Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

Judy Bloom’s classic book about becoming and being a woman finally makes it to the big screen, and it’s amazingly adapted. But it’s not just for young women, offering up a lovely, effervescent, funny, and importantly-frank view of adolescence that is important to young people and older alike. Abby Ryder Fortson (young Cassie Lang from the Ant-Man movies) is spectacular, and Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates are wonderful as her mother and grandmother. The critics are just absolutely in love with it, including notoriously cranky (but fair) Leonard Maltin. It’s currently rated 99% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 94% Audience Score.

“As a critic, I hesitate to use the word “perfect” but it is the first adjective that comes to mind” -Leonard Maltin, leonardmaltin.com
“Although the target audience is unquestionably mothers and daughters, Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret has things to say to viewers of all genders and ages.” -James Berardinelli, ReelViews
“The Judy Blume book receives the ageless treatment it deserves in a movie that captures the 1970 vibe (starting with the soundtrack) while completely transcending it.” -Brian Lowry, CNN.com
“The beloved book that got so many grandmothers, mothers and daughters through the fraught narrows of the preteen years with love, laughter and easily digestible life lessons is now a film with a terrific cast, a light touch and genuine affection.” -Thelma Adams, AARP Movies for Grownups
“Hollywood does gloriously right by Judy Blume’s 1970 bestseller about a pre-teen girl (a stellar Abby Ryder Fortson) in a tug-of-war with puberty and religion. Costars McAdams and Bates exemplify Blume’s refreshing candor. Call it totally irresistible.” -Peter Travers, ABC News
“Indeed, the film’s gentleness, its goodness, feels like a bit like a tonic. Fifty-three years after its publication, they finally made a film out of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. And not a moment too soon.” -Max Weiss, Baltimore Magazine
“In the hands of director Kelly Fremon Craig, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret isn’t just about adolescence — it’s about the state of womanhood in general, with all of the accompanying sacrifices and vexations and humiliations that come with it.” -EJ Dickson, Rolling Stone
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is both lovingly faithful to its source, and very much its own creation; how lucky we are to have both book and movie, preserved for girls past, present and future. -Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
“This is an astounding adaptation of a beloved book, capturing the essence of what made Judy Blume such a phenomenon while speaking in a voice that resonates whether you were Margaret’s age in 1970 or are a child in the here and now.” -Leigh Monson, AV Club
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. is a cinematic blessing. Go see it, and take your preteen kids. Yes, even the boys.” -Odie Henderson, Boston Globe

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. opens at The Clyde Friday, June 3, and shows Friday, Saturday, & Monday at 7:30 and Sunday at 5:00 & 7:30.