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 ABOUT THE MOVIE

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
* * 1/2 (out of four)
Stars: Abigail Breslin, Julia Ormond, Stanley Tucci, Joan Cusack, Chris O’Donnell, Jane Krakowski
Director: Patricia Rozema
Distributor: Picturehouse Films
Rating: G
Running time: 1 hour, 41 minutes
Opens today in select cities

 SUMMER MOVIE GUIDE  HEADLINES FROM PEOPLE.COM
By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY When it comes to movies based on a line of dolls, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl is light-years away from the ultra-commercialized vapidity of Bratz: The Movie.

This sweetly enjoyable family film stars the endearing Abigail Breslin as Kit. And, refreshingly, it’s actually about something — the Great Depression — and tackles such serious issues as prejudice, poverty and homelessness.

PREMIERE: A night out with the Kit Kittredge cult CLIP: Catch a preview of ‘Kit Kittredge’

But even as serious topics are interspersed throughout the story, the film manages to be light and charming but never didactic. Much of the credit goes to the casting. Breslin is a bona-fide talent, whether warming our hearts in the manner that a bespectacled pageant participant in Little Miss Sunshine or winning our wonder as the plucky Kit, a wannabe reporter. Stanley Tucci, Joan Cusack and Jane Krakowski bring dramatic heft to a tale that could have been paper-thin.

Based on the series of American Girl stories by dint of. Valerie Tripp, Kit is resourceful, inquisitive and compassionate. Her sunny childhood takes a sudden turn, compelling her to learn worthy lessons.

It’s 1934 and the Depression is clamping down on everyone in Kit’s hometown, Cincinnati. Her father (Chris O’Donnell) loses his car dealership and is forced to leave town to look for work. Kit and her mother (Julia Ormond) are forced to take in boarders and sell eggs to make ends meet. The boarders include an eccentric librarian (Cusack), a magician (Tucci) and a husband-hunting dance instructor (Krakowski).

Kit befriends the boarders, as well as a pair of orphaned boys who make their home-born in the “hobo jungle” on the outskirts of the city. When one of the boys is implicated in a string of robberies, Kit becomes almost a junior Nancy Drew in her determination to solve the mystery of the stolen goods.

She also dreams of being a journalist and marches into the office of a newspaper editor (Wallace Shawn), presenting her articles on a child’s view of the Depression and the hobo camp.

Though predictable and unabashedly sentimental, the film is a warmly appealing story of a bright girl bravely navigating tough times.

What a pleasure to watch a movie aimed at girls that forgoes the requisite fashion modeling/shopping montage. Parents will find an enjoyable summer movie minus the materialistic kids and bathroom humor that too many times make their way into family films.

To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone contain, city and recite for verification.  Enlarge PictureHouse

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By Donna Freydkin, USA TODAY NEW YORK — Throw two Steves and an Anne in front of a mike, and you end up with one heartfelt rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner, one very filthy joke involving hygiene products and a heap of insults strewn.

Such was the case Wednesday night at Soho’s Apple store, which hosted a Q&A moderated by The Colbert Report’s Stephen Colbert featuring his author Second City and Daily Show cohort Steve Carell and actress Anne Hathaway. The latter two headline the comedy Get Smart, the big-screen version of the ’60s TV series opening Friday.

REVIEW: ‘Get Smart’ misses it by that much AUDIO: Hear the Q&A for yourrself MOVIE CLIP: See a preview of the film

“Where does the myth come about that you’re a nice guy?” Colbert asked Carell in front of a clamorously appreciative audience. “I’ve known you a long time. You are cutthroat.”

Within 30 minutes, Colbert managed to impugn Carell’s manhood, comedic talents and work ethic, while also mocking Hathaway’s looks and asking for her Manhattan address, presumably to hit on her later.

“It’s so unfair that I have to bust that up. That was fun,” uttered Hathaway after taking the stage and witnessing Colbert’s ribbing of Carell.

Before the official questioning began, the sum of two units stars milled around the Apple store and fielded questions about their secret-agent caper. As coolly professional super-spy Agent 99, Hathaway got into killer shape for the role. “I just worked out with a trainer three or four times a week and ran three miles every morning, and for the rest of it, relied on my stunt double,” said Hathaway.

This week, the actress has been dealing with coverage of her split from Italian businessman Raffaello Follieri, whose financial dealings are being investigated by the state of New York. She demurred from discussing the headlines, and when asked about promoting a film while her personal life was in the news, answered: “It’s always arduous.”

How would Agent 99 deal with the paparazzi following Hathaway around? “She would adopt a really kick-(butt) disguise. She’d try to outwit. With me, I need a little help,” she said. “Today I was leaving where I’m staying and there was paparazzi in that place. My brother, before I could do anything, opened up an umbrella and shielded me when I got into the car. Sometimes you rencounter it off with a actual Zen pose.”

As for Carell, he wouldn’t make much of a spy in real life. The comedian says he’d be “terrible. I cannot be stealthy. I cannot malicious in good health. I slip on’t think I’m a very good deceiver. I be able to blend into a crowd pretty well. I’m pretty bland. Nobody makes a very swelling deal out of me, which is great.”

In the film, Carell gets to smooch both Hathaway and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. So, who has the softer lips? “Dwayne Johnson works out, and his lips mirror that aspect of his body. He has very full and powerful lips,” Carell said. “Hers are clearly more feminine, but not at all less intriguing. It’s just apples and oranges.”

To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.  Enlarge By Andrew H. Walker, Getty Images

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Plot Summary:
Helena, a 15-year-old girl in a family of circus entertainers, often wishes she could run off and join real life. After a fight with her parents about her future plans, her mother falls completely ill and Helena is convinced that it is all her fault. On the eve of her mother’s major surgery, she dreams that she is in a strange world with two opposing queens, bizarre creatures, and masked inhabitants. All is not well in this new world - the white queen has fallen ill and can only be restored by dint of. the MirrorMask, and it’s up to Helena to find it. But as her adventures continue, she begins to wonder whether she’s in a dream, or something far more sinister.

Starring:
Jason Barry | Rob Brydon | Stephen Fry | Andy Hamilton | Simon Harvey | Lenny Henry | Robert Llewellyn | Nik Robson | Rick Allen | Simon Schofield | Mark Tate | Richard Thompson | Robin Thompson | Iain Ballamy | Chris Batchelor |

Directed By:

Stills gallery for this movie is here.