Kelly Fremon Craig was a late bloomer, much like a character from a cherished Judy Blume novel who had moved to California from New Jersey. “I didn’t really need a bra until I was 14,” the director admits. I didn’t get my period till then, and it really upset me…. My mother was a big New Age/visualization fan back then.
If you asked her for something, she’d tell you to “imagine that it is so.” And so it was that I would literally be lying in bed thinking, “My boobs are getting bigger every day.” I used to picture them literally bursting through my torso, growing in slow motion.
This explains why, despite Blume’s initial resistance, a film adaptation of her coming-of-age classic Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret—who agreed to let Craig read and maybe edit the manuscript. Her movie version, which premieres this Friday, is a success because it stays true to the book’s down-to-earth urgency while adding necessary elements, such as more screen time for Rachel McAdams’s fantastic performance as Margaret’s mother, Barbara.
Naturally, Craig had identified with Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) when they were both young women. As a working mother, Barb can empathize with her situation. In the first chapter of Margaret, the titular heroine and her family relocate from New York City to the suburbs, where the protagonist, Barb, gives up her work in order to become the ideal PTA parent.
Craig did the same thing when she had to spend time away from her small son while filming The Edge of Seventeen in 2016. “When I went home, I told my wife, ‘I’m not going to work for a bit. She announces, “I’m just going to do all the mom things.
I’m going to organize all the playdates and help out at the preschool and blah blah blah. And by the time two or three months had passed, I had reached my lowest point.
When Will ‘Are You There, God?’ Come Out? Hey, Margaret
God, Is It You? The premiere of It’s Me, Margaret. took place at the San Francisco International Film Festival on April 23, 2023, and the film is set to be released in the United States by Lionsgate Films on April 28, 2023.
It won’t be streamed, and you won’t be able to rent or buy it from any digital or VOD provider, either.
We Have To Get Rid Of These Books From The Library
Initially overjoyed, Blume gave three autographed copies of her book to the primary school where her children were enrolled.
There are a lot of reasons why the male principal is not a decent person. He took them out of circulation, though, because, “You know, girls in sixth grade are too young to read about this,” as he put it. Blume recalled hearing someone say, “We can’t have these books in our library.
“Ignore the fact that a lot of girls in fifth and sixth grade back then already had their periods,” Blume claims that one of the main reasons parents want books banned or removed from libraries is that they don’t want their children asking them embarrassing questions.
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“I used to have this great line: they think if their kids don’t read about it, it’s never going to happen to them — and then they’ll never have to discuss it,” Blume adds. That’s it then, I guess.
At the same time, readers were writing to Blume with touching testimonials about how the book made them feel less alone and more understood. The feedback from readers inspired Blume to keep writing.
What they said inspired me to believe that perhaps I could achieve my goals after all. One day I’ll write a book, right? Blume explains, “Because I didn’t know till then. As one writer put it, “it was so reinforcing and supportive, and that’s what every writer needs to keep going.”
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Cast
Is God There? Judy Blume penned the script for It’s Me, Margaret, and Kelly Fremon Craig helmed the film adaptation. These performers play key roles in the film:
- Rachel McAdams as Barbara Simon
- Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret Simon
- Elle Graham as Nancy Wheeler
- Benny Safdie as Herb Simon
- Kathy Bates as Sylvia Simon
We Can’t Believe It’s You!
Even now, half a century after the book’s initial publication, readers still seek out the author at her bookstore in Key West, Florida, to meet her and pay tribute.
My husband used to call them the OMGs since I went there so much before the outbreak. I was just working four days a week. The reaction would be, “Oh my God, it’s you!” And it would get teary and extremely nice and emotional. Since I can’t visit a bookshop at the moment, I miss out on all of that.
Blume has long refused offers to option Are You There, God? for cinema or television. Margaret, but in more recent years gave Lionsgate the green light to produce it. Kelly Fremon Craig, director of Edge of Seventeen, will adapt the script and lead the film’s creative team. James L. Brooks’ Gracie Films will produce.
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There’s a new generation of readers, kids maybe 10 and up. They are either enamored with it or completely uninterested. Blume, the author of over 30 books including Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Deenie, and Blubber, argues that his work “speaks to them maybe the way that it spoke to their mothers or grandmothers.”
When Will Are You There God Show Up? Where Can I Find Margaret Streaming Online?
No official statement regarding Are You There God? has been made as of yet. The It’s Me, Margaret! movie is now available online. Nonetheless, since it’s a Lionsgate production, Are You There, God? Peacock, and not Netflix, HBO Max, or Disney+, will debut the It’s Me, Margaret film first.
Conclusion
In 1969, Blume released her first children’s book, “The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo.” Next came “Freckle Juice” (1971), “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” (1972), “Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great” (1972), and “Blubber” (1974), all of which were written for elementary school students.