Mother-daughter drama
Rachel McAdams and Abby Ryder Fortson tackled their roles with understated charm that brought Judy Blume’s classic to life and gracefully introduced it to a new generation of readers.
| Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
Their performances, especially when they’re onscreen together, nail the peculiarities of puberty as both an individual experience and a communal one. Margaret doesn’t want to need her mother, but she does, as captured most vividly in the last scene, when she calls for her upon discovering that she has her period.
In one of the film’s emotional highlights, McAdams races up the stairs and waits outside the door, on the verge of tears as she realizes her girl is growing up.
Abby Ryder Fortson is outstanding as Margaret, a girl of 11 going through all kinds of changes in 1970. McAdams is stunning just as her mom, trying to help Margaret navigate the tough pre-puberty even as she must figure out her own life.
Credits:
Screenplay by Kelly Fremon Craig, based on the book, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” by Judy Blume
Produced by James L. Brooks, Julie Ansell , Richard Sakai
Cinematography Tim Ives
Edited by Nick Moore, Oona FlahertyMusic by Hans ZimmerProduction company: Gracie Films
Distributed by Lionsgate
Release dates: April 23, 2023 (SFIFF) April 28, 2023 (US)
Running time: 106 minutes
Budget $30 million
Box office $21.5 million
