Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. Review
Theatrical review
When I was about nine or ten, my mom left a book in a conspicuous part of the bathroom, knowing that I read everything I could get my hands on. It talked about all of the changes that my body was going through. I read it cover to cover many times, but I couldn’t tell you its title. The book title I do remember from the same time is Judy Blume’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.” I also read this book cover to cover many times. Like many people who have been reading the book since it was published in 1970, I was thrilled to see that Kelly Fremon Craig was adapting and directing the film version, now playing in theaters.
Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) is a twelve year old girl about to start the sixth grade when her mom Barbara (Rachel McAdams) and dad Herb (Benny Safdie) tell her that they are moving from New York City to the New Jersey suburbs. Margaret is sad to leave behind her grandmother Sylvia (Kathy Bates), but quickly makes friends with Nancy (Elle Graham), Janie (Amari Alexis Price), and Gretchen (Katherine Mallen Kupferer) and together they form the Secret Club. Throughout the year, Margaret finds out what it means to grow up as a young woman and as the daughter of a mixed faith household.
I recently re-read the book in preparation for the movie, and this is one of the most faithful adaptations I have ever seen. So if you have any concerns that this movie strays from the book, put them to rest. And honestly, when you have source material that has moved readers for more than fifty years, you stick close.
The actors were all perfect. Truly, the girls all looked and acted pretty much exactly as I pictured them reading the book all those years ago. Fortson is an incredibly talented young actor and she brought so much personality to the role of Margaret. I also want to give a nod to McAdams. Her performance when she is telling Margaret about her parents’ decision to disown her when she married a Jewish man was heartbreaking and beautiful. Genuinely, all of the props to the casting team for this movie.
The look of this film is also spot on. From the costumes to the set design to the soundtrack, all of it hits a perfect amount of nostalgia without smacking you over the head with the time period.
What struck me watching this movie was how much all of this still applies for so many. Yes, kids these days probably know a lot more at twelve than they did when Blume first wrote the book or when I read it more than a decade later. But the bones are there. Figuring out which of your friends you can really trust. Learning to separate from your parents while still needing them. Becoming a woman while still being a girl. Figuring out what you believe about religion and about lots of things. Blume’s words have led generations of young people through that tumultuous time, and now this movie will lead generations more.
This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on April 30, 2023.