Earlier in the year (I think it was when we went to see the third Ant-Man movie) the wife and I saw a trailer for Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. I thought nothing of it, but my wife was super excited and pumped up about it. I think she was more excited about this trailer than she was about the actual movie we saw.
How to Download Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
You can expect to be able to download or stream the film from a digital platform about 45 days after its theatrical release (28 May 2023). Click on the Download button at the end of this review and check the current availability.
The Movie Review
I will admit I was ignorant to the fact that this is a very popular Judy Blume novel that has been enjoyed by people for over 40 years at this point. However, the trailer did get me intrigued as I like Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates, well I like Kathy Bates as long as she is not coming at me with a sledgehammer like in Misery!
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret was brought to us by Kelly Fremon Craig who wrote and directed the movie, she was the writer on Bumblebee which I think is pretty cool. This is a coming-of-age movie that is set in the 70s and while I think it is probably more aimed at teenage girls and those who grew up with this book, I still had a lot of fun with it.
I loved the 70s setting, it was realized very well and even though I was not alive in the 70s, I felt like they captured it really well and the movie had a very authentic look to it. Our main character is a young lady called Margaret who lives with her family in New York, but her whole world is about to be turned upside down.
You see, Margert along with her mom and dad are moving from New York to the suburbs of New Jersey and as a rather shy and reserved and kind of awkward 12-year-old, she is pretty nervous about it. A huge part of her story is her trying to find her place, her mother is a Christian and her dad is Jewish and she is trying to find her own identity, both religious and who she actually is…. well, that is the way I took it, my wife did not give me a dirty look when I told her that so it cannot be that bad of a take!
I love the three generations of women in this movie. Margert played by the very talented young actress Abby Ryder Fortson is a whole lot of fun and you cannot help but love her. I love the way that she actually says “Are you there God, it’s me Margaret” as she tries to talk and reason with the man upstairs.
We also have Rachel McAdams as her mother Barbara. As awesome as Rachel McAdams is in this role, she is making me feel old as it feels like it was just last year she was playing Regina George in Mean Girls! She nails this role and I thought that her story that was told here was also good as we saw her struggles as a stay-at-home mom. Kathy Bates plays the grandma and I love the relationship between her and Margaret, especially when she tries to push her towards Judaism.
I will admit I only went to see Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret because my wife really wanted to. I have to say, I am glad I did as this was a fun movie, it was wholesome, had a lot of heart and it just kind of made you feel good when you were watching it. It was a fun coming-of-age story, with a great setting and a very likable cast of characters.
