Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is the big screen adaptation of Judy Blume’s controversial yet insightful novel into the trials and tribulations that face a young girl as she starts to discover her identity.
For those who have read the book, the first thing I can say about it is that you will not be disappointed. This is a version that stays faithful and true to the material, and it does so without any kind of agenda other than adapting it from start to finish.
With a great balance of charm, humor, brains, poignancy, and pathos, writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig knows what she’s doing.
As I mentioned, the movie stays true to the spirit of the book as it tells the story of Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Fortson), a girl who lives with her Christian mom Barbara (Rachel McAdams), and her Jewish father (Benny Safdie) in New York. Her father gets a promotion at his job, and the family has to uproot to New Jersey. Margaret is sad to leave behind her life, her friends, and especially the relationship she has with her grandmother (Kathy Bates).
Once Margaret moves to New Jersey and begins going to her new school, she meets a whole new group of girls, including her new friend Nancy (Elle Graham). Nancy introduces Margaret to her other friends to form a club.
It’s here where Margaret goes on a journey to discover not only her religious identity as to whether she wishes to identify as either a Jew or Christian but also faces the hardships and unexpected surprises that come with becoming a preteen. She discovers her body is changing due to puberty, and she notices boys for the first time and develops a crush on one boy, Moose Freed (Aidan Wojtak-Hissong).
Margaret is often confused by these new changes, and this is where the movie is not afraid to be candid yet shows us a sense of empathy towards Margaret’s dilemmas. A lot of this is centered around Margaret constantly praying to God to show her the directions she should take.
It felt great to see a coming-of-age movie that was intelligent, sensitive, and perceptive, that wasn’t afraid to also be funny. This is a movie that establishes characters thoroughly, delves deep into their relationships, and tells a story that is relevant to preteens without being preachy or compromising on the hard truths of growing up.
Abby Ryder Fortson is convincing throughout as a girl who is desperate to find her sense of identity and have relationships with the people in her life while navigating who she wants to be. The rest of the cast is also effective in their roles: Rachel McAdams and Benny Safdie, as the parents, try to give Margaret her space to find out who she wants to be, but they can’t resist being overprotective and sway her to their respective religious ideals. Kathy Bates is the one constant anchor in Margaret’s life that she can turn to for guidance and direction, but also she knows when to cut the apron strings. These actors know how to bring realism and grace to their performances and don’t hit a false note.
Fans of the book will walk out delighted that this film is invigorating in its approach to the material, and I think it should be required viewing for adolescents who are about to face the unknown trails that lie ahead.
Are You There, 10 Best of 2023? It’s me, Justin, and your movie is a triumph.
Grade: A
(Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving sexual education and some suggestive material.)
