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

 I saw Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret on April 30, 2023! Every once in a while a movie comes along that just feels special. Recently reacquainting myself with Judy Blume's novel, I found myself immersed in one of the most impactful coming of age stories through her words and her characters. Kelly Fremon Craig did an impeccable job adapting a story sprung forth from 1970 to 2023. It's a story 50 plus years in the making, and, it's still relevant to girls of this generation, just as it was then.  It's about Margaret Simon's journey dealing with physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of her life, and finding her place in all of it. 

What makes this movie adaptation as good as it does lies in the casting of it's main character, Margaret Simon. Abby Ryder Forsten delivers one of the best young actress performances I've seen in years. Yes, she's been involved with other projects before, such as Cassie Lang in the MCU, but this performance right here is her breakthrough role. She captures the awkward naivete, the burgeoning excitement, the adolescent ire and looming dread that comes with being a girl on the cusp of everything in front of her with such precision, displaying an dramatic acumen of somebody that's been in the industry for decades. This girl has a bright future as she has the ability to command a screen, and really get into the mind of the character she's playing. Her reactions come off as natural, and makes the performance that much better as a result. I really hope to see more from ARF. She's a shining star on the rise, and this performance will show you that. 

There's some other great performances here that stick out, particularly from Rachel McAdams as Barbara Simon and Kathy Bates as Sylvia Simon. Bates is always who I envisioned in the role of Sylvia, so it just came off as a natural performance to me, and Bates excels here selling the close bond with her granddaughter. McAdams is phenomenal here as Margaret's mother, a kind soul who goes out of her way for everybody, and she shows that in every step of her performance as well. The other young performances were fantastic, especially Elle Graham, who captured the embodiment of what Nancy Wheeler is all about. The difference in characters from Margaret and Nancy is astounding. One aspect of this story that I always liked is you get a sense of everybody's view point, looking deeper into their characters. The cast does a great job conveying that for audiences. 

The movie captures several of the key scenes from the book in an illuminating manner, showing how incredible these scenes are. From the reactions to the religious services to shopping for lady garments and products to the PTS meetings to Norman's party to Margaret's first kiss, everything feels how it was when Judy Blume sat down to write the words. I found myself laughing loudly at the reactions to the puberty video. The shots of the girls horrific looks was absolutely hilarious. It's just one of the examples of an adaptation that works on all levels. The movie flows well, capturing moments of euphoric emotion, while also capturing despondent drama. Audiences get perspectives from different characters, such as Laura Danker, and how she feels about herself, giving a more worldly approach to everything going on around these characters. It's a movie that really celebrates life and all the trials and tribulations that come of it, especially at a young age. 

From a brilliant lead performance by Abby Ryder Forsten to a compelling narrative capturing the essence of it's author, Judy Blume to memorable scenes encapsulating a young girl's odyssey into life as a whole through a fantastic visual adaptation, this movie gets everything right, making the characters and the words originally on the page that much more exceptional on screen.