adminAre You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, The movie version of Judy Bloom’s popular coming-of-age book from 1970. Rarely has a film shown an 11-year-old boy or girl moving with such dignity and grace toward puberty. Three generations of women will experience change together with Margaret as she grows up in the movie. Abby Ryder Fortson portrays Margaret with such authenticity that it seems as though she has always been Margaret. She is relocating from a thriving area of 1970s New York City to the despised suburbs of New Jersey bearing a scorn that she and her grandmother, Sylvia. She is demonstrated in some of the funniest lines in the film, that you can watch only via Flixtor site. Margaret is sour and unfavorable in her critique of the action, but not vehement.
She begs God, her interlocutor, “Don’t let Jersey be too awful.” This part will make any young person who has been forced to leave behind their friends and active social life laugh as they recall the misery they inflicted on their parents when they objected to something done for a better family life or their dad’s promotion. It’s rarely a good idea to please a preteen anyway. The way that Margaret and her friends deal with the arrival of guys in their life and the eagerly awaited period drives most of the movie’s action. There is a great deal of excitement surrounding this momentous event. A lyric that references the life marker and urges the girls to embrace their developing busts says, “We must, we must, we must increase our bust.”
In Judy Bloom’s book of the same name, every other potential pre-adolescent phase of young girls’ transition from sixth grade to junior high appears to be covered and probably was. Her emerging faith confronting her roots in Judaism and Christianity is less tangible but no less potent. The reason her mother married a Jew caused a rift between her maternal grandparents and could reunite the family. For an impatient child or teen who craves family harmony almost as much as a period or bigger bust, it will be a long process. She is speaking with a God who she is unsure is real, both in person and through voiceover. What challenging issues for a child or teen!
Like in real life, not all professors are bad and not all girls are mean; everyone is simply trying to get by. Although the ladies do appear to be wishing their lives away, their poignant moments of camaraderie and affection offer hope that humanity will prevail. Director/writer Kelly Fromon Craig’s God, are You there? Anyone who interacts with people from different cultures or who wants to see a flawless rendition of a significant work of art should watch It’s Me, Margaret.
