Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

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CAT'S PICK : ★ 8.0

When Margaret Simon, who is almost twelve years old, comes home from summer camp in 1970, she finds boxes scattered all over the cramped apartment her family has in New York City. Why? Before her parents can introduce their only child to the news, her grandmother announces that she and her parents are moving to New Jersey. The year-long journey that lies at the heart of this flawless adaptation of Judy Blume's "Are You There God? Margaret is the subject.

The adaptation of the book about puberty, family, and nascent spirituality by Kelly Fremon Craig, who also wrote and directed it, teaches us that a cherished object need not become precious if it is treated with care and consideration. It helps that Craig and film producer James L. Brooks chose a cast that not only conveys the joys and misfortunes of childhood but also addresses the aches and pains of other types of growing up. Benny Safdie and Rachel McAdams play Margaret's younger parents, Barbara and Herb. Kathy Bates is Margaret's fatherly grandma, Sylvia, of the previously mentioned shout.

Abby Ryder Fortson, on the other hand, is the one who carries the day—or rather, the academic year. Margaret's glimmers of self-awareness and hurt ring true in her face. Margaret, played by Fortson, is a protagonist who is both incidentally funny and genuine from the moment the soon-to-be sixth grader says the film's first prayer, which ends with the plea, "Please don't let New Jersey be too horrible."

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