ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME MARGARET: Set in 1970, this teenage movie is based on Judy Blume’s groundbreaking novel. Margaret is an extremely shy and meek 11-year old who cannot even look at a guy in the eye.She resists change and is devastated when she has to move to the New Jersey suburbs from New York. Her parents had an inter-faith marriage but she is more inclined to the Jewish religion, thanks to her paternal Grandma Sylvia (played by Kathy Bates) who she finds real fun to be with. She is fascinated by the rabbi addressing the Jewish congregation using words like “Shalom” but freaks out while at the confession room with the Father. Her maternal grandparents disowned her mother(played by Rachel McAdams) long back since she married a Jew despite being a Catholic. This period movie captures the bygone era where families actually mingled and talked to each other instead of being glued to their cell phones. Margaret maintains a diary just like Betty(of the Archies comics fame) and believes in an omnipresent God bereft of any religious attachment. The movie is relatable even to this day with its witty, funny, comic moments with some dollops of sadness. Margaret(played by Abby Fortson) looks a bit like Sara Ali Khan and is sweet and endearing.The movie’s “aha” moment is when the teenage girls shout in unison “We must…..(I am too much of a prude to spell out the rest!)”. Margaret has a glad eye for the hard-working neighborhood guy, Moose and is not so excited when the cool dude in the class kisses her five times. The movie ends with Margaret reaching puberty but is still too young to go on a date. The movie might remind you of the TV show “Wonder Years” and would chime in with the Indian audience thanks to the global emotional quotient and tenderness. Rated PG-13 in the US, this movie is not recommended for family audiences.
AninditaRoyMusings 