- Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
- NEW LINE CINEMA, $30
As Pirates of the Caribbean showed, a franchise-derived movie no longer has to be a terrible one. American Girl has wisely followed in Jack Sparrow's footsteps, securing a tight script and excellent actors for its debut feature film. The brilliant Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) is Kit Kittredge, a school-age aspiring reporter in 1930s Cincinnati whose family has to take on boarders to avoid losing their house in the Depression. When a slew of robberies puts their finances in further danger, Kit takes it on herself to clear a homeless teen's name and find the real culprits. Parents will find some plot turns familiar, but the execution and the cast—other standouts include Stanley Tucci, Joan Cusack, Julia Ormond, and Chris O'Donnell—make the film both satisfying and, in the requisite happy ending, moving. —Ages 5 and up
