ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret., Lionsgate

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Review by Mark Dujsik | April 27, 2023

Most books—especially these days—don't last a year in the public consciousness, but then, there are the books of Judy Blume, which have endured for decades and will likely continue to be read by children of generations to come. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. is an adaptation of Blume's most famous work, one that will be known by many who read it growing up and by the rest for the fact that it is just an engrained part of culture. The title has become a sort of shorthand for the story's narrative gimmick and subject matter, which has been referenced or parodied since the book was published in 1970.

The shock of writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig's film—at least to someone who did not grow up with Blume's story and now thoroughly regrets the oversight—is how pointedly specific and broadly universal this tale, about a pre-teen girl wrestling with concerns about growing up and looking for some kind of higher purpose to her struggles, actually is. Those who already know this will scoff at the sense of surprise, but allow this newcomer to have it.

There's probably a more significant point to be made about how entrenched societal ideas and expectations about gender have been that Blume's book was pretty much not an option to boys of generations past—and maybe, for certain segments of the population, present, either. The tale of an 11-year-old girl dealing with friendships and puberty wasn't of much interest to boys, because that's what people told them directly or showed them indirectly.

The good news is that we are becoming more open as a society in terms of having such conversations and not allowing cultural expectations to restrict which stories are supposed to be told or heard by certain groups (no matter how hard some people try to hold on to or officially instate those restrictions). This film, somehow the first adaptation of a best-selling book that has been part of the zeitgeist for more than 50 years, is an encouraging sign of that, beyond the fact that Fremon Craig's film is a thoughtful, insightful, funny, and empathy-filled delight.

In other words, this story of a girl in the sixth grade, navigating the complex dilemma of wanting to fit in and the complicated emotions of feeling different, is for everyone—regardless of gender or age. There's simply so much to recognize in the main character and everyone surrounding her.

All of this is basically to say that the film is very good on its own and almost feels like a revolutionary act because of that. Our protagonist is Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Fortson), who is 11 or so, returns home to her family's New York City apartment after summer camp, and discovers that her parents are planning to move to suburban New Jersey. Her mother Barbara (Rachel McAdams, bringing so much warmth but also, because this is such a fleshed-out performance, a lot of uncertainty about the character's effectiveness as a mother and her own troubles) insists it'll be fine—better than okay, even.

Margaret's father Herb (Benny Safdie) got a promotion at work, so now the family can have a house, while Barbara can be at home all the time for her daughter. The girl can still visit her beloved paternal grandmother Sylvia (Kathy Bates) whenever she wants to, and Margaret can make new friends at her new school.

The rest of the story, set in 1970, is about Margaret making new friends—a group of girls led by Nancy (Elle Graham)—and learning that they're obsessed with forthcoming puberty and worrying that she'll be the last girl in her class to get her period—a fact that would basically confirm that she's as different and weird as she feels. The little details of this story, such as the way the girls try so hard to fit certain standards (After checking out a magazine under dad's side of a parents' bed, the friends desperately perform exercises they believe will increase their future "busts") and a most awkward party in a classmate's basement, are wholly endearing, quite funny, and filled with a genuine degree of authenticity. The bigger ones, especially when it comes to Margaret realizing the crueler side of fitting in and being blinded to the problems of others, are just as strong.

Margaret's desire to be like everyone else is so strong that the girl, whose Christian mother and Jewish father want her to choose her own religion when she's an adult, starts praying to a divine power for that kind of normalcy. It's not just a narrative hook for this story, though—a way for Margaret's most hopeful thoughts and deepest fears to be communicated to us. There's a real sense of the girl searching for some kind of faith that will help all of this make sense, and Fremon Craig treats the notion with a lot of care and sympathy, especially when it comes to the flip side of what religion has done to Barbara's relationship with her parents.

Essentially, the story is an inherently simple one, a tender and considered slice-of-life portrayal of being and wanting to be more than a kid, but it's far from simplistic. There are depths to these characters, layers to these ideas, and healthy doses of both hope and cynicism about life and being human.

Criticism isn't necessarily meant to be a consumer guide, telling people what they should and shouldn't see, but here, it feels as if an exception is required. Kids should see this film. Parents should take their children, regardless of gender, to watch it.

Adults in general will find a lot with which to identify—not only by way of remembering what it was like to be a kid, but also in the way the story smartly connects the young characters' desire to be "normal" to the same drive within the adult characters. After all, adulthood is more a matter of getting older than of "growing up," and maybe that's a good lesson for kids to start understanding, too.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. possesses vital knowledge for children to learn and wisdom that would benefit adults to remember. It really is that good, that intelligent, and that compassionate a film.

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