An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Tween mean girl meets her match in Chrissa.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie packs a wallop of a message about bullying, but manages to entertain in the process. Watching as a family would be an excellent way to approach the topic of bullying as it may affect the children in the household. A new kid in town is picked on mercilessly by her 4th grade classmates. A recently deceased grandpa is discussed with tears and smiles. One character is mildly injured in a diving accident. Children of diverse sizes and ethnicities are depicted.

  • Meaningful lessons about standing up to bullies, being a friend, telling the truth, and coping with difficult times come through with minimal preachiness. Children of diverse sizes and ethnicities are depicted.
  • A close and caring multigenerational family is depicted. One character is
    picked on when her status as a temporary resident of a homeless shelter
    is inadvertently revealed.
  • A diving board accident is portrayed in a non-graphic way.
  • Not applicable.
  • Not applicable.
  • Since the movie comes from the American Girl empire, it's bound to fuel desire for the Chrissa, Sonali, and Gwen dolls; as well as books, clothes, and accessories.

What's the story?

In its first movie not focused on an historical figure, American Girl chooses a pertinent 21st-century topic with AMERICAN GIRL: CHRISSA STANDS STRONG. Engaging new girl in town Chrissa (Sammi Hanratty) is shy but determined to make new friends when she starts fourth grade at her new school in Minnesota. She doesn't count on the Mean Bee posse, led by blonde and brittle Tara (Adair Tishler), who do all they can in person and online to thwart Chrissa's determination to fit in. Well-meaning parents and a clueless teacher don't appreciate the depth of the problem that Chrissa is trying to handle alone. The bullying escalates to affect others in Chrissa's life before she realizes that she has to stand up for herself.


Is it any good?

 

Thanks to great casting, understated child actors, and a strong vein of humor (in the form of Chrissa's imagined torment of her oppressors) Chrissa Stands Strong manages to skim the melodramatic after-school special feel that it might otherwise have. Hanratty and Tischler are perfect foils, and the evolution of side characters from doormats to strong girls is nice to observe. It's a relief, too, to see these modern 10-year-olds dressing and acting like children, not tiny adults. Michael Learned makes an appearance as a widowed grandma with a penchant for llamas, 30 years after The Waltons.

But the most valuable part of this movie is the way that it can pry open the door between parents and kids about the issue of physical, mental, and cyber-bullying. The parents, played by Annabeth Gish and Timothy Bottoms, make some missteps in how they handle Chrissa's woes, as do school administrators. Kids and adults alike may come away from this movie with a heightened awareness of the dangers of bullying, a better sense of how to identify it, and best of all, some approaches for addressing it.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about Chrissa's travails. Have you, or any of your friends, been subjected to similar treatment? How have you tried to solve the problem?

  • What are clues that a problem you may be having is too big for you to
    solve alone -- when should you involve an adult, whether it's on your
    behalf or on behalf of a friend?


This review was written by Nancy Davis Kho
Kid, 12 years old
May 17, 2011
 
Stand up to bullies!!
This is a good movie, but kind of depressing. In one of the scenes, Chrissa's brother gets hurt after the bully calls him a chicken and saying that he can't jump from the diving board. This has a good message though!!!

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Parent
October 21, 2011
 
Zero tollerance = saving our children emotional scars.
This is a wonderful movie for both boys and girls. I believe the movies shows the dangers of bullying. Kids will get the messages from this movie. Many times our kids do not fully understand the difference between telling and tattling. tattling ( telling something about someone to get them in trouble. telling ( telling to get help for yourself or others). This movie can be used as a teaching tool to inform children about bullying. Bullying should not be a right of childhood passage. To combat this problem, I think we need to have a zero tolerance, and immediate consequences for aggressive behaviors. We need to have programs in school to educate our teachers, children about bullying.

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Adult
November 21, 2009
 
In the hands of the wrong 4th grader, this film is the ultimate ‘for dummies’ guidebook to power and popularity though bullying, manipulation, cruelty, fear, humiliation, and snobbery without empathy, regret, regard for others, or concern for consequences. If your daughter is a Queen Bee, a Sidekick, a Banker, or a Pleaser/Wannabee/Messaenger, be advised- this film could give them the tools to perfect the sophistication of their power strategy (Read Rosalind Wiseman’s “Queen Bees & Wanna Bees” to find out more). The most powerful, gut wrenching, impressionable moments of this film all revolve around the cruelty of the bullying and the success of the bully and her posse. In her book “Consuming Kids,” child psychology expert Susan Linn touches on the dangers of presenting material for children in which the destructive elements are more powerful than the positive elements. The most powerful messages that children take away from this movie concentrate on the immensity of a bully’s power to control, manipulate, and hurt those who get in her way. Even though the point of the movie is to discourage kids from giving in to bullying- the negative power emphasis means that this film has the potential to convey the message that going along with bullies is better than fighting against them and that being a bully is the best way to achieve popularity. While this film does portray a disturbingly honest look at the power of school bullies, the conflict resolution at the end is dangerously unrealistic. When Tara finally confides in parents and teachers about the bullying she is experiencing, the bully automatically looses her power over the entire school and Tara and the bully become friends. Bullies don’t just abdicate their thrones because someone tattled. This film reinforced all of the reasons why girls shouldn’t talk to their parents about bullying.

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Kid, 11 years old
April 15, 2011
 
Stand up from bullies
I had watched this movie at school one day and It had made me rethink the bullying thing . After the movie I started to buy American Girl dolls happily I stoped .

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Teen, 14 years old
January 22, 2009
 
Awesome, Awesome, Awesome Movie!!!
I LOVED this movie!!! "Chrissa Stands Strong" is about a 5th grade girl named Chrissa. Chrissa moves to a new town. But there is a group of girls called the "Mean Bees" and they make everyone's life miserable. In this movie, Chrissa shows young girls how to stand up to bullies and for those who are being bullied.

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Parent of 4 year old
June 30, 2009
 
Bulling and educational stuff
This movie teaches about bulling and standing up proud and strong

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Teen, 18 years old
January 24, 2009
 
awww this is a sweet book or movie!
i love this its so awsome and cute

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Adult
March 12, 2009
 
A MUST see for all parents of girls 6-12!
My girls and I watched this tonight. We don't watch TV, but only occasional movies most of which are American Girl. This movie is a MUST SEE for all parents of 6-12 y/o girls. If you get over the clothes that the mean girls wear (thankfully my girls wear uniforms!) then the rest is fantastic! I love the fact that the Mom is a doctor, drives a Prius, the Dad is an artist, and they live with the Grandmother who raises llamas! I realize the American Girl ending is a bit unrealistic, but, the movie is still wonderful.

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Parent of 19 year old
September 25, 2009
 
great movie
there are some good rolemodels and some bad. and there is slight vilonce but still it is a great fun movie that teaches kids how to stand up to bullies.

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Kid, 13 years old
March 1, 2009
 
I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I loved this movie!!! Another great movie produced by American Girl........ This is a great movie about friendship, loyalty, and what public school really can be like!!!(just kidding!) My favorite characturs were Chrissa, Gwen, Sonali, Tara, and, of course, the llamas!!! If you liked this, you should see Felicity, Samantha, Kit Kittredge, and Molly!!!(if there are any other ones, see them too!!!) G-R-E-A-T M-O-V-I-E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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This review was written by Nancy Davis Kho
Studio:HBO
Director:Martha Coolidge
Cast:Annabeth Gish, Michael Learned, Sammi Hanratty
Genre:Family and Kids
Run time:90 minutes
Theatrical release date:January 5, 2009
DVD release date:January 5, 2009
MPAA rating:NR

This review was written by Nancy Davis Kho
 

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ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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