Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.is a 2023 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Judy Blume. The film stars Abby Ryder Fortson as the title character, along with Rachel McAdams, Elle Graham, Benny Safdie, and Kathy Bates.
When Margaret’s family relocates from the city to the suburbs, she not only has to contend with a new life, but also new friends and the new changes to her body that come with the beginning of adolescence. Poised as one of the best coming-of-age book adaptations to date (with a Rotten Tomato score of 99%), Margaret is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Coming from a half-Jewish and half-Christian family, yet raised atheist, Margaret starts asking her father and mother (Rachel McAdams) about these big existential questions. Questioning her faith and identity, she visits her grandma (Kathy Bates) and attends Temple, but that doesn’t quite fit. One of her friends takes her to Church, but that doesn’t feel right either. While it seems like every other kid has their identity figured out, Margaret feels stuck in the middle, unable to grow up until she answers these questions definitively. Not only will fans of the now 50-year old book find this adaptation faithful, but it will also speak to today’s adolescents who will see themselves accurately depicted on screen.