Perhaps it’s been too long since I parented a minor, but if your non-religious tween is choosing to have conversations with God about personal insecurity issues instead of her parents, you might to work on your communication skills. Big time.
At what I’m sure the heroine would describe as a “critical time in her life,” Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Fortson) moves from New York City to New Jersey. As if the “step down” weren’t humiliating enough, Margaret is right on the verge of puberty and now she needs to find new friends to share her pubescent adventures. This happens. Margaret makes friends rapidly for a new kid, but she chooses to confide her deepest secrets with the Almighty, beginning each prayer with “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”
Margaret’s parents (Rachel McAdams and Benny Safdie) are of different religious backgrounds and have chosen to avoid any sort of spiritual background in rearing children. Hence, praying –clearly- doesn’t come naturally to Margaret.
Immediately engulfed in a hyper-sexually aware friend group, Margaret gets caught up in a milieu of periods, bust sizes, and the one boy in the class who actually combs his hair. This is what happens in lieu of genuine plot. The big moment in the film comes when the fifth (5TH!) graders are invited to a mature-ish, dress-up, make-out party with games like “Spin the Bottle” and “Two Minutes in Heaven” Huh. I knew this “game” as “Seven Minutes in Heaven.” Well, I guess the film took place before the rampant inflation of the 1970s which changed these figures permanently.
And, WOW, in 5th Grade, I was obsessed with Golden State Warriors basketball (they SUCKED then). The idea of going to a make-out party would have been my end. Death by embarrassment. I am quite certain I wasn’t alone with this thought. This is the essential milieu of the film – an oversexualized girl being oversexualized.
There is merit in that, but not enough to distract me from the fact that very, very little happens in the film … and there is next to no character development here, which is tragic in a coming-of-age film.
Are you there God? It’s Me, Margaret. (And, honey, God knows. If there is a God, God totally knows who’s doing the invoking) suffers from a divine lack of plot. I DO NOT wish to trivialize the coming of age. For some, the day you “become a woman” is the most memorable one they’ll ever have. HOWEVER, “I got my period” just ain’t a plot. This sets up a catch-22 of sorts. Let me explain: In order to sell the importance of the eventuality, little moments are overacted (“OMG, CAN YOU BELIEVE THE CUTE BOY STATED AN HONEST OBSERVATION ABOUT THE TEMPORARY NATURE OF MY SECONDARY SEXUAL CHARACTERISTICS!!!!!”) In the overreaction, the moment seems silly, trivial. But if it weren’t overdone, the eventual –forgive me- climax would seem trivial.
It’s a real “damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” The problem really is that the source material doesn’t lend itself to a decent screenplay. I usually like Coming-of-Age films, but I can think of a half-dozen off the top of my head that make It’s Me, Margaret look like a waste of time. Eighth Grade, Dope, Kings of Summer, Good Boys, Edge of Seventeen, Moonrise Kingdom are all far superior films. And none of them had to trivialize a thing.
There once was an anxious fifth grader
Who wanted adulthood sooner than later
She had a circle of trust
And screamed about her bust
C’mon nature, don’t you be a hater
Rated PG-13, 106 Minutes
Director: Kelly Fremon Craig
Writer: Kelly Fremon Craig
Genre: Books you thought couldn’t be made into movies
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Pre-teen girls
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Pre-teen boys
