Harriet the Spy (1996)

Beautiful, moving film.

Absolutely Fantastic

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

I loved this book when I was growing up in the sixties, and I was thrilled when I found out that they made a movie out of it, but didn't get around to seeing it until last night. At first, I thought it was going to be one of those disappointing, modernized versions, mostly because of the distracting musical score, but despite the truly annoying score, the movie remained true to the book except for a few minor details. Even the toys depicted were from the era that the book was written in. I think that's so important when making a movie out of a children's book. The story is brilliant, about a little girl who wants to be a writer, so she gets her practice by keeping a notebook in which she writes down all her thoughts and observations about the people in her world, and even goes to the extreme of spying on people to get her material. When the notebook falls into the wrong hands, her world is turned upside down. I think the film does a very good job of portraying the children in a realistic light, and I could identify with Harriet's feelings as well as those of her friends and classmates. The adults in the movie, as well as Harriet's nemesis, seemed a bit like caricatures, but Harriet's character and those of her best friends were quite well developed. Definitely worth seeing if you are a fan of this book.

After seeing this movie, Harriet the Spy, I have to admit it was something. Harriet spies a lot, writes down what she learns and observe, and wants to be something in life. Too bad her friends snooped in her notebook and she got exposed. I felt bad for her after everybody found out her private thoughts and hated her for it. Sometimes kids can be relentless. I felt worse when the kids became spy catchers and interfered with her spying, including her own friends Sport and Janie. I also cannot believe they went and got blue paint all over her. I knew after that bitch Marion poured paint in her hair and got slapped in the face for it, that was going to be it. Harriet wasn't lying when she told them she was going to get them real bad, and she did. As I watched her get back at the kids that did cruel things to her, I was cracking up, especially when Laura got nailed by an unexpected haircut. Too bad for Beth's pictures she posted. Harriet vandalized them. Time to throw them away. When Carrie was looking for her bra, it wasn't pretty when she realized that bra Harriet put on a pole was hers. And look how bad Pinky and Janie's projects turned out after Harriet tampered with them. Mostly, I felt worse for Marion and Sport when Harriet said something false about her father to Marion to make her cry like crazy and when Harriet humiliated Sport in front of the whole school by posting an embarrassing picture of him. He was so broken hearted. that was going way too far and was really low even for her. Not just her, all of them. Well, I am glad Harriet's nanny, Golly, gave her advice on what to do. I am even more glad everybody forgave her and left that club Marion and Rachel invented. Besides, even though Marion may have edited the newspaper for 3 years, her writing wasn't as good. She just threw in something and got credit for it. But Harriet knows what she is talking about as the editor of the newspaper now. People are interested and they aren't laughing. You know why? Because it all makes sense. The kids get the point. Harriet had details that made sense. Marion just threw in anything, just so she could get what she wanted. That girl acted like a brat when Harriet suggested it was time to change the person who's editor. She learned that it always doesn't have to be about her, especially at the pageant. Her dancing was all right, but boring. Harriet and her friends fast and active dancing was awesome. Plus, kids really got their groove on when they were limboing on stage, especially Marion, Harriet and her friends. Also, I am relieved that Harriet got back to her spy route after she was forgiven. She is to do what she does best again and put it in article form for the newspaper.

HARRIET THE SPY, in my opinion, is an excellent spy flick. It really made me feel good and smile. I thought that Harriet (Michelle Trachtenberg) was a really good spy until Marion (Charlotte Sullivan) got ahold of her journal. My absolute favorite parts are when Harriet slaps Marion in the face after having paint dumped on her and when she tells Marion that her father doesn't care about her because he lives in Holland. If you ask me, she really deserved that slap in the face. I would have done the same thing if I were Harriet. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that the moral of this movie is that you should never write negative things about people and leave them where they can be read by others. In conclusion, I highly recommend this excellent spy flick to all you fans who have not seen it.

This is a good film. Michelle Trachtenberg makes a great Harriet the Spy. This movie is filled with comedy for the younger kids and is worth a look. I think this movie is underrated and it should have recieved more than it did. I read the book and from what I can remember, this movie resembles the book well. Thesupporting cast including Rosie O'Donnell is great. The characterization is also well done including the characters Sport, Janie and the wise cracker MarionHawthorne. Harriet the Spy has a great mix of comedy, drama and tragedy. Irecommend this movie to any young one and if you've haven't read the book, Iwould recommend you do or you might not understand this movie. *** out of ****