Taglines: On your case!
Harriet the Spy movie storyline. Harriet M. Welsch (Michelle Trachtenberg) is an 11-year-old sixth grader and a young spy/writer who is best friends with Simon “Sport” Rocque (Gregory Smith) and Janie Gibbs (Vanessa Lee Chester). She lives a privileged life with her parents, Violetta and Ben and her nanny, Katherine “Ole Golly” (Rosie O’Donnell), who’s the only person who knows all the things that Harriet has been snooping on. Harriet and her friends are enemies with a rich girl named Marion Hawthorne (Charlotte Sullivan). For a while, Harriet lives life very well with being a spy and having fun with Golly.
One night, being home alone with Harriet, Golly invites a friend, Mr. George Waldenstein, over. And after Golly accidentally burns their dinner, the three go out to dinner and a movie instead, where things turn into a disaster. Violetta fires Golly for letting Harriet stay out late, but then she realizes that she still needs her to look after Harriet and begs her to stay. Golly tells her, however, that she was planning to leave soon since she believes that Harriet is old enough to take care of herself, much to everyone’s protests.
Shortly before she leaves, Golly encourages Harriet to never give up on her love for observing people just because she’ll no longer be with her, and promises her that she will be the first to buy her very own autographed copy of Harriet’s first novel she sells in the future. After Harriet bids Golly goodbye, she becomes depressed and withdrawn. She even gets caught when investigating the home of Agatha K. Plummer (Eartha Kitt).
The next day, she plays with her friends at the park, and disaster strikes. Marion finds Harriet’s private notebook and begins reading all of Harriet’s vindictive comments on her friends out loud, such as how she suspects Janie “will grow up to be a nutcase”, and mocking Sport’s father for barely earning any money. Everyone finds that they’re all cruel and hurtful, and even Sport and Janie turn their backs on Harriet. The kids then create a Spy-Catcher club and torment Harriet on her spy routes.
Harriet the Spy is a 1996 American family comedy film based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Louise Fitzhugh. The film stars Michelle Trachtenberg in her film debut, and is the directorial debut of Bronwen Hughes. Produced by Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies and Rastar, it was the first film produced under the Nickelodeon Movies banner and the first of two film adaptations of the Harriet the Spy books. In theaters, the remade pilot episode of Hey Arnold! was shown before the film.
Harriet the Spy (1996)
Directed by: Bronwen Hughes
Starring: Michelle Trachtenberg, Rosie O’Donnell, Gregory Smith, Vanessa Lee Chester, J. Smith-Cameron, Robert Joy, Eartha Kitt, Charlotte Sullivan, Teisha Kim
Screenplay by: Douglas Petrie, Theresa Rebeck
Production Design by: Lester Cohen
Cinematography by: Francis Kenny
Film Editing by: Debra Chiate
Costume Design by: Donna Zakowska
Set Decoration by: Gordon Sim, Arline Smith
Art Direction by: Paul D. Austerberry
Music by: Jamshied Sharifi
MPAA Rating: PG for mild language and some thematic elements.
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: July 10, 1996
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