Thanks to See It First I secured a couple of tickets to the preview screening of this film based on the bestselling book by Judy Blume.
IMDB says: When her family moves from the city to the suburbs, 11-year-old Margaret navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence.
In this comedy drama Abby Ryder Fortson (Ant-Man and the Wasp, Forever My Girl) plays Margaret Simon an adolescent only child. Her mother Barbara, played by Rachel McAdams (The Notebook, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga) has been brought up by estranged Christian parents and her father Herb, played by Benny Safdie (Licorice Pizza, Good Time) is Jewish. When he gets a promotion which involves a move to New Jersey from New York City, not only does Margaret have to leave all her friends behind but her beloved Grandmother Sylvia, Kathy Bates (Misery, Titanic).
Making a new friend Nancy Wheeler, played by Elle Graham (The Hunger Games- Mockingjay Part 2, She Said), as soon as she moves in, Margaret is invited to join Nancy's secret club with friends Janie Loomis, played by Amari Alexis Price (The Knife), and Gretchen Potter, played by Katherine Mallen Kupferer (Widows, Fools). Nancy has a brother called Evan, played by newcomer Landon S Baxter, who has a friend called Moose, played by Aidan Wojtak-Hisson (The Mission, I Am Not Okay with This), who catches Margaret's eye, yet all the other girls obsess over school heartthrob Philip Leroy, played by Zack Brooks (Tulsa King, The Puzzle Jug). Despite not being raised with a religious affiliation, Margaret asks God for help negotiating all the changes in her life.
When her new teacher Mr Sebastian, played by Echo Kellum (Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow), suggests she base her year-long school project on religion, this starts her journey to explore new faiths including Christianity, Judaism and Catholicism via school outcast Isol Young (Alma, Skin of the Father).
Throughout all this, she must also negotiate her changing body.
My friend and I really enjoyed this film. We were both nostalgic about the early 70s book ("I must, I must, I must improve my bust!") and wryly remembered the things we had to get through as young women (menstruation, betrayal, hormones). This caused poignancy in many parts of the movie, especially as it highlighted how different culturally growing up was back then compared to now.
The movie exudes warmth as it portrays Margaret as powerless, awkward and ignorant (like we were), a stark contrast to today where children need only to look things up on the internet to know the answers to almost anything. Also, thankfully, prejudice is not as stark as it was back then, though I feel we still have a long way to go as a society.
In essence, the film feels like an homage to anyone who grew up in the 70s but I hope that it appeals to young people too as a thoughtful and honest alternative to the myriad of blockbuster franchises.
Trivia: Judy Blume, the author of the book the movie is based on, has a cameo as a woman walking a dog.
Top notch acting in a warm and nostalgic film: 8.5/10
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