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Movies / On DVD / Harriet the Spy
Harriet the Spy

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Harriet the Spy (1996)

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38 %
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Reviews Counted:26

Fresh:10

Rotten:16

Average Rating:4.8/10

Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: The film adaptation of Louise Fitzhugh's bestselling children's novel, about Harriet, an independent, intelligent girl whose aspiration to become a writer ultimately lands her in some very hot... The film adaptation of Louise Fitzhugh's bestselling children's novel, about Harriet, an independent, intelligent girl whose aspiration to become a writer ultimately lands her in some very hot water... Encouraged by her sharp nanny, Harriet secretly begins writing about her observations of the world around her. This includes VERY candid (and often uncomplimentary) things about her schoolmates and buddies, including her two best friends. But Harriet's life is turned upside-down when classmates find her treasured notebook and read it aloud for everyone to hear. Feeling insulted and betrayed, the kids then retaliate against Harriet in the cruelest of ways. The young writer, now hated, isolated and embarrassed, must find a way to rebound from this unenviable situation. [More]

Starring: Michelle Trachtenberg, Rosie O'Donnell, Vanessa Lee Chester, Gregory Edward Smith

Starring: Michelle Trachtenberg, Rosie O'Donnell, Vanessa Lee Chester, Gregory Edward Smith, Eartha Kitt

Director: Bronwen Hughes

Director: Bronwen Hughes
Story: Louise Fitzhugh
Screenwriter: Douglas Petrie, Theresa Rebeck
Composer: Jamshied Sharifi

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Harriet the Spy

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

...smart, good-natured and fun.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ian Freer
Ian Freer
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

At least they didn't make the nanny's umbrella handle a talking parrot.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
02/14/02
Washington Post

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
04/12/02
Globe and Mail

...in busily updating the '60s story for the more worldly '90s, the filmmakers have ended up, ironically, with a product much more naively juvenile than the original.

Full Review Source: Slate | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ann Hulbert
Ann Hulbert
Slate

While the well-loved novel was apparently about the admirable battle a kid must wage in order to become an artist in the face of peer disapproval, the movie seems to be about a mean-spirited tyke who has no scruples.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
01/01/00
Barbara Shulgasser
Barbara Shulgasser
San Francisco Examiner

...doesn't live up to its promise as a movie that could have had a lot of fun exploiting the ingenuity-themed construct.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christine James
Christine James
Boxoffice Magazine

A very draggy affair because Harriet’s exploits are treated like an episodic laundry list.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
02/09/02
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

A below mediocre adaptation of the popular novel that is nonetheless served well by the two female leads, but all representative of the adults world (parents, teachers, psychologists) are narrow, standard-issue constructions.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
10/30/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Hollis Chacona
Hollis Chacona
Austin Chronicle

Harriet the Spy is an intelligent, insightful look at the tribulations of being a creative, misunderstood misfit at age eleven.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Fresh and charming, it never plays down to kids.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe

[The] movie really is supposed to be for kids after all, and since none of the material is too dark, it should do a decent job of keeping them entertained.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Like the novel, Harriet the Spy is a rare children's story that celebrates the budding artistic spirit.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
07/17/02
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
02/14/02
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

Nick's methodology is way, way, outta synch with the spirit of Louise Fitzhugh's award-winning book.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
John Paul Powell
John Paul Powell
Jam! Movies

There's dancing, and bubble blowing and bed bouncing that's entirely aimless and Harriet's neighborhood sleuthing becomes particularly pointless.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Keith Simanton
Keith Simanton
Film.com

No review available.

comment Comment
09/21/05
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
Zap2it.com

Harriet the Spy has real character in some of its details, but it never feels like much more than a low-budget TV show.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Peter Stack
Peter Stack
San Francisco Chronicle

No review available.

comment Comment
02/24/03
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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