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

Undemanding adaptation of Judy Blume's novel - Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. review by PD

Well, first off you'll have to have a heart of stone not to enjoy much of this one. But as an adaptation of Judy Blume’s landmark 1970 young adult novel it's rather too undemanding. That's not to say it isn't broadly faithful to the book, in which of course an 11-year-old girl talks freely to the reader, and God, about the anxieties, fantasies and contradictions tripping her up on the path to maturity, and preteen Margaret’s concerns are timeless — peer pressure, crushes, menstruation, faith, and so on. But Blume treated them seriously, neither passing judgment on her protagonist’s immature mistakes, nor over-dramatising, whilst this adaptation, written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, rather shies away from putting the funny, flawed and all-too-realistic Margaret on screen exactly as she is. Today, inevitably, it’s not enough to be representative: Margaret must be a role model, too, and the result is rather too much sentimental artificiality at the expense of the messy realities, although it's fair to say also that young audiences may not miss some of the original novel’s more honest truths, especially as they’ve been trained to expect tidy stories where protagonists fix their faults and here even (gasp!) assure the adults in the film that they’re raising them just fine.

Abby Ryder Fortson gives us a convincing performance as Margaret, who spends the entire film in flux, notably when it comes to religious faith, a vacuum she attempts to resolve by visiting various Jewish temples and Christian churches and chatting with her loose concept of a deity. “I’ve heard great things about you,” she says in her first prayer. On top of all this is the sudden adjustment to suburban lawns and sprinkler parties, and her new friends’ fixation with the signposts of womanhood. The bossy ringleader Nancy (Elle Graham) adds a welcome burst of energy to proceedings, insisting that Margaret and pals Gretchen and Janie must wear bras — even as Nancy meanly gossips about the one developed girl in sixth grade, a wallflower named Laura, who towers over the class like a poppy among dandelions (the erratic roll-out of puberty is well-depicted). The standout scenes are the ones involving the friendships, and there's a great and all too-brief scene involving a class film on “menstroo-ation,” as over-enunciated by its host. But here, annoyingly, the film snips out novel Margaret’s outrage to discover that the lecture was “like one big commercial” for a line of feminine products, vowing to never buy the brand when her period starts. Can't today's children absorb a little of Margaret’s anti-corporate cynicism? However, Craig does a good job cutting to each of the girls’ faces as they gaze at the presentation in horror, hope, and suspicion. Still, it only intermittently feels like we’re observing this world through a child’s eyes. Instead, the running time is padded with a wholly unnecessary subplot about Margaret's mother's struggle to adjust to becoming a stay-at-home housewife, especially since her daughter barely seems to register it at all. All in all, as charming as the film is in its best moments, it’s hard not to be frustrated as it backpedals from the book’s awareness that not all wrongs are righted. Sometimes, our heroines might stay friends with bullies. Sometimes they might run from conflict and never explain themselves. Sometimes, they might even hurt people without making amends. Welcome to life's realities.

Fun coming-of-age film - Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. review by Alphaville

Light, easy watch about an 11yo girl dealing with the onset of puberty in 1970s New Jersey. Based on the book by Judy Bloom and, as the author says, if you love the book (or the trailer) you’ll love the film… despite the naff 70s score. More real, more embarrassing and more fun than most of its ilk, its main downside is its unnecessary American obsession with having a religion, as hinted at by the title. *** (***** if you’re an 11yo girl)

Growing Up Comedy/Drama That is Very Good - Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. review by GI

A rather engaging growing up comedy drama set in the early 1970s and adapted from a popular novel. This seems to hit all the right notes in its portrayal of a pre-teen girl who has to navigate the emotional journey of puberty. Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) is a 12 year old girl who is less than pleased when her parents, Barbara (Rachel McAdams) and Herb (Benny Sadie), move the family from New York City out to the suburbs where Margaret must try to fit in at a new school and with new friends. Just as importantly for her is the separation from her paternal grandmother, the overbearing yet lovable Sylvia (Kathy Bates). With this wrench in her life she then has to cope with the pressures from her peers where boys, the arrival of breasts and periods become a daily issue. There are family issues too which are all too complex for the young Margaret. The film also has an interesting story arc for Barbara and McAdams really nails the nice balance of a mother trying to help her daughter and fit in with her new neighbours at the same time. What is equally refreshing is the film eschews the usual character tropes that are often present in this sort of comedy drama and characters that you think may follow certain traits will surprise you. The obvious ones being Nancy (Elle Graham), the leader of the 'club' that Margaret is invited to join and Nancy's mother (Kate MacCluggage) the head of the local PTA. This is one of the best coming of age comedy dramas that has arrived for awhile. A pleasant and engaging film that has humour and a main character beautifully played by Fortson. A film that all the family can enjoy.