Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.
I don’t know the first thing about being a teenage girl, but I do know what it’s like to try to figure yourself out after a big life change. That’s the universal aspect of both Judy Blume’s novel, and Kelly Fremon Craig’s film adaptation. Yes, there are things about Margaret Simon’s story- like getting your first period or the pressures of developing breasts- that guys are oblivious to, often into adulthood, but deciding whether religion matters to your life, figuring out ways to spend time with a crush, and trying to decide how you fit in with new friends at a new place are all things any kid has to sort out for themselves. If we don’t, we might have outside individuals pushing us in one way or another, and that comes with its own hurdles. Every step of the way in Craig’s film, we’re with Margaret, and by the time the film is over, we feel like she’s headed in a positive direction, even if not everything has been figured out.
I was going on 11 when my parents told me that we were moving from Ohio to Georgia. I didn’t have a grandparent blurt it out like Margaret does, but the feelings of anxiety she feels in that moment were very familiar to me. Even if it is for a good reason- in both of our cases, our father’s getting the opportunity for a better job- there’s almost a sense of betrayal you feel if you have to leave the only life you ever knew at that age; are your parents even taking you into account? It won’t be until you’re older when you realize that for yourself, and even if the path forward is clear in the moment for our parents, even they might have their doubts. One of the things I love about this movie is that it gives room from Margaret’s mother, Barbara, to feel a bit lost, as well. Even more than the trials and travails we see Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) endure in her first year in the suburbs, Barbara (Rachel McAdams) is trying to be a full-time mother for first time- that comes with its own pressures.
Throughout the film, Margaret is asking God for favors and guidance. What does Margaret believe, though? She comes from a split-faith marriage- Barbara was raised Christian and her father, Herb (Benny Safdie), is Jewish- and as she goes through the film, she finds herself trying to answer that question for herself. Her teacher (Echo Kellum) has posed an assignment to the class due near the end of the year, one which Margaret uses to see where she might find God. Nominally, her parents don’t practice any religion, and have decided to let Margaret decide for herself when the time comes. They are close to Herb’s mother (the incomparable Kathy Bates), with whom Margaret will go to Temple during a weekend trip to visit her grandmother, but not Barbara’s parents. When Margaret asks why, it brings up old wounds for Barbara, leading to an unexpected reunion that culminates in Margaret feeling as certain about her own right to choose for herself, and makes Barbara feel like she made a mistake not just re-opening the door for her parents, but risking putting herself more at a distance from Margaret, whom also feels more distant to God than ever. The bonds between mothers and daughters are not so easily torn asunder, though, and I love Frotson and McAdams throughout this film. She wants to be there for Margaret, and I love how she starts by trying to get overly engaged in the PTA- thinking that’s what will fulfill her- all the while being unsure what living room set she wants. In a way, she’s just as new to their life in New Jersey than Margaret is, but so is Herb, who isn’t sure what to make of the idea that he can pay a kid from the neighborhood to mow their lawn. Life in the suburbs is grand, isn’t it? That that kid (Aidan Wojtak-Hissong) happens to be Margaret’s crush is simply a coincidence.
The driving force of the film, though, is Margaret and her friends as they go through the year, starting to think about boys, sex and deciding secrets clubs and rules are the way to promote closeness. Nancy (Elle Graham), Janie (Amari Alexis Price) and Gretchen (Katherine Mallen Kupferer) are going through the same biological changes Margaret are, and for the most part, we can see that they might be good for Margaret, the outsider, as she starts out in a new community. But school comes with inevitable gossip, rumors, and popularity contests, sometimes based on those things. The girls are all a delight, and- even when the sheen starts to come off of Margaret’s view of them- we understand what’s going on; after all, they might not have all the things Margaret is going through, but they’re still girls in school. Nobody is fully formed, at that point, when it comes to who they are.
As I’m thinking about the film as I write this review, the Simon family reminds me of The Simpsons, with Margaret being Lisa. This is certainly not an accident, as the film is produced by James L. Brooks, not only a great writer-director in his own right, but also an executive producer on that long-running show. One of my favorite episodes of “The Simpsons” is “Moaning Lisa,” where Lisa is sad, and unsure as to why. The way Craig’s beautiful film follows Margaret as she’s trying to figure out who she is, what matters to her, feels very much like one of the great episodes Lisa has had on that show. I know Blume’s book predates “The Simpsons,” but Brooks being a part of bringing both girls to life for us to empathize with in the mediums of film and TV doesn’t seem like an accident. Him being associated with a writer-director capable of the challenge for this film (he also produced Craig’s acclaimed “The Edge of Seventeen”) is not a surprise; it no doubt is the reason Blume consented to have her story brought to the screen at last. It was worth the wait.
