Are You There God? It's Me Margaret. is a coming-of-age dramedy about 6th grader Margaret Simon(Abby Ryder Fortson) set in the 70's based on the Judy Blume novel of the same name. After returning to her home in NYC from summer camp Margaret's parents tell her they're moving to the suburbs in New Jersey. There she deals with making new friends, puberty, family, and religion.
Fortson gives a delicate, grounded, realistic performance evoking the in-between period of adolescence perfectly. She balances the pathos and the humor perfectly and is able to go through the various situations and learn the lessons they impart organically and doesn't indicate. Rachel McAdams as Barbara her mother also exudes the same authenticity, McAdams is just one of those actors who seems to be effortlessly in the moment and her character's adjustment to suburban life mirrors Margaret's journey beautifully. Although with much less to do Benny Safdie as Herb Margaret's dad and Kathy Bates as Margaret's Grandma Sylvia are also pitch perfect. As are the various kids Margaret goes to school with particularly her sometimes cruel sometimes friend Nancy Wheeler played by Elle Graham.
Shot with understated but effective camera work paired with the excellent period costumes and set design, the production design is evocative but not flashy. The same with the soundtrack, with catchy but not obtrusive needledrops. The actors, script, and production all work together to convey this, if not exactly timeless, but still very relevant story of this particularly confounding time of adolescence. The subjects handled, the hurdles Margaret encounters, are conveyed such care and honesty and compassion you can't help but be moved. And the story, and Blume's legacy, of educating and connecting with this particular age group remains unshakable.
Crisp, compassionate, appropriately cringe, with a clarity this particular age group rarely receives.
Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.
See It.
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