Film Snail

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

7.3

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

PG-13·2023·107m

Summary

When her family moves from New York City to New Jersey, an 11-year-old girl navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence.

Crew

Director, Writer

Kelly Fremon Craig

Novel

Judy Blume

Reviews

Geronimo1967

Geronimo1967

May 24, 2023

7

The engaging Abby Ryder Fortson is on strong form here as the eponymous girl who finds herself shifted by her parents to live across the Hudson in New Jersey. Now they are an happy family: mum "Barbara" (Rachel McAdams) and dad "Herb" (Benny Safdie) that is egged on now and again by her favourite, and mischievous, grandmother "Sylvia" (Kathy Bates). New house, new school, new friends and quickly settling in, she joins a secret club with three other girls and what now ensues is a rather poignant and entertaining coming-of-age tale as the girls compete with each other for just about everything from the cute "Philip" (Zack Brooks) to which of them has their first period or wears their first bra. I suspect this may well resonate more with girls than boys, but that doesn't compromise it's potency. These girls reflect behaviour and attitudes that could almost certainly be found in most schools around any country. The introduction of her conversations with God (her parents are a non-practising Jew and Christian respectively so she's been left to be undecided on the issue) upon whom she is relying to help her avoid disaster, get the boy and vent her frustrations become more relatable as the film proceeds. It's got a little unwelcome melodrama, but Kathy Bates manages to keep that under control with a punchy series of short but impactful contributions and the whole thing is effectively kept on an even keel by an enjoyable effort from McAdams. The pacing and the writing are solid with some pithily apposite observations, and by the end I was just grateful that my hormones have long since given up the ghost!

Media

Status:

Released

Original Language:

English

Budget:

$30,000,000.00

Revenue:

$21,800,000.00

Keywords

puberty
adolescence
new jersey
based on novel or book
christianity
1970s
female friendship
coming of age
religion
insecurity
woman director
speculative
mother daughter relationship
grandmother granddaughter relationship
jewish
stay-at-home mom