'Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret' Review: Rachel McAdams Leads Perfect Judy Blume Adaptation

Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. has remained a classic on school bookshelves since it was published more than 50 years ago because it tells the timeless story of a girl wanting to grow up too fast while the world changes around her. Blume waited forever to give her blessing to adapt the book, and it's a good thing she waited until writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig came around. Seven years after her adventurous debut The Edge of Seventeen, Fremon Craig proves to be the best at getting into the mind of young characters while making it so clear why coming-of-age stories like these keep being told.

Are You There God? begins in the fall of 1970, when 12-year-old Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) is uprooted from her New York City apartment by her parents, Barbara (Rachel McAdams) and Herb (Benny Safdie). Herb just got a big promotion, which means they can now live in the suburbia of New Jersey, a horrific idea for Margaret who fears she will be torn from her beloved grandmother, Sylvia (Kathy Bates). However, Margaret eventually makes friends at school, joining a group led by Nancy (Elle Graham), and all the while she faces the awkward situations that come with puberty. 

Throughout the film, as in the book, Margaret prays to God to find answers about faith. It would be a betrayal to the source material and to anyone who has grown up loving the book if Fremon Craig didn't take a deep dive into religion. It's in the title, after all. Margaret's father is Jewish and her mother is Christian, and they raised her without either. She was told she could choose which one to follow when she grew up. As she works on a school research project, she learns more about both faiths, their similarities, and their differences. It is a very real journey anyone can go through at any age. Where do we fit in? How can we believe when we don't see results from our prayers? Margaret struggles with these questions and more, and the film and book both understand that there is no solid answer to any of them. 

Thank goodness she has parents who support her. What makes Blume's story so unique is that the easy route for stories like these is making the parents villains. In Are You There God? though, that's not the case. Herb and Barbara, whose role was greatly expanded in Fremon Craig's script, are learning as much as their daughter is. They aren't villains. They are very real people whose love for their daughter is inescapable. In fact, there aren't traditional villains anywhere. 

It helps that Fremon Craig's cast is absolutely incredible. While we can respect Rachel McAdams' decision to take long breaks between acting gigs, she is such a joy to watch. She was born to play this role, doing indescribable little things with Abby Ryder Forston. Just a little wink here, a nudge there, and an adjustment to her smile. It all comes from years of knowing what works on camera to bring a fictional character to life. Forston must have been paying attention to McAdams because the 15-year-old knows how to deliver the perfect reactions in ensemble scenes and how to get her feelings across in intimate moments. It's also hard to see anyone but Kathy Bates play Margaret's paternal grandmother. 

Coming-of-age stories like Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. continue to be told because the best of them get to our hearts on a deeply personal level. They bring experiences we have had ourselves to the big screen or the page. Fremon Craig's handling of Blume's book is a success because it feels so real. She shows that Margaret is not the only person learning during this story, but Barbara as well. Parents can learn from their children as much as their children learn from them. The director found the perfect partner to bring that idea to fruition in McAdams, who gives one of the best performances of her career.