to keep up their mortgage payments.
A rash of burglaries points to Kit’s friend Will as the prime suspect, and she sets out to solve the crimes with the help of her two best friends. A talented cast that includes Joan Cusack and Stanley Tucci, elevate the movie above its after-school-special limitations.
Rated G. 100 mins.
