Ian Gillmor

When I was a kid in the '90s, I was a huge fan of anything Nickelodeon. So, I of course found "Harriet the Spy" to be quite the movie for my taste. Although, while growing up, part of me wondered why out of all the movies from Nickelodeon that they could shoot, they decided that their first ever one should be based off a children's novel from the 1960s. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, of course. I mean, after all, what really gave the movie the Nickelodeon vibe was casting Michelle Trachtenberg from "The Adventures of Pete & Pete" as the titular character. I guess that counts, right? Also, as I got older, I did come to the realization that one scene from the movie seems similar to another scene from another movie from the '90s. Which one, you may ask? Well, I'd have to say the scene where Harriet is spying on Sport and his dad while standing on a makeshift ladder made from old furniture only for it to collapse right underneath her. I mean, didn't we see a scene just like that in the movie "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" where Marv builds a ladder-like structure from random junk in order to escape the basement in Kevin's relatives' under-renovation townhouse only for to come crashing down? How many of you realized the same thing? That is, if you've seen both movies. Well, anyway, even after 2 decades, I still find "Harriet the Spy" enjoyable. I mean, who doesn't want to take a trip down Memory Lane every now and again?

As a kid and then teenager in the 2000s, I did enjoy this movie. Although, I did mind a little about Fred and Daphne's wardrobe change, but what I really didn't care for the most was the slight off-color language. I mean, this is supposed to be a movie for children that's based off of a children's cartoon series from back in the day, and yet, Warner Bros. decided to make the movie grown-up oriented as well. Is that really a good combination? Child-friendliness and adult humor?