Opening in theaters nationwide on April 28th, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. is a film based on the iconic, generation shaping book by Judy Blume. When I was growing up, the adults in my world weren’t fans of this book. I attended a pretty strict church that didn’t permit pierced ears, makeup, or even women wearing slacks or jeans. A lot of discussions about sex, puberty and adolescence happened but they were usually heavily laced with sin, hell, and eternal damnation too.
When I was a young girl, Judy Blume’s books gave me a lot of information that wasn’t easily forthcoming in my world. I grew up in a faith
and community where things like puberty, adolescence, and sex were not readily or easily discussed. Blume’s books opened the door to a new world for me and showed me that I wasn’t alone in dealing with all the wild changes that my body and my life were going through. When I was invited to an early VIP screening of the film, I didn’t hesitate.
The Next Generation of Margarets
The first thing I noticed when we arrived at the theater was the sheer number of men in the screening. I wanted to stand up and applaud for all the men who chose to attend this movie with their daughters. Yay for Girldads! I loved seeing these men out on dates with their daughters and I wondered what they would think of the film. I was absolutely delighted to hear just as many deep male guffaws at the awkward twists and turns as there were young giggles or women clapping. The feelings this gave me reminded me of the first time I cracked open a Judy Blume book. Maybe there is some hope for the future after all.
Margaret’s Questions
Though it has been many years since I poured over the pages of a Judy Blume book, I found this page to screen adaptation to be spot on from what I remembered. Without a doubt there will be a subset of hardcore Christians and Evangelicals that find much to be offended with in this film. That’s not new and it won’t surprise me. But for myself, I found this to be a good example of what it’s like to not quite understand various religions and how they work. In Margaret’s curiosity, she’s not afraid to ask questions, explore various religions, and see exactly what different denominations and cultures do to honor God. But even with all of her exploration of religion, Margaret and God don’t really have problems. She’s not afraid to pray and take her concerns to Him and she’s pretty honest about her expectations and disappointments. I found that piece completely refreshing. I think too often that we, as Christians, have that deep resonating faith and we expect that everyone else who encounters God or the Bible can’t have questions. I don’t think God is afraid of questions or confusion – especially when you are a young pre-teen girl.
It wouldn’t be a Judy Blume book without an exploration of puberty and the changes that happen in a young person’s body. This movie doesn’t shy away from that topic matter so if you aren’t quite comfortable discussing these things with your young people, this might not be the movie for you. I absolutely adored Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret. She perfectly encapsulated the awkward dance between being a child and a young woman often going from scene to scene bouncing back and forth between the two sets of expectations. Rachel McAdams was absolutely wonderful as a mom who wants to be open with her daughter but is also as awkward and unsure as she’s navigating this new aspect of parenting. About a year ago I told my eldest daughter that she seems to think we all know everything that’s happening as parents and that we have awareness of how to handle each situation. The reality is that as a parent, just as we start to understand and feel comfortable with where we are, we end up in the next phase. Just get the feeding schedule down? Oh no – baby starts crawling. Just get everything settled around that? Baby is now walking! It goes on and on through our whole lives. I wish I’d understood that earlier in my life – that we’re all learning together constantly as parents and kids. Rachel McAdams did a great job capturing this delicate dance throughout the film. And is there ever a movie that Kathy Bates doesn’t shine in? As an overbearing grandmother, she absolutely owns her time on the screen.
I really enjoyed my time with Margaret and her family. As my daughter described it later, it was a deeply awkward movie that was a lot of fun to watch. If you have a young girl or teenager in your life, this is a good one to check out. Just be ready for questions and discussion peppered with lots of awkward, but understanding laughs and joy.
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