Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

At least marginally better than "Are You There, God? It's me, Jonah Hill. From Moneyball."

Succinctly and pleasantly low stakes; there isn't any high-great drama, until the last twenty minutes, but the tone is consistent and manages to get deep about Faith, or really the absence of it, or how hard it can be for a young person to comprehend how, as Margaret ultimately puts it in the assignment to the teacher, religion makes people fight all the time.

For the most part, this is a story that is a School Year in the Life abd it's perfectly content to be about things like, oh, how you're fitting in with a new group of friends (some more agreeable than others), which boys are cute or not, and yet it's actually about something deeper due to the comparison the film makes between Margaret with Nancy and Margaret's Mom with the PTA (led by... Nancy's Mom): a Group isn't inherently a bad thing, but when there's one person asking or really demanding for this and that with pressures it can add to the already-there pressure of life in Suburbia.

Abby Ryder Fortson is so appealing and wonderful in the lead part, where your heart always goes out to her and she is funny and sympathetic and sometimes awkward in that way an 11 to 12 year old is at that time. The film maybe wraps everything up a little too tidy by the end for me, but it's hard to make a fuss when what is all wrapped up is all just, well, "will I finally talk to Moose who mows the lawn, or will "It" happen in the bathroom?" I never read the book, but it feels like it probably managed to bring everything in adaptation that was necessary (though I wonder if things between Margaret and Nancy came more to a head in the book than here, where things just kind of leave off on a silent understanding of a lie).

If it doesn't reach quite the heights of the director's previous movie, Edge of Seventeen, it's still never less than entertaining, amusing is not always funny (ok the dinner scene with both sides of the families is funny), and it's impressive that this can be in theaters as something for families to see that isn't the more soulless IP or candy-coated fast food.

So much to think about after seeing this today. I thought the acting was very good. Realistic. In 4th grade I remember a big controversy at my school about this book. We were not allowed to read it. That was 1978. How refreshing to see what all the fuss was about. Anyway, I enjoyed seeing this film and look forward to buying the book! Powerful. Kathy Bates character is so lovable and fun. Who wouldn't want a Grandma like that? Her timing is hilarious. She's so warm in all the right places. She's the true hero to me. Costumes/attire/fashions seemed believable. Kudos to costume designers. Of course kudos to Judy Blume for the courage to write a book for girls with big ideas. Because we have brains.

This movie was beautiful. Judy Blume waited for the right person to take on her universe. Kelly Fermon Craig brought a simple touch to Blume's story, making it a true gem to watch.

I had read this book as a young girl and had my daughters read it while growing up. It has given girls a door into their own adolescence for more than 50 years.

I cringed just as I did 45 years ago at the awkward moments and feeling as an outsider as Margret did, but now I also cringed at the mother's misteps. I also known how trying to fit in to being a stay at home mom can be.

Thank goodness the film stuck to the time period. Seeing the electric skillet and blue Corningware made my day.

Thank you for a comfort food kind of movie.

Based on Judy Blume's seminal coming of age book, young Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) is eleven and has to move from school and friends to New Jersey where she starts her journey into puberty with 3 new girl friends all competing about boob size, getting their period first and boys.

This all seems so real and spot on and much of it is simply hysterical. It does though look more broadly at growing up and the the less obvious troubles one faces in becoming your own person rather than who everyone else wants you to be, which at 11 is tricky. This part of the story is focussed here on religion for which Margaret does a school project on and comes to realise that picking a religion is difficult and not actually necessarily a must do when her grandparents - Jewish and Christian give her grief over the right way forward. It's all handled very nicely with the young girls, especially Fortson and Elle Graham, all excellent with great support from Rachel McAdams as her mum and the wonderful Kathy Bates as the doting Jewish grandmother. Funny and sweet.

Watched it right after watching Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Anyways this sweet little coming of age film is about Margaret as she tries to figure out a lot of things as a teenager. She is in sixth grade and had to move to New Jersey, leaving her grandmother and friends as her parents decided to shift after the father earned a promotion. In the new city, she makes new friends, waits to have first period and experience her first kiss, while juggling through her biggest conundrum, religion.

The performance stood out along with the smart writing. I instantly bought into these teen characters and their innocence, while relating to the adults emotionally. Margaret reaching out to God throughout the movie simply had a nice touch. Though it doesn't dwell much into the religious aspect, the whole Jewish vs catholic Christians thing, it does handle it without getting preachy. It definitely had multiple stand out scenes, ranging from hilarious to heart touching moments.

Definitely recommended.