Felicity: An American Girl Adventure (2005)

To me, this movie is perfection.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Having stayed up way too late on Saturday night to watch a key football game that I'd recorded while out at a concert, I was feeling feverish on Sunday from too little sleep. By mid-afternoon, when I got home from church, etc., I wasn't up for anything challenging; so in order to recuperate, I went to bed for the easily-watchable American Girl double feature on the Hallmark Channel. This was the second-made, but first-shown, of the two.This review may contain spoilers, but who cares? This is one of those happy-sad family movies with no big surprises. It has all the required elements of such a film, including the loss, and threat of loss, of certain family members. But you know such elements without my saying, elements which, if well-executed, can make one weep for joy.When I first started watching, I thought, "Oh, another girl-and-her-horse story. How trite." But it turned out to be more. "More" in this case includes the following.A. There are no BAD people in this movie, not even one. Not the boy who breaks his contract of apprenticeship in hopes of joining the Revolutionary War militia, not the bounty hunters who go after him, not even the man who abuses his horse in trying to break it, the horse that Felicity loves, trains in secret, releases from captivity, and eventually owns. There are people who do bad things, to be sure, but all are redeemed in the end. ("God bless us, every one.") B. The title character, Felicity, is especially and particularly GOOD. As played by Shailene Woodley, she is forever bright and cheerful (but not overly so); and of her own volition, she commits a series of kind and generous acts toward others (doubtless due to her upbringing by good and understanding parents, played to type by Marcia Gay Harden and John Schneider), including one beyond expectation (especially for a child of 10) toward the imprisoned horse-beater, whom she had every reason to dislike and avoid. Had I watched this film when it was first released, I might be watching Woodley's "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" today. (Season 1 is on hiatus with but two episodes remaining as I write this.) I called this a weeper because in my weakened state, the tears flowed perhaps a bit more easily than they would have otherwise. But tissues were not necessary -- the overflow was caught by the blanket on my bed. Needless to say, I recommend this film, whether you're sick or not. Special kudos go to Valerie Tripp for the books and to Anna Sandor for the teleplay, writers who, along with director Nadia Tass, are responsible for creating another worthy entry in the body of American family films.

I grew up with the American Girl stories with Samantha being my favorite. Of course I adored Samantha's holiday movie and was planning to show quite a bit of favoritism as I watched Felicity's Adventure. However, I was amazed by what I saw. I had not read Felicity's stories since I was in 4th grade near ten years ago so watching the movie was so refreshing and I actually cried. Set right before the American Revolution we are introduced to Felicity Merriman the daughter of a shopkeeper in Williamsburg, Virgina. Shailene Woodlyn who played the part of Felicity gave such strength and spirit to her role. The rest of the cast did great as well. Every actor gave justice to his or her characters. The costumes and scenery were just astonishing. And ladies...your heart will flutter when you see Kevin Zegers who plays Ben Davidson, Mr. Merriman's apprentice. I strongly recommend this movie to an American Girl fan. The movie explains Felicity's life so well that even those who have no clue of what the American Girl Adventures are about will enjoy this story. There are so many historical references that stimulate thought about ones beliefs. Such as the dispute between the Loyalists and Patriots. When Mr. Cole is thrown in jail for an unjust reason, the characters are forced to choose sides and do as their hearts tell. These references allow for enjoyment for adults. This movie will grip your heart.

In 1775 Williamsburg, Virginia, Felicity Merriman is turning 10 and learning to be a proper young lady, which is what girls did in those days. But Felicity longs to be so much more. And she gets several chances in this movie to make her world better, not just sit back and let the men and the grownups do everything.Felicity's father, who runs a store, is a patriot who believes the colonies are being mistreated, but her grandfather who has a plantation near Yorktown, is loyal to the king, and the family gets into some disagreements over this. Felicity's best friend is Elizabeth, whose parents are loyalists. Elizabeth's uptight sister is Annabelle. Ben is an apprentice in the store, but he wants to join the fighting even though he is 15. Nan is Felicity's younger sister, and Rose is the family's black servant.Felicity falls in love with a wild horse being mistreated by tanner Jiggy Nye, who was a nice man until he lost his wife. Felicity names the horse Penny.Eventually, Felicity shows herself to be quite mature and quite capable of getting things done, improving the lives of those around her, and, by the film's end, showing what Christmas is really about.This is a fine film for children of all ages with no offensive content. The acting seems a little uptight, but that's common for films depicting the Revolutionary War era. The story makes it clear that even a little girl can accomplish a great deal, though Felicity seems a little too heroic to be realistic.Shailene Woodley does quite a good job as the film's hero. Marcia Gay Harden also impresses as the devoted but conservative mother. I also loved to hate Juliet Holland-Rose as Annabelle. Geza Kovacs shows a wide range as Jiggy Nye. I think everyone in a leading role does a good job.The dancing looked quite good as well. I know nothing about the minuet or other dances of the time, but the choreography looked good to me.If you're a little girl or anyone who likes warm holiday fare, this is the movie for you.

This movie is great for little girls to watch, or for any girl who grew up with American Girl stories. It is a great story in a historical context which helps children understand how our country was born, as well as how girls lived at this time in history. SO family friendly- it has great morals and lessons for children to watch in a movie. Also helps girls to understand a little bit about the divisions that politics bring among people, and how we can love each other regardless of differing opinions. Could lead to some great discussions with your girls.On the other side, the acting is occasionally predictably TV-movie cheesy...a few cringe-worthy sappy moments, and Felicity's intense love for a horse is uncomfortably obsessive. The best acting in the movie is from little Eulala Scheel, Marcia Gay Harden's (who also plays Mrs. Merriman) real-life daughter. She is adorable as Nan, Felicity's little sister. It is sweet to see such a great actress doing something so fun and memorable with her little girl. I would buy this on DVD for myself and to watch with my daughters in the future. Overall very enjoyable.