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

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

24/3/2023 1h 46m 7.2/10

Overview

When her family moves from New York City to New Jersey, an 11-year-old girl navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence.

Director

Neal Gray

Top Billed Cast

Rachel McAdams

Rachel McAdams

Barbara Simon

Kathy Bates

Kathy Bates

Sylvia Simon

Elle Graham

Elle Graham

Nancy Wheeler

Benny Safdie

Benny Safdie

Herbert Simon

Abby Ryder Fortson

Abby Ryder Fortson

Margaret Simon

Amari Alexis Price

Amari Alexis Price

Janie Loomis

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

5/24/2023

7/10

The engaging Abby Ryder Fortson is on strong form here as the eponymous girl who finds herself shifted by her parents to live across the Hudson in New Jersey. Now they are an happy family: mum "Barbara" (Rachel McAdams) and dad "Herb" (Benny Safdie) that is egged on now and again by her favourite, and mischievous, grandmother "Sylvia" (Kathy Bates). New house, new school, new friends and quickly settling in, she joins a secret club with three other girls and what now ensues is a rather poignant and entertaining coming-of-age tale as the girls compete with each other for just about everything from the cute "Philip" (Zack Brooks) to which of them has their first period or wears their first bra. I suspect this may well resonate more with girls than boys, but that doesn't compromise it's potency. These girls reflect behaviour and attitudes that could almost certainly be found in most schools around any country. The introduction of her conversations with God (her parents are a non-practising Jew and Christian respectively so she's been left to be undecided on the issue) upon whom she is relying to help her avoid disaster, get the boy and vent her frustrations become more relatable as the film proceeds. It's got a little unwelcome melodrama, but Kathy Bates manages to keep that under control with a punchy series of short but impactful contributions and the whole thing is effectively kept on an even keel by an enjoyable effort from McAdams. The pacing and the writing are solid with some pithily apposite observations, and by the end I was just grateful that my hormones have long since given up the ghost!

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