Judy Blume finally approved an “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” movie

[Anonymous]

It's been a minute since I read this, but I don't remember the mom being a hippie type. It is kind of strange to see Rachel McAdams in the mom role. In my mind she is younger than me and not the "mom."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's been a minute since I read this, but I don't remember the mom being a hippie type. It is kind of strange to see Rachel McAdams in the mom role. In my mind she is younger than me and not the "mom."

From what I have read, Judy Blume was heavily involved in the production of the movie and she expanded on the character of Margaret's mom. In the book, it's mentioned that Margaret's mom is a painter, but in the movie her character is an art teacher in NYC who quits her job to become a stay-at-home mom when the family moves to NJ. She struggles with fitting in with the suburban uber-moms, overextending herself with the PTA stuff, trying to learn to cook and decorate the house, but she still tries to hang on to her art and her creativity. She has long, wavy hair and peasant tops, in contrast with the beehives and high heels of the other moms. So in a way the movie is not just about the changes Margaret oes through, but the changes her mom goes through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The worst part of And Then Again Maybe I won’t is the vouyerism stuff. Honestly it’s very creepy and I don’t think the book was severe enough as to how bad this was. My memory is that he simply decides not to do it anymore. I don’t know if that’s sufficient of a lesson these days.

I mean, I think that's the very best outcome! He matured on his own to realize it was wrong. Stopping doing something because you got caught and punished doesn't really make one understand how it's wrong--just that getting caught sucks.

But what lesson does that give the young reader? If I don’t feel bad doing it, I can keep doing it? What about the girls who read the book? Boys can ask for binoculars for Christmas so they can look at me through the window and they’re never punished?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was disappointed to see it’s PG-13. Will it be appropriate for a 9 year old?

yes. I am taking my 10yo. She got her period and had breasts already, plus we read the book.

I just read a review that said the movie shows the girls finding Playboy in Dad’s room, has the girls talking about sexual urges, and has some kissing in a closet scene. It feels a little too mature for my 9 year old. We will pass.

I'm a Gen-X mom who memorized the book in the 1980s. My 11 year old (she'll be 12 next month) and I saw it last night at the early screening. We loved it! We read the book together months ago.

With regard to the Playboy scene, it's really not a big deal at all. They look at the centerfold (nothing is shown) and comment on "how round they are", and Gretchen says that hers look like "little wizard hats." I don't recall anything about "sexual urges" - they do talk about boys they think are cute, like most pre-teen girls. The spin the bottle and the kissing in the closet are just pecks, not full-on making out. In the book, Nancy (an annoying, bossy show-off who acts much more sophisticated than she really is) practices kissing on a pillow, but in the movie, she kisses her bedpost. Philip pinches Margaret on her birthday and tells her it's a pinch to grow an inch, and "you know where you need that inch." I don't think there is anything in this movie that kids haven't already seen or heard at school or on the bus, but I imagine very conservative parents, ones who might support legislation like Florida House Bill 1069, might still find something objectionable. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-bill-ban-menstruation-education-elementary-school/

I found this movie to be very well done. The 1970s music and the period costumes and sets are awesome. Kathy Bates is fantastic as Grandma Sylvia. Rachel McAdams is great as the flower child artist mom who doesn't quite fit in with the strait-laced, uptight suburban moms with their beehive hairdos. It's set in 1970 so there's still some leftover 1960s vibes happening. The religious scenes run the gamut from the Jewish temple, the African-American Baptist church, the mainline Protestant church, and the Catholic Church. The tug-of-war between the grandparents on what religion Margaret should be is well done as well. Margaret says something that resonates in today's political climate and culture wars - she observes that "religion causes people to fight." Yet, she still has her own relationship with God.

I also loved how inclusive the film is - Janie, Mr. Benedict, and Freddy Barnett are African-American. In the scene where everyone is getting ready for the fancy dinner party at Norman Fisher's house (in the book he was "that drip" Norman Fishbein, but in the movie he kind of resembles Rowley from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies) they show the girls getting their hair done, and Janie's mom heats up the hot comb to do Janie's hair. We cracked up at the scene where Margaret and Janie buy Teenage Softies pads at the drugstore so that they're ready for their big day.

And the Laura Danker angle was well handled too. Laura is a 6th grader who developed earlier than the other girls and she's the target of teasing because of it, and in her interactions with Laura, Margaret learns an important lesson on how to treat people.

Opening day is Friday, April 28th - go see the movie! Since we were there for the early screening, we got some free Margaret merch (drinking cups with the movie logo) and a representative from the movie company was there after the screening to collect comments from us - how we rated the movie, our age group, would we rent or buy the movie if it became available and in what format, what was our main reason for seeing the movie, etc.

I saw it last night too. I’m Gen X and I read every single Judy Blume book. I agree with so much of what you wrote. The casting was fabulous. I adore the actor who plays Margaret. I love Gretchen, Janie and Nancy too. I loved how the movie opened (won’t spoil).

We got the plastic cups but we didn’t have pollsters at our theatre. I hope that it does well - it’s definitely a feel good movie. Did you catch Judy Blume’s cameo during the movie? No lines but she and her husband are walking down the street. If you blink, you will miss them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The worst part of And Then Again Maybe I won’t is the vouyerism stuff. Honestly it’s very creepy and I don’t think the book was severe enough as to how bad this was. My memory is that he simply decides not to do it anymore. I don’t know if that’s sufficient of a lesson these days.

I mean, I think that's the very best outcome! He matured on his own to realize it was wrong. Stopping doing something because you got caught and punished doesn't really make one understand how it's wrong--just that getting caught sucks.

But what lesson does that give the young reader? If I don’t feel bad doing it, I can keep doing it? What about the girls who read the book? Boys can ask for binoculars for Christmas so they can look at me through the window and they’re never punished?

Everything doesn’t need to be a moralizing tale. He’s a 13 year old boy, he’s going to make mistakes. And he realizes he’s wrong. Why is it so important that he be punished? Any reader with two brain cells will understand his emotional growth and the message that imparts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was disappointed to see it’s PG-13. Will it be appropriate for a 9 year old?

yes. I am taking my 10yo. She got her period and had breasts already, plus we read the book.

I just read a review that said the movie shows the girls finding Playboy in Dad’s room, has the girls talking about sexual urges, and has some kissing in a closet scene. It feels a little too mature for my 9 year old. We will pass.

I'm a Gen-X mom who memorized the book in the 1980s. My 11 year old (she'll be 12 next month) and I saw it last night at the early screening. We loved it! We read the book together months ago.

With regard to the Playboy scene, it's really not a big deal at all. They look at the centerfold (nothing is shown) and comment on "how round they are", and Gretchen says that hers look like "little wizard hats." I don't recall anything about "sexual urges" - they do talk about boys they think are cute, like most pre-teen girls. The spin the bottle and the kissing in the closet are just pecks, not full-on making out. In the book, Nancy (an annoying, bossy show-off who acts much more sophisticated than she really is) practices kissing on a pillow, but in the movie, she kisses her bedpost. Philip pinches Margaret on her birthday and tells her it's a pinch to grow an inch, and "you know where you need that inch." I don't think there is anything in this movie that kids haven't already seen or heard at school or on the bus, but I imagine very conservative parents, ones who might support legislation like Florida House Bill 1069, might still find something objectionable. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-bill-ban-menstruation-education-elementary-school/

I found this movie to be very well done. The 1970s music and the period costumes and sets are awesome. Kathy Bates is fantastic as Grandma Sylvia. Rachel McAdams is great as the flower child artist mom who doesn't quite fit in with the strait-laced, uptight suburban moms with their beehive hairdos. It's set in 1970 so there's still some leftover 1960s vibes happening. The religious scenes run the gamut from the Jewish temple, the African-American Baptist church, the mainline Protestant church, and the Catholic Church. The tug-of-war between the grandparents on what religion Margaret should be is well done as well. Margaret says something that resonates in today's political climate and culture wars - she observes that "religion causes people to fight." Yet, she still has her own relationship with God.

I also loved how inclusive the film is - Janie, Mr. Benedict, and Freddy Barnett are African-American. In the scene where everyone is getting ready for the fancy dinner party at Norman Fisher's house (in the book he was "that drip" Norman Fishbein, but in the movie he kind of resembles Rowley from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies) they show the girls getting their hair done, and Janie's mom heats up the hot comb to do Janie's hair. We cracked up at the scene where Margaret and Janie buy Teenage Softies pads at the drugstore so that they're ready for their big day.

And the Laura Danker angle was well handled too. Laura is a 6th grader who developed earlier than the other girls and she's the target of teasing because of it, and in her interactions with Laura, Margaret learns an important lesson on how to treat people.

Opening day is Friday, April 28th - go see the movie! Since we were there for the early screening, we got some free Margaret merch (drinking cups with the movie logo) and a representative from the movie company was there after the screening to collect comments from us - how we rated the movie, our age group, would we rent or buy the movie if it became available and in what format, what was our main reason for seeing the movie, etc.

I think there’s a big difference between ages 9 and 11. I’m not ready to have my 9 year old learn what spin the bottle is, or what Playboy is. We will pass.

[Anonymous]

I went to the screening earlier this week with Judy Blume in NYC. really enjoyed the film! So heartfelt with many humorous moments. There is a great cameo of Judy and her husband in the film. Kathy Bates as grandma Sylvia, Rachel McAdams as the mom, and Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret were outstanding.

The discussion with Judy Blume was very engaging. She said she would love Summer Sisters to be a film. She also said she gets requests to write about Margaret during menopause and says that's not going to happen! Also she and the director Kelly Fremon Craig had a fun moment because Kelly had been getting the "I must increase my bust" movement entirely wrong as a child - and she learned what Judy had in mind during filming who had to correct the actors to get it right!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a 12 year old. I wonder if she'll like this or tell me it's a weird dinosaur movie

Same. We missed the boat on the period part I guess. Would love a "Forever" movie though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to the screening earlier this week with Judy Blume in NYC. really enjoyed the film! So heartfelt with many humorous moments. There is a great cameo of Judy and her husband in the film. Kathy Bates as grandma Sylvia, Rachel McAdams as the mom, and Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret were outstanding.

The discussion with Judy Blume was very engaging. She said she would love Summer Sisters to be a film. She also said she gets requests to write about Margaret during menopause and says that's not going to happen! Also she and the director Kelly Fremon Craig had a fun moment because Kelly had been getting the "I must increase my bust" movement entirely wrong as a child - and she learned what Judy had in mind during filming who had to correct the actors to get it right!

That sounds so sweet. And yes, who is writing the kind hearted real books that will entertainingly teach us about menopause?

[Anonymous]

Loved it and so did my 12 year old girl and her friend. Great acting and soundtrack too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was disappointed to see it’s PG-13. Will it be appropriate for a 9 year old?

yes. I am taking my 10yo. She got her period and had breasts already, plus we read the book.

I just read a review that said the movie shows the girls finding Playboy in Dad’s room, has the girls talking about sexual urges, and has some kissing in a closet scene. It feels a little too mature for my 9 year old. We will pass.

I'm a Gen-X mom who memorized the book in the 1980s. My 11 year old (she'll be 12 next month) and I saw it last night at the early screening. We loved it! We read the book together months ago.

With regard to the Playboy scene, it's really not a big deal at all. They look at the centerfold (nothing is shown) and comment on "how round they are", and Gretchen says that hers look like "little wizard hats." I don't recall anything about "sexual urges" - they do talk about boys they think are cute, like most pre-teen girls. The spin the bottle and the kissing in the closet are just pecks, not full-on making out. In the book, Nancy (an annoying, bossy show-off who acts much more sophisticated than she really is) practices kissing on a pillow, but in the movie, she kisses her bedpost. Philip pinches Margaret on her birthday and tells her it's a pinch to grow an inch, and "you know where you need that inch." I don't think there is anything in this movie that kids haven't already seen or heard at school or on the bus, but I imagine very conservative parents, ones who might support legislation like Florida House Bill 1069, might still find something objectionable. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-bill-ban-menstruation-education-elementary-school/

I found this movie to be very well done. The 1970s music and the period costumes and sets are awesome. Kathy Bates is fantastic as Grandma Sylvia. Rachel McAdams is great as the flower child artist mom who doesn't quite fit in with the strait-laced, uptight suburban moms with their beehive hairdos. It's set in 1970 so there's still some leftover 1960s vibes happening. The religious scenes run the gamut from the Jewish temple, the African-American Baptist church, the mainline Protestant church, and the Catholic Church. The tug-of-war between the grandparents on what religion Margaret should be is well done as well. Margaret says something that resonates in today's political climate and culture wars - she observes that "religion causes people to fight." Yet, she still has her own relationship with God.

I also loved how inclusive the film is - Janie, Mr. Benedict, and Freddy Barnett are African-American. In the scene where everyone is getting ready for the fancy dinner party at Norman Fisher's house (in the book he was "that drip" Norman Fishbein, but in the movie he kind of resembles Rowley from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies) they show the girls getting their hair done, and Janie's mom heats up the hot comb to do Janie's hair. We cracked up at the scene where Margaret and Janie buy Teenage Softies pads at the drugstore so that they're ready for their big day.

And the Laura Danker angle was well handled too. Laura is a 6th grader who developed earlier than the other girls and she's the target of teasing because of it, and in her interactions with Laura, Margaret learns an important lesson on how to treat people.

Opening day is Friday, April 28th - go see the movie! Since we were there for the early screening, we got some free Margaret merch (drinking cups with the movie logo) and a representative from the movie company was there after the screening to collect comments from us - how we rated the movie, our age group, would we rent or buy the movie if it became available and in what format, what was our main reason for seeing the movie, etc.

I think there’s a big difference between ages 9 and 11. I’m not ready to have my 9 year old learn what spin the bottle is, or what Playboy is. We will pass.

That's a fine decision - but part of the point of the movie (and life) is that kids are going to learn these things with or without their parents.

[Anonymous]

My husband and I went to see it last night - we're firmly Gen X, no kids. LOVED it. Loved every single second of it.

I sort of forgot how REAL Judy Blume books felt. They both taught me about the world, and reflected how I felt, when I was young. I love that they really captured that same sense here.

The kid who played Margaret was wonderful. The adult actors were wonderful. That kid Nancy is definitely going to be a star. I just loved all of it.

Embarrassingly, I was the only one in the theater who called out We Must We Must We Must Increase Our Bust along with the movie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was disappointed to see it’s PG-13. Will it be appropriate for a 9 year old?

yes. I am taking my 10yo. She got her period and had breasts already, plus we read the book.

I just read a review that said the movie shows the girls finding Playboy in Dad’s room, has the girls talking about sexual urges, and has some kissing in a closet scene. It feels a little too mature for my 9 year old. We will pass.

I'm a Gen-X mom who memorized the book in the 1980s. My 11 year old (she'll be 12 next month) and I saw it last night at the early screening. We loved it! We read the book together months ago.

With regard to the Playboy scene, it's really not a big deal at all. They look at the centerfold (nothing is shown) and comment on "how round they are", and Gretchen says that hers look like "little wizard hats." I don't recall anything about "sexual urges" - they do talk about boys they think are cute, like most pre-teen girls. The spin the bottle and the kissing in the closet are just pecks, not full-on making out. In the book, Nancy (an annoying, bossy show-off who acts much more sophisticated than she really is) practices kissing on a pillow, but in the movie, she kisses her bedpost. Philip pinches Margaret on her birthday and tells her it's a pinch to grow an inch, and "you know where you need that inch." I don't think there is anything in this movie that kids haven't already seen or heard at school or on the bus, but I imagine very conservative parents, ones who might support legislation like Florida House Bill 1069, might still find something objectionable. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-bill-ban-menstruation-education-elementary-school/

I found this movie to be very well done. The 1970s music and the period costumes and sets are awesome. Kathy Bates is fantastic as Grandma Sylvia. Rachel McAdams is great as the flower child artist mom who doesn't quite fit in with the strait-laced, uptight suburban moms with their beehive hairdos. It's set in 1970 so there's still some leftover 1960s vibes happening. The religious scenes run the gamut from the Jewish temple, the African-American Baptist church, the mainline Protestant church, and the Catholic Church. The tug-of-war between the grandparents on what religion Margaret should be is well done as well. Margaret says something that resonates in today's political climate and culture wars - she observes that "religion causes people to fight." Yet, she still has her own relationship with God.

I also loved how inclusive the film is - Janie, Mr. Benedict, and Freddy Barnett are African-American. In the scene where everyone is getting ready for the fancy dinner party at Norman Fisher's house (in the book he was "that drip" Norman Fishbein, but in the movie he kind of resembles Rowley from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies) they show the girls getting their hair done, and Janie's mom heats up the hot comb to do Janie's hair. We cracked up at the scene where Margaret and Janie buy Teenage Softies pads at the drugstore so that they're ready for their big day.

And the Laura Danker angle was well handled too. Laura is a 6th grader who developed earlier than the other girls and she's the target of teasing because of it, and in her interactions with Laura, Margaret learns an important lesson on how to treat people.

Opening day is Friday, April 28th - go see the movie! Since we were there for the early screening, we got some free Margaret merch (drinking cups with the movie logo) and a representative from the movie company was there after the screening to collect comments from us - how we rated the movie, our age group, would we rent or buy the movie if it became available and in what format, what was our main reason for seeing the movie, etc.

I think there’s a big difference between ages 9 and 11. I’m not ready to have my 9 year old learn what spin the bottle is, or what Playboy is. We will pass.

Yes, god forbid a 9 year old know about KISSING!

[Anonymous]

I’m very excited to see it tomorrow. I was planning on just taking my 13 and 10 (almost 11) yo daughters but after suggesting that plan to my husband he said “I want to go, I never read the book but I feel like it’s something I should see, and ds saw a preview last weekend at the Mario movie and he was interested”, so dh and 8yo ds are coming too. I actually think it’s great to show boys and younger children what to “expect” with the beginning of puberty.
Last year my younger dd came home from school and said that one of her classmates in 4th grade had gotten her period. I’m so glad we had already explained everything to dd so she was able to support her classmate in that situation (she asked her if she had any pads and when she didn’t she offered to accompany her to the school nurse or go get things from the nurse on her own because the girl was too freaked out to tell a teacher).
My older dd is finishing 8th grade but is one of the youngest in the grade and she felt like the last girl to get her period (she wasn’t), so she spent months agonizing about not developing. Once she did finally get it she understood why I (and her friends) had told her to “be careful what you wish for”.
I don’t actually remember much about reading “Margaret” when I was young but I know I did at some point. I reread it a few years ago when I got it for my girls to read and remembered a few moments. I think it’s a great universal story in so many ways. My own girls also have a Jewish dad and a Christian/non-religious mom so we’ve had many family conversations about faith and religious culture and how they can make decisions for themselves about what they believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's been a minute since I read this, but I don't remember the mom being a hippie type. It is kind of strange to see Rachel McAdams in the mom role. In my mind she is younger than me and not the "mom."

She's almost 45 isn't she?