#are-you-there-god-its-me-margaret

[nothieflike]

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (2023)

★★★★☆

Written and Directed by: Kelly Fremon Craig

Based on the Novel by: Judy Blume

I definitely read the book by Judy Blume back when I was a kid, probably around 1986 or so. Unlike other books by Blume that seemed to speak a little more directly to me (the Fudge series in particular) which I read multiple times, I only read Are You There the one time so it never quite embedded itself into my subconscious the way other books did. Which is all to say that I went into this movie knowing I'd read the source material but not sure how much of it I really remembered.

Having now seen the movie, I can say with authority that this is not the kind of review where I have any business bothering to compare and contrast the original to this adaptation. Certain bits like the chest-growing exercise mantra ("I must—I must—I must increase my bust!") were familiar and I did recall there being a lot of discussion about the main characters' first periods and other puberty-related milestones which is reflected in the screenplay. But, for example, I didn't recall the book having religion as such a core factor in the overall plot though a quick scan of the Wikipedia entry for the book indicates it was central to the novel as well.

So I can't say whether or not this film is particularly faithful to the source, but I can talk about how the movie plays as just a regular coming-of-age story set in 1970 New Jersey made in 2023. And from that perspective there is a lot of great stuff to talk about. One comparison I am comfortable making is that this feels a lot like Pixar's Turning Red from last year. In fact, I'd be shocked if Are You There God (the novel) wasn't a huge inspiration to the writers and producers of the animated film. Are You There God is obviously a lot more grounded and aimed at audiences a little bit older (Turning Red definitely Disney-fied the most overtly sexual elements of pubescence which Are You There definitely does not shy away from). But there are parallels between the friend groups the protagonists rely on, the meditation on the changing nature of relationships between mothers and their children as those daughters begin to grow up, and the awkwardness of youthful forays into romance and relationships.

Are You There God? It's Me Margaret tells the story of Margaret Simon (played with fearless gusto by Ant-Man alum Abby Ryder Fortson), who comes home from camp the summer before sixth grade and finds out her father (played affably by Benny Safdie) has been promoted and they're moving to the New Jersey suburbs before the start of school. Margaret's dad is Jewish and her mother, Barbara (Rachel McAddams, bringing an earnest but lived-in energy to the role), is a lapsed Christian whose parents ostracized her when she chose to marry a Jewish man. They've chosen to raise Margaret without a formal religion and are allowing her to choose when she's older. As such, Margaret has forged a unique relationship with God, where she has casual prayer-conversations that serve as sort of a verbal diary.

Immediately after moving into the new place, Margaret is introduced to a neighbor girl her same age, Nancy Wheeler (played with complicated mean girl perfection by Elle Graham). Nancy inducts Margaret into her tight-knit circle and they begin a club in which they talk candidly about their crushes, the size of their bras, and the status of their first periods. A lot of the second act of the film is comprised of a series of loose vignettes where Margaret and her friends try to buy sanitary napkins for the first time to practice with, or prepare for an awkward birthday party where the class plays spin-the-bottle type kissing games. Margaret visits her paternal grandmother (portrayed with force-of-nature aplomb by Kathy Bates) back in New York and asks to accompany her to Temple. She joins one her friends at a raucous southern baptist service, noting afterward that she isn't sure she feels closer to God as a result, but she sure enjoyed her time. She learns about her maternal grandparents and why she's never met them, and struggles with jealousy and mistrust among her close friends.

Eventually Barbara stumbles into a partial reconciliation with her parents, leading to a tense scene where her parents and grandparents share an uncomfortable meal together before the religion issue rears its head and forces Margaret to question whether there is value in religion at all. In the end, she adapts as best she can and the film ends on a positive note where it's clear not all of Margaret's problems are completely solved, but she's in a better space and looking forward to middle school.

The film is sweet, funny, and utterly charming. The cast is great all around and McAddams in particular does some excellent work elevating a role that could easily have been buried in the editing room but works to provide a wonderful counter-weight to Margaret's tale as it highlights they way uncertainty and indecision can have repercussions long after adolescence is through. There is one scene in particular where Margaret is asking about the grandparents she's never met. Barbara is trying to calmly and dispassionately relate the high-level version of events but it's obvious the wound she thought was so old and unserious is far more painful and present-tense than she expects. She casually swipes the tears away, tries to change the subject and downplay the impact her parent's intolerance has had. But as Margaret grows incensed on her behalf, you can see Barbara's pain begin to overwhelm her even as she's touched by her daughter's indignant rebuke of people she's never even met. It's such a real-feeling, dynamic bit of screenwriting, directing and acting.

Even bit players like Isol Young (as early bloomer and source of savage envy from Margaret and Nancy, Laura Danker), and Kate MacCluggage (as future blueprint for Nancy, Jan Wheeler) bring a little something extra to their roles. Director Kelly Fremon Craig wrings every bit of sincerity and warmth from the film's modest hour and forty-five minutes.

The complaints I have about the film are sparse and relatively minor. A few of the more emotionally intense scenes feel a little choppy (which may be the director/editor working around some young or inexperienced performances), a handful of plot threads seem a little under explored (Margaret's crush on someone other than the class stud causes her to break her own "no lying" rule but this isn't remarked upon, even when Nancy's own lies cause a rift between Margaret and Nancy, as one example). I also wondered if the old-fashioned feel of the movie (in terms of filmmaking, pacing, and direction, not setting) might make age-appropriate middle school audiences a bit restless. I suspect this film plays best for adult audiences—particularly those who grew up in the 70s and 80s pre-Internet/mobile phones—for whom I suspect this will be ridiculously nostalgic even if they hadn't read the book. But none of it sours what is otherwise a fantastic bit of filmmaking.

In the end I recommend this movie. It's exquisitely crafted and wonderfully entertaining for most audiences, though younger viewers may find the laughs a bit too spaced out and the prominence of the adult characters a bit perplexing for a movie about kids trying to grow up. But I suspect that even though I can't remember it well enough to do a thorough comparison, if you or your kid enjoyed the book, you'll have a great time with the movie as well.

[idasessions]

Jewish girl angst: a trilogy

[texaschainsawmascara]

American Teenager - Ethel Cain / Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023)

[distraughtlesbian]

i (DESERVEDLY‼️) heckle pb for a lot of their narrative choices but even all these years later this plot twist………masters in cuntology double major in slaysian studies and slutistical analysis minor in motherlogical studies graduated with honours from the university of servington. sorry. they chewed. i love the way it feels to be a hater but they can have their flowers just this 1 time

[starrysharks]

oh yea i watched howl moving castle today for the first time in a very long while and i've decided that love is real again

[sassysophiabush]

[adamarks]

THE WAY HE MAKES THAT “I’m so cool 😏” FACE HE THINKS ITS SO BADASS THAT HE HAS A BOYFRIEND

[daisies-on-a-cup]

that point in prayer where you have to ask "are you there, god?" i think is what gets a lot of people to start losing their faith

[arakaei]

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (2023)

[milliondollarbaby87]

Longlists, 2024 EE BAFTA Film Awards

The following films will advance to the nominating stage of voting. This is the initial longlisting round. Round Two voting, to determine the nominations, opens today at 18.00 GMT to BAFTA’s voting members and will close on Friday 12 January 2024. The nominations for the 2024 EE BAFTA Film Awards will be announced on Thursday 18 January and the ceremony will take place on Sunday 18…

[birazciddiyet]

Are You There God? It's Me Margaret, Kelly Fremon Craig (2023)

[ominouspositivity-or-else]

for all its failings, Are You There God, It's Me Margret really really really really made me laugh.

[idasessions]

My Top 10 Films of 2023:

1) The Holdovers, dir. Alexander Payne 2) Anatomy of a Fall, dir. Justine Triet 3) Asteroid City, dir. Wes Anderson 4) Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, dir. Kelly Fremon Craig 5) Poor Things, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos 6) BlackBerry, dir. Matt Johnson 7) You Hurt My Feelings, dir. Nicole Holofcener 8) The Royal Hotel, dir. Kitty Green 9) Air, dir. Ben Affleck 10) Dreamin’ Wild, dir. Bill Pohlad

[texaschainsawmascara]

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023)

[cyberth0t]

tumblr start pushing my art posts to art side of tumblr instead of ONLY simblr challenge

[graphicpolicy]

Player 2 steps in as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 dethrones The Super Mario Bros. Movie at the weekend box office

Player 2 steps in as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 dethrones The Super Mario Bros. Movie at the weekend box office #guardiansofthegalaxy #gotgvol3 #movies

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 took the weekend box office which wasn’t surprising at all. The film debuted with $114 million domestically and $168.1 million internationally for a debut of $282.1 million worldwide. The first Guardians of the Galaxy debuted with $94.3 million domestically and went on to earn $773.4 million worldwide in 2014 while its sequel debuted with $146.5 million…