Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is a charming, tender, and entertaining coming-of-age story that will warm the heart. Check out the details in my parents guide movie review.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. releases in theaters on Friday, April 28, 2023. The film stars Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret Simon, Rachel McAdams (Margaret’s mother, Barbara Simon), Kathy Bates (Margaret’s paternal grandmother, Sylvia Simon), Benny Safdie (Margaret’s father, Herb Simon), Elle Graham (Nancy Wheeler), Katherine Kupferer (Gretchen Potter), Amari Price (Janie Loomis), Aidan Wojtak-Hissong (Moose Freed), Zack Brooks (Philip Leroy), Isol Young (Laura Danker), and Echo Kellum (Mr. Benedict). The film is based on the iconic Judy Blume novel, with writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig at the helm and produced by James L. Brooks, Julie Ansell, and Richard Sakai. Check out all the details in my parents guide movie review.
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Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Quotes
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Parents Guide
In Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret: Raised by a Christian mother and a Jewish father, an adolescent girl starts to ask questions about religion and faith.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Age Rating Parents Guide
Let’s take a look at what parents need to know about the age rating of the movie before letting their younger children watch Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Language: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. contains light language, with the strongest words viewers will come across being g-d d*mn, stupid, and idiot.
Mature Content: The biggest concern for parents in the film is the suggestive material and sexual education, with plenty of talk about bust size, changing bodies, training bras, sanitary pads, pre-teen sensations, and first periods. There is no nudity other than characters shown in their underwear and wearing a bra. There is also a scene that shows a drawn photo of a penis in an anatomy book where the girls discuss the shape, which looks like a thumb and is saggy. There is a scene where a character kisses a bedpost “practicing” to be a good kisser, and another scene that has the preteens playing spin the bottle and kissing in the closet. Characters often discuss their growing breasts and periods and even look at a Playboy magazine (pictures not shown) and talk about the size of the model’s breasts. There is also a big theme in the film that surrounds organized religion.
Age Rating of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret: Lionsgate’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret has a PG-13 rating for material that involved sexual education and suggestive material, and the parental guidelines advisory recommends it for an adult audience, younger adults, and teens aged 13 and older. The suggestion of parental guidance or an adult guardian is highly suggested for young kids (or older kids) under 13 years of age in this PG-13-rated motion picture. The minimum age recommendation is 13 years old; it is not suitable for young children.
Overall Thoughts
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is a film adaptation of Judy Blume’s book, which is somewhat controversial book due to its dealing with puberty, periods, and the questioning of organized religion. At the center of the story is 11-year-old Margaret Simon, played by Abby Ryder Forston, who starts sixth grade at a new school in the suburbs of New Jersey after her dad’s new job moves the family from New York City. Upon moving to the New Jersey suburbs, Mragaret meets new friends, including neighbor Nancy Wheeler, who befriends her and invites her to join her group of friends, which includes an induction into Nancy’s secret club, which requires participants to wear a bra, share their crush, tell each other about their first period, and of course, they cannot wear socks. Due to her new friends and an inquisitive teacher, Margaret not only begins to question her developing body, but also her religion, considering she was raised without a religion due to her father being Jewish and her mother being a Christian.
The best thing about Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is the educational aspect it provides both parents and teen and preteen girls. At times, it is uncomfortable (who wants to talk about periods and what they smell like?) but the information and messages that it delivers are priceless. This film is truly made for teen and preteen girls who may be too embarrassed to discuss certain subjects, even with their friends, and gives a totally honest and authentic look at what it is like to be a female during some of the most awkward and confusing years of their lives.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret does its best to be genuine, not sugar-coating puberty, religion, female expectations, and struggles within the family unit. Rachel McAdams, who plays Margaret’s mother, Barbara Simon, embodies the struggles and emotions many women deal with, trying to be the perfect wife, mother, volunteer, and other expectations while putting her passion for art on the side. She is relatable, especially when wrestling with her own childhood trauma and not passing it on to her own daughter. Abby Ryder Fortson, who plays main character Margaret Simon, is terrific in the role and delivers a solid performance that doesn’t feel forced or fake. However, it is Kathy Bates as Margaret’s paternal grandmother, Sylvia Simon, who truly steals every scene she is in and brings much of the comedy to the movie, which was plenty. The rest of the cast does a thorough job, each having their moments to shine.
Where Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret exceeds in its brutally honest moments, not only in the coming-of-age theme but in its discussions surrounding religion. Mrgaret was brought up with “no religion,” considering her parents come from two different ones, and her mother’s parents disowned her for “marrying a Jew.” In a time when religion has seemed to cross the line into our politics and many in the country are losing their religion, this topic not only seems appropriate for the time but also a taboo subject. The film is not afraid to take it on through the eyes of the innocent, hoping to open the eyes of those more engrained in their traditions. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is not only a coming-of-age story, but it delivers lessons we all can learn from, or at the very least, open our hearts to those around us who may be a little different, whether it be a different religion or a different chest size, and it does so while keeping it respectful to all.
