One of the best children’s movies ever, in fact, even if I allow 3 slots for the Spy Kids Trilogy, I think it still makes my top ten. It’s just great. Bronwyn Hughes is a really vibrant director – I’d love to make this a double bill some day with Forces of Nature. They’re both among my guilty pleasures. In this movie, there’s a great image when Golly (Rosie O’Donnell), Harriet’s baby-sitter of sorts, leaves Harriet (Michelle Trachtenberg). They both have umbrellas and as Golly’s taxi leaves, Harriet’s umbrella is left in the road. Another following scene makes good of Golly’s name – Harriet, feeling lonely as Golly was her own personal Jiminy Cricket, cries into a pillow, saying, “Oh Golly Oh Golly Oh Golly Oh Golly,” seriously cute stuff.

And Hughes gets the kid mentality. The way loyalties change and friendships die and rebirth in the school environment is pretty well presented. And the fun of being a child is never better than the scene in a mysterious woman’s backyard. As Golly says, “There are as many ways to live as there are people on the earth, and each one deserves a closer look.”

I hope to read the book on which the movie is based some day. ‘Cos this is a great little story. Sequel, now!

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 10th, 2004 at 5:52 pm in 4 hearts, Movie Reviews and tagged as cuties, spy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.