Harriet The Spy Details

Although a rather slow rendition of the popular children's novel by Louise Fitzhugh, this comedy nevertheless has a lot of enthusiasm and nice performances going for it, which should enchant fans of the book. Harriet is the schoolgirl who spies on her friends and family, making copious observations about them in her secret notebook. It's hardly a surprise that, when the book falls into the wrong hands and Harriet's scribblings are read out, her subjects are none too pleased. While not as colourful or zippily paced as the novel, this is a quirky film from director Bronwen Hughes, which benefits from a great group of kids and a warm adult performance from Rosie O'Donnell as Harriet's nanny.

"...A sweet-natured morality tale....Trachtenberg is fresh and natural....Her interactions with O'Donnell, who lends her character the right balance of eccentricity and maturity, are particularly enjoyable..."