Prior to Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret‘s theatrical release Judy Blume, prolific children’s book writer, continuously stated that this adaptation is better than her original novel. Seeing as her original novel is one of the best coming of age novels you can buy, this statement (which I believe to be true) emphasizes just how remarkable this film is.
The movie surrounds Margaret, a 12-year-old girl whose life is suddenly upended when she and her parents move from New York to New Jersey after her father is offered a new, better job. She has to navigate her way around life, and, at a core level, figure out what’s good and what’s bad in this new world of her’s. It makes sense that this film conveys its idea so well considering the director’s, Kelly Fremon Craig, past directorial experiences, working on one of the best coming of age stories to come out of the 2010s, The Edge of Seventeen.
The film deals with heavy themes, but Fremon Craig pulls back at just the right moment, which works toward making it appealing to a younger audience, and also acts as a way to keep the movie upbeat and wholesome while sustaining Fremon Craig’s messages of the film throughout.
In one of Blume’s interviews she mentioned that Fremon Craig reached out to her, asking if she could bring the novel to the big screen, and Fremon Craig’s love for the novel shines through throughout the film; it acts as both a film with a message that rings true for all ages and a love letter to Judy Blume and the monumental impact she has had on so many kids.
The film is timeless, although it is a period piece, due in large part to the fact that, although the movie is set in 1970, it is not treated as a central piece of the movie or a novelty. The time it is set in feels like nothing more than a canvas for Judy Blume and director Kelly Fremon Craig to paint the picture. Instead of making this a cheesy period piece the film decides to focus on the relationship between the characters and uses religion and middle school life to express its messages.
And although I imagine the message of the film would magnify tenfold if I was the target audience I was still enthralled the entire way through, especially with the well-handled controversial themes (mainly just religion) featured in the film.
The message of the film rings true for everyone, while still providing a wholesome family film to enjoy; Fremon Craig turned what could have been a juggling act to a harmonic symphony that lines up in all the right places.
