As the lights dim to signal the beginning of the filming of Are you there God, it’s me, Margaret, fans of the best-selling novel might whisper to themselves hopefully, “Are you there, God? It’s me, a fan of this book… Please let this movie be as great as the novel.” Moments in the film, anyone who knows and loves the story of main character Margaret Simon will take one look at the pure and cheerful face of actress Abby Ryder Fortson as she moves carefree and happy during summer camp, and they will exhale.
Yes, to all of the more than nine million people around the world who have bought, read, and loved the novel over the past 50 years, God is also present in the film. So is the spirit of The incredible work of Judy Blume.
Set in the 70s, yet timeless, Are you there God, it’s me, Margaret, by Judy Blume, is about a sixth grade girl who has a Christian mother and a Jewish father and is forced to grow up as an only child without religious attachment due to her parents’ interfaith marriage. They have an agreement to let Margaret find God or religion only as an adult or if and when she is ever ready.
Instead, as she settles into her new life after her family’s sudden move to New Jersey, Margaret seeks help and finds God on her own. Facing the uncomfortable and confusing trials of adolescence – like waiting for her first period, her first bra, new friends, missing her grandmother from whom she now lives far away, and her first kiss – it’s all just too hard to go on alone.
Inspired by the author’s own life, this classic coming-of-age story has been beloved by middle-class readers since its publishing debut in 1970. In Blume’s signature style, the book is relatable, fearless, unapologetic, and delightful as a result. Due to the novel’s candid focus on pre-teen hormones and puberty, however, Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret was one of the most banned books in history. Regardless of how much criticism it has received, it has been much more embraced by readers for decades and remains a global sensation.
Blume’s loyal fans will be relieved that screenwriter and director Kelly Fremon Craig (The edge of seventeen), the adaptation of the novel has led to a gentle and conscientious film with the promise of being as eternal and cherished as the novel. The film adaptation is sure to be a hit and will star Rachel McAdams, Abby Ryder Fortson, Benny Safdie and Kathy Bates.
Thank goodness they got these things right
Perhaps the best thing about adapting a novel for film or television is that there is a built-in and proven audience for the story. That is also the biggest challenge. Viewers, if they are also fans of the story in its original form, will scrutinize and judge whether the production has done well or not.
Going against the current societal norm of keeping the subject of God tucked away in a taboo box and out of everything from public schools to most film and television series, Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret kept God in the title and, as in the novel, as almost a supporting character. If producers had given in to the pressure not to talk about God, there literally wouldn’t be much of a plot to the movie.
However, and as is true of the novel, viewers are not confronted with didactic preaching about religion. Margaret’s journey to get to the heart of her struggle with religion is sparked by a class writing assignment in which she realizes that while she has discovered the ability to find God while alone, she struggles to connect with Him in the various religious… buildings she searches. The film’s approach to Margaret’s self-journey is not isolating or offensive to any religion, which is also one of the many reasons why the novel is loved by all religions or even those who don’t.
It’s me, the seventies
Fremon Craig did not remove God from the script or modernize the setting. Instead of, Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret, is rooted where it belongs, in the seventies. While it may be a decade that some might associate with political disorder and the Vietnam War, this film captures the quiet texture of more humble and easygoing times.
“There is a cliché of 70s culture with pop art colors and Yellow submarine graphics,” says production designer Steve Saklad (Juno). “But that’s just a very narrow part of the 1970s. The story we’re telling is set in suburban New Jersey, and that look is very different.”
Fremon Craig also noted that she visualized the texture of The Virgin Suicides while she wrote the screenplay. Fans of her acclaimed coming-of-age movie The edge of seventeen will appreciate the tonal comparisons with it and also the actual placement of details throughout. Frame by frame, there is always something to look out for beyond the actors and narration. There’s Tab’s soda on the table, Keds sneakers, a summer camp briefcase, a typewriter, and many more subtle touches.
A choice had to be made whether or not to deviate from the original story. The biggest feature of this adjustment is that it doesn’t. Instead, it does some really great tweaks. Like an enchanted awakening, it just breathes life into the pages and makes the story live on screen. Scene by scene, the story unfolds exactly as readers imagined it.
Improvement of Blume’s book
Still, part of the purpose of an edit is to ensure there’s enough wish fulfillment for fans who hope the story still makes sense, while also making sure that enough is added to appeal to an even wider audience from the movie world. to attract. How do you improve on an established classic? Is it even possible?
Margaret’s mother Barbara, played by Rachel McAdams, has a storyline that – due to the limitations of the novel’s first-person narrative – the readers did not get to see, but the audience did. Hers is a fully fleshed out journey because of the omniscient power of a film’s approach. Barbara’s struggles are remarkably parallel to Margaret’s. While trying to help her daughter navigate life, Barbara too is clumsy, indecisive and insecure at times, looking for ways to assert herself among her peers and, yes, even to find her place in the world. Like Margaret, she is a beloved character for all her imperfection.
An unexpected but refreshing and appreciated twist, another unexpected improvement on the plot of Blume’s classic novel, is the reimagining of the characters’ different ethnicities. While Margaret, Nancy, and Gretchen are visually perfect as described and imagined in the book, the fourth best friend in the book, Janie, is played by actress Amari Alexis Price, who is African American, unlike in the novel.
Additional reimagining of characters’ race as African American include Echo Kellum (Key & Peele) in the role of Mr. Benedict and JeCobi Swain (Household economics) in a charming rendition as Freddy. An ethnically ambiguous Moose Freed is played by Aiden Wojtak-Hissong (I’m not good with this), to finalize the choice of production to embrace diversity.
While the themes of Blume’s novel have always been universal – and most pre-teens can relate to the anguish Margaret endures – it was only Blume’s novel, Iggie’s House, where clearly non-white characters appeared. While most fans of Blume’s work have enjoyed her stories without feeling isolated, it’s a welcome improvement to see the adaptation’s focus on inclusion in a casual but deliberate way.
Another conscious choice was to show readers precisely how to do the breast augmentation exercise that the group of girls are doing in hopes of speeding up puberty. This so they can get along and look like the women in Playboy magazine.
“When you read the book, everyone has their own interpretation of how the ‘I have to – I have to – I have to increase my bust’ exercise is done,” Fortson said. “We tried so many variations on it; when Judy finally learned the right way, it was like, ‘Oh, oh, that makes so much sense!’ We were all laughing and doubling down.”
Thank God for these special touches
The cast of Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret is amazing and yet, despite the cast of larger-than-life actors like Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, and Benny Safdie, the cast blends together as an ensemble as smoothly and coolly interwoven as the soundtrack that ushers in scenes and transitions with clap-along energy. From Katherine Mallen Kupferer’s (widows) stunning performance as Gretchen, to Judy Blume’s cameo appearance (credited as Neighbor Walking Dog #1), every actor’s presence counts in this film.
Besides Abby Ryder Fortson’s winning and seamless portrayal as Margaret alongside McAdams as her mother, there are quite a few standout performances to note. Kathy Bates, as Margaret’s grandmother, Sylvia Simon, could steal any scene she’s in if not for her sharp ability to make the talented cast she shares scenes with shine as well. Every moment Bates appears on screen is unsurprisingly memorable.
Fans of the novel will appreciate the true-to-life superb performance by Elle Graham (The living Dead) as Nancy Wheeler. She is not politically or socially or even virtuously correct in her choices. She says what’s on her mind without hesitation. “Oh, you’re still flat,” she told Margaret after donning her bathing suit on the first day they met. And yet, with such a subtle care for the subtext of intent, viewers will find Nancy’s character, like Margaret, quite likeable.
What if you’re not (yet) a fan?
It’s hard to say for sure whether viewers outside of the novel’s devoted readers will appreciate it Are you there God? I’m Margaret in its standalone movie position as much as those who both know and love the novel.
Viewers looking for a coming-of-age feel-good film with glimmers of grit in its realness and a warm blanket of tenderness about its approach to complicated emotions – much in vain Stand By Me, dazed and confused, And The edge of seventeen – will find a familiar place to nestle and enjoy a great movie with this instant classic edit.
Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret is produced by Gracie Films’ Academy Award® winner James L. Brooks (Best Picture, 1983 – Terms of affection), alongside Julie Ansell, Richard Sakai, Kelly Fremon Craig, Judy Blume, Amy Lorraine Brooks, Aldric La’auli Porter and executive produced by Jonathan McCoy. Lionsgate, a Gracie Films production, is coming out Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret on Friday, April 28, 2023.