As the story progresses, we watch Kit as she travels to the newspaper office in an attempt to sell an article to the editor, Mr. Gibson (a scowl-wearing Wallace Shawn). Her attempts are unsuccessful, but does little to dampen her spirit. It actually had the opposite effect; the denial just drives her to succeed that much harder.
Along the way Kit adopts a homeless dog named Grace, and befriends a couple of hobos, Will (Max Thieriot) and his younger partner Countee (Willow Smith), much to the chagrin of the neighbors and the boarders in the Kittredge home.
Oh, you don't know about the boarders? Well, while Kit's father (Chris O'Donnell) has left for Chicago to look for work and help pay the mortgage, her mother (Julia Ormond) has turned their home into a boarding house, renting out space to a collection of colorful folks. Among them are a magician (Stanley Tucci), a dance instructor (Jane Krakowski), a mobile librarian who is a terrible driver (Joan Cusack), and others including a monkey at one point. Each of them add a little flavor to the film, helping show what the time period was like.
I am sure you are saying to yourself: "That's all well and good, but is there a plot? So far all you've given us is setting and some of the characters." Yes, there is a plot, one that ties in nicely with the time frame while also working towards reaffirming one's faith in humanity.
You see, the news has been getting everyone afraid of hobos as there has been a rash of burglaries being attributed to them. When a burglary occurs at the Kittredge residence, all evidence points to Will the hobo as the prime suspect. However, Kit and her friends Ruthie and Stirling, have a different idea. She puts her reporting talents to the test as she gathers evidence and uses everything at her disposal to come up with another scenario.
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