I wasn't much older than Harriet M. Welsch when I first watched this movie. I remember enjoying it but feeling funny about the moral aspect of it. I have rewatched it a few times since, and decided to read Louise Fitzhugh's 1964 novel before writing this review. The movie is rather faithful to Fitzhugh's work even if it is set in the 1990's. My feeling hasn't changed much after all these years, and I am still puzzled about the life lessons we find in this unusual story.
I will start by acknowledging the colourful costumes and sets and the stimulating photography. The movie is fun to watch and both child and adult actors are believable in their respective roles. Harriet the Spy follows the adventures of sixth-grader Harriet Welsch, an aspiring writer who believes snooping on her neighbours and taking notes is the best way to learn her trade. Harriet is from a well-off family and has a nanny named Golly. In the novel, most of the school children are rich and have maids and cooks. They attend a private school and wear uniforms. The movie has removed many of these elements to make the children relatable to a wider audience. But Golly is such an essential character, she could not be removed. Golly encourages the girl to write, exposes her to various people and places, but also acts as a moral compass. When under various circumstances Golly decides that her ward is old enough to fend for herself, the woman leaves and Harriet is deeply affected. Soon after, her classmates find one of her notebooks and read the harsh comments she made about them. Harriet is very judgemental in her writing, and her classmates all turn against her, even her two best friends. They begin playing mean tricks on her and Harriet strikes back. Harriet's parents take her to a psychologist because she has become mean and depressive and has been caught by a police officer for trespassing. The way Harriet finds her motivation again is through a visit from Golly and being assigned the role of sixth-grade newspaper editor so she can turn her writing obsession into something useful.
Now, I understand the notion of not talking down to children. Fitzhugh wished to present a realistic portrait of their minds and lives and Harriet is not meant to be a role model at all. Still, I don't find the outcome very believable. I don't understand how all of a sudden, Harriet's classmates vote for her as new editor after all she has done to them. They show a form of grace that is not realistic and is unjustified. Harriet is not exactly repentant, yet she is rewarded for her misdeeds. In the film, Harriet begins to write kinder things from that point on and learns to drop her hasty judgement on people. This adds a redemptive side to the story, but in the novel, she hasn't changed much and is actually allowed to publish her mean comments about people, the kind of elements she jots down in her notebooks. So, you will see why I am uneasy about the conclusion. But go ahead and watch it and you be the judge.
I will start by acknowledging the colourful costumes and sets and the stimulating photography. The movie is fun to watch and both child and adult actors are believable in their respective roles. Harriet the Spy follows the adventures of sixth-grader Harriet Welsch, an aspiring writer who believes snooping on her neighbours and taking notes is the best way to learn her trade. Harriet is from a well-off family and has a nanny named Golly. In the novel, most of the school children are rich and have maids and cooks. They attend a private school and wear uniforms. The movie has removed many of these elements to make the children relatable to a wider audience. But Golly is such an essential character, she could not be removed. Golly encourages the girl to write, exposes her to various people and places, but also acts as a moral compass. When under various circumstances Golly decides that her ward is old enough to fend for herself, the woman leaves and Harriet is deeply affected. Soon after, her classmates find one of her notebooks and read the harsh comments she made about them. Harriet is very judgemental in her writing, and her classmates all turn against her, even her two best friends. They begin playing mean tricks on her and Harriet strikes back. Harriet's parents take her to a psychologist because she has become mean and depressive and has been caught by a police officer for trespassing. The way Harriet finds her motivation again is through a visit from Golly and being assigned the role of sixth-grade newspaper editor so she can turn her writing obsession into something useful.
Now, I understand the notion of not talking down to children. Fitzhugh wished to present a realistic portrait of their minds and lives and Harriet is not meant to be a role model at all. Still, I don't find the outcome very believable. I don't understand how all of a sudden, Harriet's classmates vote for her as new editor after all she has done to them. They show a form of grace that is not realistic and is unjustified. Harriet is not exactly repentant, yet she is rewarded for her misdeeds. In the film, Harriet begins to write kinder things from that point on and learns to drop her hasty judgement on people. This adds a redemptive side to the story, but in the novel, she hasn't changed much and is actually allowed to publish her mean comments about people, the kind of elements she jots down in her notebooks. So, you will see why I am uneasy about the conclusion. But go ahead and watch it and you be the judge.