Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is playing in theaters at the time of writing. Rated PG-13. Common Sense says 11.
STORY: A-
Margaret’s family leaves New York City for the New Jersey suburbs. That means a new school. New friends. A lot less time with her beloved grandmother. But the big news? Adolescence (and everything it brings for a young girl) approaches Margaret like a massive asteroid creeping toward Earth.
Kelly Fremon Craig (The Edge of Seventeen) tells the adaptation of Judy Blume’s seminal novel in an episodic style. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The camp montage that opens the film may not be flashy, but it’s an excellent example of exposition. The story’s also filled with intriguing conflicts. But its flow fizzles when the falling action decides to just not show up. We jump straight from a pair of deeply emotional climaxes to the resolution. I would have liked to see the story take its time after its well designed climaxes.
All that said, its few structural flaws can’t diminish the story’s power. Much of it comes from the way it’s told: with boatloads of charm and authenticity. Its style delivers an affirming portrayal of this specific and pivotal moment in a young woman’s life.
PEOPLE: A-
Abby Ryder Fortson (Ant-Man & The Wasp) plays Margaret, who’s at the point in her life where people begin asking questions about the world around them. Where do we find the answers? Teachers? Family? Friends? Religion? Fortson’s eyes capture all the longing and discomfort that accompanies this stage of life.
Rachel McAdams (The Notebook) plays Margaret’s mother Barabara, and Kathy Bates (Titanic) plays Grandma. The talented veterans elevate the entire film with their warmth. Moving to New Jersey also sends Barbara’s world spinning. She questions her new world and tries her best to figure out how to fit in (it never ends, kids!). Her frustration, bafflement and optimism feel genuine. Kathy Bates plays the perfect grandmother. Margaret is her entire world, but she’s smart enough to not let her know it or to waste time holding on too tightly. She squeezes every delicious moment out of the time they spend together.
FILM NERD STUFF: A
James Cameron deserves every accolade he’s gotten for pushing the technological edge of filmmaking to exciting new frontiers with his Avatar movies. But did the dude build an actual time machine like director Kelly Fremon Craig’s team did? I don’t think so! Green screens and computers are rad, for sure, but a flippin’ time machine?!? You’ve got to be --
RING RING. Sorry, hold on a sec.
Um hm … Yes … I did … Yes … Well it’s pretty - … I see … I see .. But … I see … Ok, I’ll just start over like nothing happened … Um hm … Got it …
Ahem.
You’d be forgiven for believing Kelly Fremon Craig’s team built a time machine in order to recreate the 1970s. The houses are perfect. The furniture (which is used as a really funny bit) is perfect. The clothes are perfect. The soundtrack is perfect. The precisely crafted setting acts like a tractor beam. The meticulous attention to detail sucks us into Margaret’s world, which pulls us deeper into her story.
MIRRORS AND WINDOWS (Elective Class): A+
There’s a scene where the girls are sat down in the school auditorium to watch a film about the many changes their bodies are about to go through. Once the film starts rolling, the male teacher scurries out the door faster than Usain Bolt running downhill with a tail wind and a jetpack strapped on his back. And wearing roller blades.
For a long time, this was the extent of a girl’s sexual education. Such things weren’t always openly discussed at home. There’s a generation of women whose only useful source of information about the bodily upheaval they were about to endure was found in Judy Blume’s book.
Adolescence is a time when people need stories to act like mirrors and windows. Young girls need to have all their confusion and uncertainty validated by seeing the experience reflected in stories. But they also need a window that allows a glimpse into the many changes about to come. Not only is it one of the very few films to ever address them, this film undertakes both of these responsibilities with exquisite thoughtfulness. I’m thrilled that young women might now get a chance to watch this film at school instead of the horrible, ancient ones.
I’d love to see schools make boys watch this film as well. Instead of keeping adolescence a mystery, perhaps boys would develop more tenderness toward the female experience if they were to see it portrayed in such a tender way.
FINAL COMMENTS:
I can see why Judy Blume was so hesitant to have her classic book adapted for the screen. If not done correctly, the novel’s power could morph into cheap laughs and gags. That doesn’t happen here.
Craig gets the most important - and probably the most difficult - part right. She expresses the mystery and wonder of this specific moment in a young girl’s life with an abundance of love and heartfelt respect.
The long wait was worth it.