While not as zippily paced as the book, and the film can get predictable and a tad corny, it is entertaining thanks to the spirited acting and the enthusiasm that shapes this movie. The script is well written and quite mature and funny, and the premise about a girl who spies on her friends and family and writes about them in her notebook, is a nice one. The direction is good, the tone of the film is quirky and the performances are great. Michelle Trachtenberg is perfectly cast as Harriet, Trachtenberg was a very promising child actress and this is proof of that. Eartha Kitt is great as Agatha, and Gregory Smith and Vanessa Lee Chester both give spirited turns as Sport and Janie. As Harriet's nanny, Rosie O'Donnell is a really pleasant surprise. Here she gives a very warm performance, and I do think she was better than she was in The Flintstones, where I did like her but she didn't quite have the voluptuousness of her character Betty. The film is well shot, with a nice soundtrack. Overall, not perfect, but definitely worth watching. 7/10 Bethany Cox
Review of Harriet the Spy
