Your first period. Your first crush. Your first training bra. What do these things have in common? They are all hallmarks of adolescence for young girls. Even as the years have passed and what it means to be a young woman has continued to change and evolve, many of these experiences have remained all too relatable — a background hum in the life of a teenage girl.
There are few people who understand this as acutely as Judy Blume, the bestselling author of over 50 young adult and middle-grade novels, all of which deal with the different obstacles that children and young adults face as they come of age. One of her most successful novels is “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” a tale of girlhood and adolescence that was published in 1970, but has remained an influential story for generations. Decades later, it has finally received the film adaptation that it deserves, and the movie certainly did not disappoint.
Viewers first meet Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Fortson, “A Dog’s Journey”) as she’s getting off the bus from summer camp in New York City, greeted by her mother Barbara (Rachel McAdams, “Disobedience”) and grandmother Sylvia (Kathy Bates, “American Horror Story”). Margaret is a carefree kid, overjoyed to be home with her family after an incredible summer, but her happy bubble is quickly popped when it is revealed that she will be moving to New Jersey due to her father’s (Benny Safdie, “Licorice Pizza”) new job. Just like that, eleven-year-old Margaret is uprooted from her home and friends, forced to start over at a new school with brand new kids … essentially the worst nightmare of any adolescent girl.
Yet, Margaret adapts. She finds new friends, with whom she bonds over the plights of being a young woman. She convinces her mother to take her bra shopping so that she can be seen as “mature.” She impatiently awaits the arrival of her first period (watching in agony as everyone around her gets it first), even going as far as to purchase pads in order to “practice” putting them on, a scene that had myself and the rest of the theater laughing out loud. She tries to impress her new crush, Moose Freed (Aidan Wojtak-Hissong, “I Am Not Okay With This”), who, to Margaret, is the definition of an older, mature guy. I mean, he has hair under his arms, so that must mean he’s grown up, right?
The eleven-year-old even undertakes a school project about religion, determined to decide whether she should be Jewish, like her Dad’s family, or Christian, like her Mom’s family. Though her parents have decided to raise her secularly, constant reminders from her paternal grandmother that she should be Jewish, along with the absence of her maternal grandparents — who kicked their daughter out because she married a Jewish man — have only increased her curiosity about religion, causing her to beg the titular question: Are you there, God? It’s me, Margaret.
Here, the film effortlessly portrays the whirlwind of wonder, doubt and impatience that accompanies adolescence: the unbearable urge to just grow up already, because surely if you got your period, or had perfect boobs or scored the hottest boyfriend, everything would make sense, right? To Margaret, the answer is undoubtedly yes, and it is Fortson’s honest, hilarious performance that reminds the audience (especially the older viewers for whom adolescence is already in the rearview mirror) that even though these problems may seem small to us now, they are quite literally everything to an eleven-year-old girl who just wants to feel comfortable in her own skin. Each scene where Margaret clumsily tries to take another step toward womanhood reminds us what it felt like to yearn to escape the binds of childhood, and each scene where Margaret takes another step in her religious journey reminds us just how much we wanted things to be black and white as a child — woman or girl, Jewish or Christian — even though things are rarely that simple.
Under the guidance of award-winning writer Kelly Fremon Craig (“The Edge of Seventeen”), Fortson manages to portray puberty and adolescence with striking accuracy, but she is not the only character that wins us over. Unlike in most coming-of-age stories, Margaret’s parents and grandparents are not duds, but are awarded character arcs that allow them to grow and develop along with Margaret. In the case of Barbara, she seems to recognize that Margaret needs to discover things on her own, keeping to the sidelines as her daughter explores friendships and boys. Not only does this lead to a more healthy and loving relationship between mom and daughter, but it also allows Barbara to grow. She spends the duration of the film not simply fussing over Margaret, but also deciding whether or not she should settle into her new role as a suburban housewife, or further her passion for teaching art. Rachel McAdams remains a versatile and reliable actress, and portrays Margaret’s mother truthfully and poignantly, transforming her into a multifaceted, dynamic character — a welcome venture from the novel. This is helped along by Forston and McAdam’s A-plus chemistry. The two bounce off of each other beautifully, portraying the awkward yet loving relationship that exists between mother and daughter.
My favorite member of Margaret’s family, however, has to be Sylvia (Margaret’s grandmother), who goes through a journey of her own over the course of the film. She is forced to accept that — with Margaret a whole state away — she cannot be the overbearing force she used to be in her family’s life. She grovels at first, but over time, begins to expand her horizons and forge relationships outside of her family. Sprinkled in with regular phone calls and the occasional weekend visit from Margaret, Sylvia begins to find happiness. In fact, she might just be one of the most likable characters in the whole film. This is, of course, greatly helped along by Bates’s hilarious portrayal of the character. She took the role and ran with it, giving Sylvia a charming spunk that the book did not have nearly as much of. She reminded me (somewhat eerily) of my own overbearing, well-meaning Jewish grandmothers, who tend to have an opinion on just about everything.
But wait, have we forgotten that this film takes place in the 1970s? If the answer is yes, no need to worry, because the film’s production design team certainly did not. They managed to strike the perfect balance between reminding us that we are in fact in the 1970s — Margaret’s world is stuffed full with rotary phones, wood-paneled station wagons and bell bottom pants — while relying on its ensemble of capable actors and actresses to remind us that though this may be taking place in a different decade, the emotions of the characters are universal across time and space. This is impressive considering that it likely would have been far easier to plop Margaret into the year 2023 with an iPhone and a Netflix account, even if it would have tarnished the eleven-year-old’s passionate curiosity. I mean, what would have happened to the awestruck Margaret we know if she had the answer to any question at her fingertips?
With an incredible ensemble of dynamic, likable characters, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” manages to steal the hearts of its audience with its direct and honest portrayal of puberty, adolescence and finding oneself amidst the chaos. Fortson’s hilarious performance makes Margaret an awkward yet relatable character who is easy to root for and love, and the 1970s aesthetic managed to land itself at a perfect sweet spot. So, if you’re looking to take a light-hearted journey back to your awkward phase, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” might just be the perfect film for you.
Daily Arts Writer Rebecca Smith can be reached at rebash@umich.edu.