Flawed 'American Girl' still stands for compassion, social justice

I really wanted to like "Kit Kittredge: American Girl," not just because I have a fondness for the well-researched "American Girl" books and their ability to place us in different cultures and times, but also because young Kit wants to be a newspaper reporter.

What's not to like about that?

The adorable Abigail Breslin, star of "Little Miss Sunshine," plays 9-year-old Kit. She lives in Cincinnati with her mom (Brit Julia Ormond, with an American accent) and dad (Chicago's own Chris O'Donnell) during the Great Depression.

When Dad's car dealership goes bust, he leaves for Chicago to find work. Kit worries he'll abandon her.

With no money, Mom takes in a collection of renters, including a mysterious magician (Stanley Tucci), a flirty dance instructor (Jane Krakowski) and an eccentric "mobile library" operator (Chicago's Joan Cusack).

When a crime wave hits the community, the locals automatically accuse the hobos who've holed up outside of town, even though we've already met two of them, young Will and Countee, and they seem to be honest kids who've fallen on bad luck.

That leaves Kit to use her journalistic skills to determine the truth about hobos and the crimes.

"Kit Kittredge" bubbles over with lessons in compassion and social justice. Moreover, it warns us not to fall into the trap of scapegoating, a practice to be perfected by emerging Nazis.

Directed by Canadian filmmaker Patricia Rozema, "Kit" hums along as a solid family movie, until it falls into goofy, cartoony chase mode where regular characters inexplicably revert to bumbling oafs. It's a disappointing turn to an otherwise engaging story with its heart and head in the right places.

"Kit Kittredge: American Girl"

2 stars

Starring: Abigail Breslin, Joan Cusack, Stanley Tucci, Chris O'Donnell.

Directed by: Patricia Rozema.

Other: A Picturehouse Films release. Rated G. 101 minutes. Opens today at the 600 N. Michigan Avenue in Chicago; expands wide July 2.