Author Judy Blume’s immensely popular and highly influential novel, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”, has been pretty much required reading for preteen girls in the US and Canada since it was first published in 1970. So widespread its awareness and appeal, the book has been parodied and name dropped numerous times over the years by comedians, other authors, on TV and in film. All along, Blume has resisted giving her book rights over to Hollywood but in 2018 she had a change of heart when director-producer-screenwriter James L. Brooks (TV’s THE SIMPSONS and THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, among many other credits) and writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig (THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN; BUMBLEBEE) presented her with a screenplay treatment of her novel. Blume loved it and gave her approval to go ahead and make the movie. Five years later and the film adaptation is finally here.

Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Fortson, ANT-MAN AND THE WASP) is an 11-year-old girl growing up in New York City. After spending her summer vacation at camp, she comes home to learn that her parents, Herb (Benny Safdie, UNCUT GEMS; GOOD TIME) and Barbara (Rachel McAdams, EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA; GAME NIGHT), have bought a house in New Jersey and the family will be moving there in the coming days. Naturally, Margaret is not happy as she’ll be leaving behind not just all her friends but her beloved grandmother, Sylvia Simon (Kathy Bates, RICHARD JEWELL), too, but the soon-to-be 6th grader’s mood starts to change when she meets Nancy Wheeler (Elle Graham), her new neighbour and classmate. Nancy, like her mother, Jan, is a force to be reckoned with. She invites Margaret to join her club that includes two other girls from their class, Gretchen Potter and Janie Loomis. The girls make a pact to tell each other about the boys they like, when they have their first kiss, when they buy their first bra and when they get their first period, and together they work on increasing their bust size. Over the ensuing year, Margaret learns important lessons about friendship, family and religion, and becoming a woman.

I never read the book (for the obvious reason) but Margaret really resonates with me. Like Margaret, I came home from summer camp in 1969 to find that my parents sold their house and we were moving the following week. I was going to be starting at a new school that fall anyways so that sudden change of plan didn’t bother me. (Thinking about it now, I should have realised earlier that we were moving as my parents never took me to see the school I thought I would be attending.) I was more concerned about what was going to happen to Smokey, our outdoor cat. My parents didn’t want to take him with us. (A few days after we moved, my older brothers and I got into the car and went to get Smokey. He was deeply unhappy at his new home so we took him back a few days later, getting promises from our old neighbours that they would look after him.) But I also remember trying to fit in with a whole new crowd who were all at least a year older than me. When you’re 11 years old, that year makes all the difference. While all my male classmates were sprouting hair on their upper lips and under their arms, mine wouldn’t start to appear for another 18 months.

Blume has said in interviews that she feels that the movie is even better than her book. Perhaps she’s being gracious but ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET. really is a sweet movie with brilliant performances all around. Ryder Fortson, in her biggest role yet, ably holds her own against such experienced actors as Bates and McAdams. Bates wouldn’t have been my first choice to play a 1970s New York Jewish grandmother but she grows into the role as the film progresses. Fremon Craig recreates 1970 North American suburban pre-teenage life as I remember it, though it’s fun now to see it from a female perspective.

ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET. is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Apple TV+. If you have a preteen girl at home or if you once were a preteen girl, this movie is required viewing. And if you’re neither of these, watch it anyways because it’s wonderful.

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