Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

A truly wonderful heartfelt movie. I am not a girl but it brought me back to my pre-teen years. The specifics may be different, but the feelings are universal. I laughed out loud many times throughout the movie. The movie was hilarious and touching at various times. The child playing Margaret should get an academy award. Yes, she was that good. I cannot rave enough about this movie. Go see it!

mmmmm a 6 at best 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 66 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 666 6

First off, I'm a cisginder man who has never read the book, so I had no expectations, other than what I'd seen in the trailer, which pretty much says it all. Abby Ryder Fortson plays the 11-year-old who continually prays to a diety that she may or may not believe in for help in navigating puberty, including her first period, bra and kiss. She also relies on the supportive relationships with her mom (Rachel McAdams) and grandmother (Kathy Bates). All of this is done with a lively outlook, even when her social standing is questionable. It's never really funny and only mildy touching, but the cast is strong and its vibe is continually warm and sweet. NOTE: Look for Bloom in a cameo as "neighbor walking dog."

(Mauro Lanari) It's incomprehensible to me why Kelly Craig hasn't updated Judy Blume's 1970s novel. Consequently, her film is no longer a coming-of-age tale but a historical reconstruction from the boomers perspective. The sounds of the war in Vietnam do not reach the muffled house in New Jersey and puberty still coincides with interreligious dilemmas, while today we move directly to atheism (the newspaper of the Italian Episcopal Conference is publishing analytical articles on the collapse of practitioners even among young people). And anyway, I'm already getting tired of Benny Safdie being chosen for the role of a Jew as in "The Curse": the analogous stereotyping of an Indian with Dev Patel?

To tell you the truth, I only lasted about half an hour into the movie. From the very beginning if felt fake and phony, way off key, to say in musical terms. I never read the book so I decided to give it some more time, and after half an hour I gave up. The book might be good but acting and directing... I believe it is ultimately the director's fault that all acting across the board is so drastically poor. Even a wonderful Kathy Bates is barely mediocre there. Do not waste your time and money.