Story
It’s the 1970s and 11-year-old Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) is upset to find out that her parents have decided to move to New Jersey from New York. Margaret is sad to leave behind her friends and, particularly, her grandmother Sylvia (Kathy Bates). It isn’t long, however, until Nancy (Elle Graham) from across the road invites Margaret over to play in the sprinklers. Nancy is quite mature for her age and is obsessed with boys and growing up. Margaret and Nancy become good friends and, together with Gretchen (Katherine Mallen Kupferer) and Janie (Amari Alexis Price), they form a secret club.
Meanwhile, Margaret has been thinking about the idea of ‘God’ and prays regularly to God to help her in different ways. Her mother Barbara (Rachel McAdams) is a Christian and her father Herb (Benny Safdie) is Jewish, which caused a rift in Barbara’s family, with her devout parents cutting her off. Consequently, Barbara and Herb have avoided the topic of religion in Margaret’s life, wanting her to make her own choice when she’s old enough.
Margaret is curious about her maternal grandparents, which subsequently prompts Barbara to get in touch with them and they want to come and meet Margaret for the first time. Sparks fly, however, when Sylvia and her new husband arrive on the scene at the same time to prevent Barbara’s parents converting Margaret to Christianity.
Themes
Puberty; menstruation; religion
Violence
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret has some violence. For example:
- Nancy’s brother throws a ball at her head.
- Herb cuts his hand on the lawn mower.
Sexual references
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret has a lot of sexual references. For example:
- Nancy is surprised to see that Margaret is still ‘flat’ (chested). They compare their breast size.
- One of the girls in the class is much taller than the others and they wrongly assume she’s much older. The girls talk about how boys must ‘feel her up’ (touch her sexually).
- The girls often talk about getting their periods and when Gretchen does, she describes in detail what it’s like.
- Margaret looks at pictures of women modelling underwear and decides she wants a bra. Barbara takes her to the shop where the assistant says they don’t make them for her size but gives her a ‘grow bra’ instead.
- The girls do exercises to increase their bust size.
- Gretchen brings a book to the club that shows a picture of a boy’s anatomy. They all discuss what they think about that.
- Margaret finds a copy of her dad’s Playboy which she brings to the club. They all look at the nude centrefold (not shown) and discuss the woman’s breasts.
- The girls are shown a video at school called, ‘What Every Girl Should Know’, about growing up and the changing body.
- A boy gives Margaret ‘a pinch to grow an inch’, indicating her chest area.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret has some substance use – for example, some drinking of wine at dinner.
Nudity and sexual activity
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- The girls wear two-piece bathing suits.
- Nancy shows Margaret how she practises kissing boys on the bed post.
- At a party they play spin the bottle, where the spinner gets to kiss the person the bottle points to. They also play a game where they pick a number and go off in couples into a closet to kiss. Margaret gets chosen and is very nervous. The boy is very sweet, however, and kisses her twice.
Product placement
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret has some product placement – for example, Corn Flakes.
Coarse language
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret has some mild coarse language. For example:
- Oh My God
- What the hell
- Jeez.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Based on the book by Judy Blume, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. is a coming-of-age drama, aimed at pre-pubescent girls. It’s funny and light-hearted, and deals with the facts of life in a very positive way. The movie looks at the search to find oneself, and to form opinions about God and one’s place in the world. Due to these themes, the movie isn’t suitable for children under 8 and parental guidance is recommended for children aged 8-10.
These are the main messages from Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret:
- Puberty will happen naturally when your body is ready.
- Puberty happens at a different time for everyone, and that’s OK.
Values in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret that you could reinforce with your children are kindness, empathy, honesty, tolerance, not judging others by appearance, forgiveness, and self-forgiveness.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real life issues like:
- The negative impact exclusive clubs have on those who aren’t included.
- The hurt that’s caused by unfounded rumours.
- The impact of religious intolerance on individuals and families.
- When and how our bodies change during puberty.