When her family moves from the city to the suburbs, 11-year-old Margaret navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence.
Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Fortson) moves to suburban New Jersey with her parents, Barbara (Rachel Mcadams) and Herb (Benny Safdie). Margaret and Barbara must now adjust to their new lives while Margaret goes through the growing pains of puberty.
I doubt anyone misses their puberty years. When I think back to that time, I can’t help but cringe. But I also remember that time fondly, as I was more naive. It makes sense that Margaret internally pleads with God at various times in the film. If something embarrassing happens to you, it feels like the end of the world at that age.
Barbara is going through her own struggles. She worked as an art teacher, and when they moved, she became a stay-at-home mom. She joins various committees at Margaret’s school to keep her busy, but she finds them annoying. She wants to return to her art but isn’t sure how to do so in their little town.
Friends are essential to eleven-year-olds, and Margaret gets into an interesting clique in her new neighborhood. She befriends the wealthy Nancy Wheeler (Elle Graham), who likes to brag and bully a big-chested girl in her class. I wish we got more characterization with Margaret’s two other friends since neither is as mean-spirited as Nancy.
Even though this film takes place in the ’70s, I significantly related to Margaret and her friends. There are talks about crushes, periods, getting a bra, playing spin the bottle, and other antics that are a staple in coming-of-age stories.
I also enjoyed Margaret’s relationship with her grandmother, Sylvia (Kathy Bates). As someone close to her grandmother, I always appreciate seeing a close grandmother-granddaughter relationship on-screen. Sylvia is very protective of Margaret and gets lonely without her.
As someone sent to Catholic school all her life, I wish I had Margaret’s experience where her parents let her decide which faith she wanted to be a part of. Her father and grandmother are Jewish, while her mom is Catholic. Barbara is much less strict in her views than her parents, though they had a falling out since Barbara’s parents were against her marrying a Jew. For Margaret, religion causes a lot of tension and fighting among her family, but she does try to keep an open mind when exploring different religions. However, she has a hard time finding God, which frustrates her.
I’m a big fan of Kelly Fremon Craig’s first feature, “The Edge of Seventeen,” and while I don’t think “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” is on the same level, I still enjoyed the film. All the puberty staples are depicted with a sense of humor and relatability. Craig excels again with this coming-of-age story, so I’m eager to see what she does next. And hopefully, it won’t take her as long to get her next feature in development.
In Theaters Friday, April 28th
